Grassroots Groundswell

Invitation Letter Sent by NPCCR Co-Chairs Mark Williams and Antoinette Rinehart to all 11 candidates for Mayor and Council:

Dear Candidate for Mayor and Council:

As Co-chair of The North Plainfield Citizens for Community Rights (NPCCR) I wish to extend you an invitation to participate in our regular monthly Town Meeting on May 8th at 7pm at the Vermeule Community Center.

As a nonpartisan community group, we recognize the importance of informing our Borough citizens about issues that affect them and the Borough as a whole. So we offer you this opportunity to connect with the voters of North Plainfield and communicate your position on key issues.

As a nonpartisan organization we are poised in a unique position; our nonpartisan nature helps ensure that the event will not be biased and can focus on moving the community into the future.

We would welcome discussions about formatting this meeting for the mutual benefit of the candidates and audience.

For any question you might have please contact me at 908-756-2988. RSVP requested by 4/30/2008.

Regards,

Mark Williams, Co-chair NPCCR

Overview

Somewhere between 30 and 40 residents attended the May 8 Meet the Candidates night, mostly new folks who had never been to an NPCCR event before, saw the sandwich boards or saw the notice in the Courier-News.

All eleven candidates were invited to the meeting (four Democratic incumbents, three Democratic challengers and four Republican challengers.) The candidates were asked to prepare personal introductions, and then outline the top three issues each believes are the most pressing issues confronting the Borough, and what they plan to do to address those issues, if elected.

The four incumbent Democrats declined the invitation, alleging that all participants in NPCCR’s public events are “partisan” and thus Democratic candidate participation in a Meet the Candidates Night would expose Democratic candidates to partisan verbal attacks.

Of the three challenger Democrats, Alpar Fodor declined the invitation, stating that he had final examinations Friday morning in his MBA program, and needed to study Thursday night. Luis Morales and Nathan Headd did not respond to the invitation at all.

The four Republican candidates accepted the invitation.

NPCCR Co-Chair Mark Williams then offered the non-participating candidates the opportunity to write their introductory remarks for reading at the meeting. At about 4 p.m. Thursday afternoon, Democratic Council Candidate (and current Council President) Skip Stabile contacted Mark to say the Democratic incumbents wished to submit written comments; Mark received those comments at about 6:30 p.m., by e-mail.

The four Republican challengers attended and spoke for themselves.

“I think them not showing up is chicken-shit,” John DeSotelle, a resident in attendance at the meeting, said of the no-shows. “That’s the problem - we can’t get everybody together…the ‘nyah, nyah, nyah’ stuff. I’m sick of it.”

The Democratic candidates specifically instructed Mark that they were not granting permission for the statements to be published, although they left open the possibility that they might later authorize publication of their written statements on local issues for public review at this blog.

So, these accounts are based on my notes taken during Mark’s reading of the statements. If I get copies of the originals from Mark or the candidates themselves, I’ll post them. [Update: I got copies, and posted them below.]

Council Candidate Skip Stabile (D)

CONTACT - s_stabile@yahoo.com

Skip Stabile - Council Candidate (D)

Personal Introduction: 32 years old. Lifelong Borough resident. Current occupation is Chief of Staff for State Senator Nicholas Scutari. Elected to Council in 2004, current Council President. Chair of the Street Fair Committee, former member of the Economic Development Committee, Planning Board. Current supporter of Friends of Vermeule and member of Lions’ Club.

Top Three Issues: Tax Relief, Voluntarism, Quality of Life.

Tax Relief: Advocates “continued” measures to provide tax relief by pursuing grants such as Extraordinary State Aid. Played a role, as a Scutari staffer, in obtaining extraordinary aid allocations in past years. Advocates “shared services” and “fiscal responsibility.”

Voluntarism: Acknowledges modern schedules make volunteer service difficult, but recognizes strong history of voluntarism in North Plainfield. Intends to continue seeking new volunteers for Street Fair, Fourth of July Events and other Borough activities, to replace those who retire from volunteer service or move out of town.

Quality of Life: Intends to “continue stricter enforcement of property maintenance codes.”

Council Candidate Frank Righetti (D)

CONTACT - rocco97@hotmail.com

Frank Righetti - Council Candidate (D)

Personal Introduction: Has lived in North Plainfield his whole life, finds it “rewarding” to be able to serve the community. Was responsible for introducing the “downtown dining ordinance” that allows restaurants to serve meals outside in warm weather.

Top Three Issues: Shared Services, Business Atmosphere, Property Maintenance and Code Enforcement.

