Grassroots Groundswell

By Antoinette Rinehart

Please check today’s (July 6) New York Times, front page of the New Jersey section. There is an interesting article concerning the Keansburg School Board’s contract with its Superintendent of Schools. While I am not suggesting there may exist anything as serious as this in North Plainfield, with contract negotiations now underway in our town, it behooves us to attend the Board’s meetings, know exactly what is going on, and exercise a voice when it comes to approval of any outrageous compensation.

The time is NOW to demonstrate your interests and concerns. Please don’t complain when your tax bill reflects such costs in future years. The time to be heard is NOW.

Editor’s Notes -

The next School Board meeting is Wednesday, July 23, and will begin at 7:30 p.m. at 33 Mountain Avenue.

NPCCR is planning a group appearance there, and Mark Williams told me he’s working to obtain copies of the draft contracts for Superintendent Birnbaum, Assistant Superintendent Rich and Business Adminstrator Sternberg to distribute via the blog so everyone who wants to know will know what’s being discussed July 23 and be well-prepared to address those issues.

Mark mentioned that he heard from attendees at the last School Board meeting that they didn’t comment on the contract because they barely had time to skim through it in the few minutes before the meeting began, and didn’t feel they understood it enough to make informed public comments. This is one of the reasons why automatic uploading of public documents (rather than requiring interested parties to go to the School Board offices the day of the meeting and request the opportunity to review the paper copies, which is the current practice) might help increase citizen engagement in local governance.

But increased/easier public access to information is only the first step.

People now have access to a great many public records through the Document Library here, but the next step is spending the time to carefully read those documents and then dig back through the laws and other layers behind each document, and then pursue follow-up records to identify, for example, whether money earmarked for capital projects last year actually got spent to complete those projects.

And the third step, once you understand what your government is actually doing, is to bring your own sound judgment and experience to bear to make sensible, workable proposals for better government functioning.

It’s hard, often boring work, and there’s a lot of it, particularly when a handful of people try to do it on their own. But without it, there’s no oversight at all.

More eyes on the records = more oversight = better government.

by Dottie Gutenkauf, Plainfield organizer

The People’s Organization for Progress (Plainfield branch) and the Save Muhlenberg Coalition marched in Plainfield’s Fourth of July parade, distributing flyers about the current Muhlenberg situation and what POP and the Coalition are doing and circulating petitions to Health & Senior Services commissioner Heather Howard urging her to reject Solaris’ application to close our essential hospital.

OUR STRUGGLE TO SAVE MUHLENBERG ISN’T OVER YET! The POP/Save Muhlenberg Coalition continues to meet every Monday at 6:30 pm at the duCret School of Art, 1030 Central Avenue (across from Cedarbrook School). ALL ARE WELCOME–JOIN US!

Solaris is still moving important units and programs from Muhlenberg to JFK in spite of the fact that they haven’t yet gotten approval from the Commissioner to close Muhlenberg. Ob-Gyn is gone (pre-natal and post-natal services have been sent to the Plainfield Health Center and deliveries have been transferred to Trinitas Hospital in Elizabeth), Colo-Rectal has been moved to JFK in Edison, and the Bariatric unit will follow shortly.

While Solaris’ propaganda machine claims they’re not “jumping the gun,” it’s obvious that’s exactly what they’re doing. See the story and reader comments–some of them nasty– in the Courier:  The headline is somewhat misleading–Solaris has already transferred a lot of programs and staff to JFK–even before the State Health Planning Board meeting June 26, and new reports of those activities reach us every day. The Emergency Room and a few other units remain open.

Today we got word that stretchers, pictures, and other items were being moved out. If you see anything like this happening, call the police at 911 and report a possible theft in progress. Document the date, time, place, items being moved, witnesses, etc. And let me know!

To report odd goings-on or problems involving Muhlenberg, contact me by email or phone (908-668-1149).

The Courier posted a bunch of photos from the June 26 State Health Planning Board hearing on Solaris’ application to close Muhlenberg.

Maria Pellum, Crescent-Times blogger in Plainfield, came to the NP parade and did a slide show for her blog, posted here. I was at the NP parade and took photos too, but it will take me awhile to figure out a technical workaround for a photo program that’s currently in storage, so enjoy Maria’s photos in the meantime, and thanks to Maria!

NPCCR supporters have suggested repeatedly that the Planning Board take steps to require the Villa Maria developer - Robert McNerney - to place funds in escrow for the Borough to commission an independent third party to conduct a comprehensive “community impact study.”