Shared Services: Borough is looking into shared fire and EMS services with Green Brook and Watchung. Has been successful in finding sharing opportunities. Wants to continue to do so.

Business Atmosphere: Pleased with tenants and renovations at K-Mart Plaza, Siperstein’s Paints and VIP Honda. Notes that downtown is “very busy also.” Asserted that “these ratables stabilize taxes on residents.” Advocates asking businesses for input about their needs.

Property Maintenance & Code Enforcement: Believes Borough needs to do more education to the public about the codes. Wants to put more information on the Borough website, provide literature about property maintenance at Borough Hall, the public library, senior center meetings. “People need to know who to call” when they have a concern. All residents benefit from enforcement.

[After Mark finished reading Righetti's statement, one resident called out - "He wrote more than he usually talks at Council meetings." "More than he has in 10 years!" another person added.]

Mayoral Candidate Mike Giordano (D)

CONTACT - mgior59203@aol.com

Michael Giordano - Mayoral Candidate (D)

Personal Introduction: Has served on Council since 2005 and is currently Council Vice-President, and serves as Council liaison to the Property Maintenance Committee. Served on the Parks and Recreation Commission previously. Been involved in youth sports and recreation, worked to keep volunteer coaches “honest and safe.” Has enjoyed the challenges of public service and wants to continue to serve in a new capacity, take the Borough in a “new direction.”

Top Three Issues: Communication, Shared Services, Code Enforcement

Communication: Big believer in communication. Feels that residents aren’t always aware of events in town, especially since there is no longer a functioning small local newspaper. Wants to support and continue Borough newsletter, improve Borough website, add more links, update it more frequently, look at other municipal and school websites and “cherry-pick” the best ideas. Considering idea of having an “actual human being” answer the phones at Borough Hall, so residents know their concerns are cared for.

Shared Services: Believes Borough needs to continue to explore and expand shared service arrangements, especially with public works and fire department, because shared services also make service providers eligible for more grants.

Code Enforcement: When codes are violated, it’s bad for the Borough, both for aesthetics and for safety. “I am a proponent of strict but fair enforcement.” Believes education about codes must be stressed. “In the end, we all benefit from this.”

Council Candidate Bob Hitchcock (D)

CONTACT - bhitchco@aol.com

Robert Hitchcock - Council Candidate (D)

Personal Introduction: Lived in Borough more than 30 years. Retired quality manager for AT&T. Three term Council member. Council liaison to Shade Tree Advisory Board. President of Friends of Vermeule, organizer of Haunting of Vermeule, introduced and backed “Business and Home Improvement Tax Abatement” program to encourage renovations. Takes a great deal of pride in public service, feels he’s done well over his past terms, full of ideas and questions during Council meetings, ready to roll up his sleeves and work.

Top Three Issues: Crime Prevention, Maintenance of Services, Preservation

Crime Prevention: Concerned about increasing crime rates as result of economic downturn. Advocates Borough-wide crime prevention programs, more block association Neighborhood Crime Watch programs, more communication with residents to “get the word out.”

Maintenance of Services: Believes Borough has excellent police, fire and public works services. Advocates getting grants and increasing “efficiencies.” More money from outside sources means less burden on taxpayers. Residents enjoy being able to pick up the phone and reach the fire department, or go to the library.

Preservation: Wants to try his hardest to preserve the Borough’s past and protect its future. President of Friends of Vermeule, liaison to Shade Tree Advisory Board, understands how “precious our history and environment are.”

Mayoral Candidate Robert Gatto (R)

CONTACT - robertgatto@verizon.net

Personal Introduction: Employed as an AT&T network specialist, blue-collar, union member. Has run for Council and for state representative in the past. Enjoys solving problems and troubleshooting (as per job demands) and endorses “buck stops here” approach to leadership. Running for mayor with intent to focus on local issues within local control; global issues not within local control and not part of campaign.

Top Three Issues: Open Governance, Hiring Qualified North Plainfield Residents, Fiscal Responsibility

Open Governance: Believes government should be open, transparent and information should be easily available to the public. Anticipates that “a lot of people may not always be happy with things” the Mayor decides to do, but states the Mayor’s “job is to listen and serve the public…Politics is confrontational. If people don’t agree, you work it out.”

He cited the current Mayor and Council performance, highlighting the current Borough officials’ reluctance to answer questions in public forums, heavy reliance on the cumbersome OPRA process (and occasional withholding of public documents) rather than simply making public documents easily available.