Some members of the Planning Board and Planning Board staff may not be aware of the escrow provision of the Borough’s land development ordinance, so I’m reposting an excerpt here. Full ordinance text is here.

NP Ordinance 22-17(g)

g. Technical Review Escrow Deposits.

1. In addition to the filing fees or any other fees required in this Section, an applicant shall file with the administrative officer an escrow deposit of adequate funds to cover the costs incurred for the technical review of the application by any professional consultant whose services are deemed necessary to report on the application. The Borough Treasurer shall place all such deposits in an escrow account in the name of the applicant and shall charge against such account all disbursements in connection with the costs referred to above.

The term “professional personnel” or “professional services” as used herein shall include the services of a duly licensed engineer, surveyor, planner, attorney, realtor, appraiser or other expert who would provide professional services to insure an application meets performance standards set forth in the ordinance and other experts whose testimony is in an area in which the applicant has presented expert testimony…

Just a note to readers - please bear with me while I set up a new routine for blog maintenance and updating. I am moved to Allentown. Moving sucks. 

Anyway, I have wi-fi access at a nearby Panera, but scheduling time to get there is a little awkward. Posting should pick up in the next week or so, as the GOP candidates clarify their positions and plans and begin sending in more detailed proposals, and as I get a little more settled and into a schedule for checking my e-mails to transfer and edit material for the blog 

Volunteer citizen journalists still needed to attend and write up meeting coverage - huge volumes of useful information are all around us, but we do need to pick it up and share it to make it work for us and not just disappear into the bowels of Borough Hall and committee-members’ memories. 

The more you all write, the more useful this community memory bank, debate-log and idea reservoir will be.

7:30 p.m. at Vermeule *** Agenda Meeting 6-23 *** Regular Meeting 6-23

Antoinette Rinehart and Mark Williams, NPCCR Co-Chairs, at the NPCCR booth. Come on out and sign those petitions!

View looking north on Somerset Street:

Outgoing Democratic Mayor Janice Allen:

NP Republican Club - Councilwoman Barbara Habeeb (temporary appointment until Nov., running for 4-year seat), Mayoral Candidate Robert Gatto, Council Candidate Frank N. D’Amore Sr.; Adam D’Amore (Frank’s son) in back row:

Tom Mullen (at right), Republican Candidate for 2-year seat formerly held by Daniel Soto, 1/07-7/07, Santiago Soto, 7/07 - 11/07, Jenny Flynn, 11/07 - 5/08, and Barbara Habeeb, 6/08 - present:

North Plainfield Democratic Club - Councilwoman Mary Forbes at left (in red shoes). Councilman and Council Candidate for Re-election Bob Hitchcock at right, seated:

North Plainfield Memorial Library - librarians Christina, Elaine and Judy:

Friends of the North Plainfield Library - Danielle Rassa setting up…

Stony Brook Elementary School PTA:

Councilman, Member of Special Events Committee and Democratic Mayoral Candidate Mike Giordano:

Councilman, Member of Special Events Committee and Democratic Council Candidate Skip Stabile (blue shirt), with Everett Merrill (black shirt):

Councilman, Member of Special Events Committee and Democratic Candidate for Re-Election to Council Frank Righetti, talking to a DPW guy:

Larry LaRonde (in green shirt), Member of Economic Development Committee, Special Events Committee:

Got other photos?

Send ‘em on in!

Linda Darge has volunteered to fill the last opening on the Municipal Open Space Tax ballot initiative committee, joining Jerry Jacala, Antoinette Rinehart, Christine Holman and Barbara Habeeb. Thank you to all five volunteers! The petition materials will be at the NPCCR table at the June 21 Street Fair for signing.

Margaret Mary and Fred Jones have volunteered to complete the Shade Tree Commission ballot initiative committee. They join Antoinette Rinehart, Christine Holman and Barbara Habeeb. Hooray! Thank you to all five volunteers; the petition materials will be at the NPCCR table at the Street Fair on June 21 for signing.

Municipal Open Space Tax ballot initiative committee needs one more member (current members are Jerry Jacala, Antoinette Rinehart, Christine Holman and Barbara Habeeb). Shade Tree Commission ballot initiative committee needs two more members (current members are Antoinette Rinehart, Christine Holman and Barbara Habeeb). Follow these folks’ lead and step up!