Mr. Gatto said that, if elected, when people call or attend meetings: “They’re going to ask a question, they’re going to get an answer.”

And, acknowledging that many residents don’t have the time to attend Council meetings, he said he advocates live televised broadcasts of Council meetings, rebroadcast in the days after the meetings, plus setting up a system for online, email, real time submission of resident questions and comments during televised Council meetings, so people could participate even from home.

Mr. Gatto noted that residents have suggested televising Council meetings in the past, and their requests have been ignored by the Mayor and Council.

Hiring Qualified North Plainfield Residents: Mr. Gatto said he intends to make sure that the best possible people are hired to fill Borough staff positions.

Citing the current practice of hiring out-of-town applicants in preference to equally qualified Borough applicants, and the current practice of screening many applicants and committee appointees based on patronage, he said he believes people who live in North Plainfield care more about the Borough and will work harder and better on behalf of programs and services. He said he doesn’t “owe anyone any favors” and will advertise jobs widely and seek outside-the-box thinkers.

He also mentioned his own experience with the Talent Bank system - he submitted an application to be considered for appointment to the Parking Authority and heard nothing back for a year. Then he did some research, and discovered that the Parking Authority didn’t meet a single time in 2007, despite a mandate to meet monthly. When he again said he’d be glad to join the committee to bring it up to quorum so meetings could be held, he was told by Borough Administrative Assistant Tina Totten that the committee was fully-appointed, but the appointed members failed to attend meetings, resulting in no quorum.

Fiscal Responsibility: Mr. Gatto said he intends to dig into financial transactions if elected and monitor spending and revenue collection more closely than the incumbents.

He noted the ongoing Borough Hall construction project, which was to cost about $3.9 million and may reach $7 million by the time it’s finished. “Who’s watching what’s going on?” He mentioned the $500 per day fine, not being collected from the contractor by the Borough, in violation of the contract.

Mr. Gatto contrasted the Mayor and Council’s current approach with standard contracting oversight throughout the state: “If you finish early, you get a bonus. If you finish late, you get a penalty.”

In his closing remarks, Mr. Gatto referenced Mr. Giordano’s written claim that he intends to take the Borough “in a new direction,” noting that Mr. Giordano is “already in a position of authority” and that “wonderful statements” during election years are followed up by “business as usual” between election years.

“What is everyone waiting for?” Mr. Gatto asked of the no-shows. “I promise you, if I’m elected, it will not be business as usual.”

Council Candidate Frank N. D’Amore Sr. - CONTACT - frankdsr@comcast.net

Personal Introduction: Resident of North Plainfield for 39 years, since moving here from Newark. Retired from NP Police Department in 2005 after 32.5 years service. Served on Historic Commission for 17 years (until Mayor Allen threw him off for disagreeing with her). Has served on Property Maintenance Committee and Parking Authority. Teaches religious education at St. Joseph’s Church.

Top Three Issues: Municipal Debt, Trash on the Streets, Illegal Housing & Overcrowding.

Municipal Debt: Concerned about the upward pressure on property taxes from large and growing municipal debt. Debt was $10 million in 2006, $13 million in 2008. Debt payments now account for $1,255,000 of annual Borough spending. “If it continues to go up, I don’t know what we’re going to do,” D’Amore said. As property taxes continue to rise, more people fall behind, more try to sell homes or are foreclosed; even with refinancing, people can’t afford to stay. Has reviewed Borough’s financial records and found at least $500,000 in savings that could be applied to debt reduction.

Trash on Streets: Somerset Street has lots of litter, looks messy. Street sweepers can’t sweep because too many cars parked, even in the middle of the night. Has suggested to Mayor and Council to put in an occasional alternate side of the street parking rule, to allow for regular street cleaning; and coordinated submission of 100 resident letters in support of the measure. Mayor and Council rejected it as too inconvenient to drivers who park there. Mr. D’Amore plans to reintroduce the measure if elected. “If Manhattan can do it, we can do it here.”

Illegal Housing & Overcrowding: Advocates strict enforcement of the laws on the books. Notes that Democratic incumbents advocate stronger enforcement in written statements and put it into campaign literature every four years. “Have you seen [enforcement]?” he asked the residents. “I haven’t seen it.”

“It’s not that North Plainfield doesn’t have the tools to deal with this,” Mr. D’Amore said, it’s that the tools aren’t being used, and it appears that the only thing that might finally motivate the current Mayor and Council to act will be the death of a tenant in an illegal basement apartment who is unable to get out during a fire. Mentioned Bayonne lawsuit based on similar scenario, in which plaintiffs accuse City of Bayonne of negligence for permitting illegal apartments that led to “wrongful death” and seek $25 million in damages.

Noted that identifying homes with illegal apartments is not difficult - look at number of cars around house, or night-time lights in attics and basements. Calls and written complaints to Borough Hall have no results. “Enforcement is negligible.” Requests that the Mayor fire and replace the current Code Enforcement Official responsible for non-enforcement, James Rodino, have also been ignored.

And, he added, apart from safety, each illegal student costs the District $11,941 per year in tuition. Advocates that complaints be investigated, and when violations found, the Borough make sure the tenants get the six-month’s rent for relocation owed to them by the landlord, and the Borough get the six-month’s rent as a penalty, owed to the Borough by the landlord, as the current code requires.

Council Candidate Marie Kushnir (R)

CONTACT - mariekushnir@msn.com

Personal Introduction: Resident of the Borough for 15 years, raising two children here. Has volunteered “endlessly.” Vice-President of West End PTA for past four years. Runs the book fair, school fair. Serves on Borough Special Events Committee and co-coordinated six of the last seven annual Fourth of July Parades. Highly energetic, self-motivated person. Now works part-time, former full-time career was as regional director for weight loss business, supervising 140 employees at 15 stores.

Top Three Issues: Business Growth/Economic Development; Open Lines of Communication; Enforcement of zoning and residential codes.

Business Growth/Economic Development: “We are all watching businesses flee North Plainfield,” Ms. Kushnir said, listing PetSmart, Staples and Capitol Lighting as examples. Driving along Route 22 or Somerset Street, residents can see the empty storefronts or the businesses that don’t last more than six months.

She said the Business Association, defunct for the last few years, is starting to get organized again. But the Economic Development Committee isn’t seeking Somerset County Business Partnership grants or other available business support services. Somerset County has a program offering grants of up to $20,000 per business, and actively seeks applicants from North Plainfield. But, Ms. Kushnir said, our local government has made no effort to reach out to businesses, let them know about the grants, and support their applications, and Borough support is a necessary component of successful applications.

Ms. Kushnir advocates proactively rebuilding frayed relationships with industries, businesses, business development organizations, and media contacts, rather than continuing reactive or non-decisionmaking. She said that Levin Management Corporation, the third largest property management firm in NJ, refuses to do development business with North Plainfield because of bad experiences with current Borough officials.

She also advocates developing and using economic development plans, created in collaboration with local business owners and civic organizations, to set measurable benchmarks for improvements over five years, ten years.

Open communication: Cited “open lines of communcation” as another of her priorities, noting that when residents call Borough Hall to ask questions, they often get the “runaround” or harsh comments from Borough employees, a trend Ms. Kushnir said began under Borough Administrator John Katilas and has continued under David Hollod. “We need to get answers,” she said, both to get useful information into residents hands and to hold responsible officials accountable for their actions.

Illegal Students and Non-resident Students in the Schools: “It is fleecing the town. I am actively involved in the schools, and I see it every day.” For example, she said, checks come in to the PTA, and the addresses on the checks are not North Plainfield addresses. Vans drive up to the schools, drop off a half-dozen or more children, and then drive back across the town border into Plainfield.

Council Candidate Barbara Habeeb (R) - CONTACT - barhab@aol.com

Personal Introduction: Music teacher in South Plainfield School Distirct, performing musician, formerly worked in retail at Sears. Not a politician, just a resident getting involved because “All is not right in North Plainfield.” Got involved in local issues through Villa Maria campaign last summer, learned a whole lot more about the town through that and decided to run to make a positive difference. Says she brings personal qualities including common sense, good organizational skills, fair and respectful attitude to the people of the community. Comfortable working with people - with customers at Sears, students at her school, audience members during musical performances, and, if elected, with residents of the Borough. “I’ll get my experience hands-on,” she said, adding, “Vote candidate, not party. At the municipal level, it’s not about party. It’s about the Borough.”

Top Three Issues: Historic & Open Space Preservation; Fiscal Mismanagement; Overcrowded Schools

Historic and Open Space Preservation: Has been trying to save Villa Maria from destruction by the developer. Outlined the Age Restricted Condo ordinance being illegally adopted by the Council in October 2005, followed by Bill Campbell’s successful lawsuit invalidating the ordinance, followed by the Borough’s appeal. Noted that when Route 22 floods, drivers use Mountain Avenue (where she lives) instead, causing traffic snarls, plus traffic jams (regardless of weather) during rush hours on Watchung Avenue and Somerset Street up and down from I-78, plus the current high population density (highest in Somerset County) which includes overcrowded schools that could be more overcrowded with more residential development, which might then require additional police, fire and other public services.
“If they build on that property, it’s going to make a bad situation worse.”

Ms. Habeeb has been researching grants for open space and historic preservation, how to intervene in the permitting process through the Department of Environmental Protection, reaching out to the Green Brook Flood Control Commission and the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions and other organizations for help, and plans to continue.

Fiscal Mismanagement: States tax money is not being well spent, and money owed to the Borough is not being collected, including $1 million or more in property taxes for Villa Maria since it lost its nonprofit status in 2003, and $300,000 in outstanding fines not collected because Borough Hall doesn’t have a credit card machine to process electronic transactions. “Simple, right? You would think!”

Also cited misuse of Borough funds by Mayor having Department of Public Works employees doing non-DPW work like handing out fliers for Borough-sponsored events, and by Mayor and Council giving all Borough employees 4% across the board raises without performance reviews. Also cited Borough Hall renovations - supposed to be done April 2007, well overdue and overbudget, with no answers from Borough officials about why.

Overcrowded Schools: As a teacher in South Plainfield, she knows students unlawfully attend other districts. At a cost of $11,491 per student, extra students overcrowd classrooms, require additional special services, and overwork the teachers. Intends to work with the School District to identify kids who belong in other school districts and send the kids back to the schools they belong in.

Question and Answer Session

ROBERT GATTO:

Q: Why are there no black police officers, firefighters, and so few black teachers in the schools? If elected, what will you do to change this?

A: Mr. Gatto responded that he doesn’t know why there aren’t more ethnic minorities on the police, fire and school payrolls and said he’s not interested in denying anyone a position based on race, sex, religion, sexual orientation or any other non-job-related attribute, nor in setting hiring quotas based on those non-job-related attributes.

However, he said, he does think that since the population of North Plainfield is so diverse, if jobs were advertised widely across town and hiring decisions gave preference to North Plainfield residents among all qualified applicants, it seems likely that ethnic diversity among Borough employees would improve because the pool of talented applicants would mirror the diversity of the community.

Q: You work a full-time job. How would you effectively split your time to be an accessible mayor?

A: Mr. Gatto acknowledged that he works full-time, but noted that he’s a union employee, and therefore not required to work more than 40 hours unless he chooses to accept overtime assignments. He currently accepts a lot of overtime, but if elected, would sacrifice the overtime to be more available in town. He tends to go to work early in the day, and can usually be finished and home by 3 or 4 p.m. He also noted that, when his job demands long hours and overnighters, he’s able to focus and handle those pressing issues, and expects to commit in the same way to urgent Borough issues, should they arise.

However, he also noted that he doesn’t believe in “micromanaging” and intends to spread authority and responsibility among competent Borough employees as much as possible. “If you hire the best people and give them flexibility” to do their work, he said, then a Mayor doesn’t need to hover and maintain tight personal control over every individual decision.

Q: What are your ideas for bringing in new businesses to North Plainfield and to improve the look and feel of the town? How will you guide the taking back of downtown? What will you do to stimulate downtown to increase revenue?

A: Mr. Gatto said he’s been doing volunteer work with NPCCR interviewing and giving survey questionnaires to business owners along Somerset Street and Route 22 to find out from the business owners what kind of help they need from the Borough. Maybe something like the Ironbound section of Newark could be put together. Parking improvements are vital; Westfield had the same problems as North Plainfield 20 years ago, and good parking has helped Westfield businesses thrive. So, probably some cost-benefit analysis of different parking plans will be part of economic development downtown.

Mr. D’Amore added that he’s made record requests at Borough Hall for four years to get copies of reports covering what businesses are in town, what they need from the Borough to thrive and grow, which businesses have left or gone out of business, and why. “There is no report,” he said, adding that he’s been participating in the NPCCR survey process too, and what he’s heard from Borough business owners is, “We really think that Borough Hall has abandoned us.”

Ms. Kushnir added that, as co-chair of the Special Events Committee for the last few years, she’s well aware that most of the funding for Borough special events comes from businesses. Members of the Special Events Committee tried to get a list of current businesses from Borough Hall, and found there wasn’t one, so they made one themselves. Finally, a year ago, the Borough posted a list of local businesses, but it’s not clear if and when that list is updated to add new businesses and remove businesses that left town and/or went under. She added that the North Plainfield Business Association has been defunct for several years, but may be getting back in action. She said Latino business owners want to feel like they’re part of the community. She also said that improving the atmosphere downtown and enforcing local codes will attract new businesses, noting that she’s heard Levin Management Corp., the third-largest property management firm in the state, will not do business with Borough Hall because of negative experiences trying to work with officials there.

Several of the candidates urged residents to “buy local,” and I’m not sure which candidate said it, but one pointed out that getting businesses in is good for the Borough, but not “unscrupulous developers” like the Villa Maria developers, noting that Borough officials were “asleep at the switch,” and could have rezoned the property for open space before the condo plan got underway, thus closing a gap for exploiting the Borough, but they didn’t take those proactive steps.

[Editor's Note: I wonder why NPCCR isn't yet listed with a link and contact info at the Borough website under "Clubs and Organizations."]

Q: WIll open positions be posted and advertised to as to seek/attract qualified individuals rather than consider “internal recommendations” as is presently the case?

A: “Absolutely,” Mr. Gatto said. To attract the Best and the brightest, the job postings need to go out to as many people as possible and as many applicants as possible need to be interviewed.

Q: How do you plan to enforce the zoning and property maintenance codes to protect the civil rights of immigrants?

A: Mr. Gatto also said he has no interest in getting North Plainfield law and code enforcement personnel involved in federal immigration enforcement. He referred to Bound Brook’s actions as “Gestapo tactics,” and said his understanding is that Bound Brook code enforcement officials carried out “the wrong execution of the right idea.” When they couldn’t figure out how to enforce the codes professionally and courteously, he said, they “kicked in doors at 2 a.m.”

Mr. Gatto said he wants to see the existing codes properly and respectfully used to correct the problems, penalize the landlords engaged in illegal renting of illegal apartments for their lawbreaking if official notices don’t result in compliance, and he wants to see the tenants displaced by the enforcement actions fully compensated by the landlords (paid six times their monthly rent) to relocate to legal apartments.

Q: How will you keep taxes from rising?

A: The revaluation going on right now means that taxes will probably go up. Borough pushed off the revaluation for years, until compelled by the State to do it; Borough is currently receiving dozens of tax appeals, some dating back to 2005, regarding unfair land values, etc. If those appellants win, then they’ll have to be repaid retroactively. Mr. Gatto’s overall plan is to prevent unnecessary taxes, by making sure there’s no frivolous or wasteful spending. And, he said, if he doesn’t do a good job, he fully expects to be recalled, because he’s well aware that Borough residents are most interested in tax stabilization.

Q: If Mayor Allen has to do the state’s bidding, how can you do what’s best for the public when that’s not the state’s agenda?

A: Mr. Gatto acknowledged that there are tremendous problems at the state level, especially in the area of school funding, which is the main driver for local property taxes. But the main things that people complain about, like property maintenance, zoning and crime prevention, can easily be addressed locally by proactive instead of reactive policies and action. The school funding issue will be slightly eased this year, because North Plainfield got a 20% increase in state funding. But overall, Mr. Gatto said, his plan is to “listen to residents and take care of [their concerns.]“

Q: Do you have the authority to change the tax code, i.e. multifamily pays higher rate so single family homes would be encouraged?

A: Mr. Gatto said: “I have no authority over tax codes. If I did, I’d make this a tax free zone.” The state programs for tax relief include the senior freeze, tax abatements from HUD and at the Borough level for rehabilitation of existing homes. But overall, it will be about making sure that tax dollars are spent as carefully and effectively as possible.

FRANK D’AMORE, SR.

Q: Since you live in the Washington Park Historic District, which is not as populated as the central area, you will not be affected by alternate side parking. How will you help people in the center areas see this is a good idea?

A: Mr. D’Amore noted that he has friends all over town, including the central area, who also advocate for the plan. He said he would emphasize that his concern is that the central area is not clean, and that alternate side parking would enable street cleaning trucks to pick up the litter regularly. He also noted that many downtown driveways have commercial vehicles parked in them, in violation of Borough ordinances, which then forces car drivers to park on the street, and the extra cars associated with overcrowded homes with illegal apartments contribute to the problem too. So enforcing the commercial vehicle and zoning/property maintenance rules would also help free up some off-street parking.

Q: You have been known to treat people harshly. How would you allow the residents to be treated?

A: Mr. D’Amore acknowledged that residents who dealt with him while he was on the police force may have found him “harsh” because he enforced local laws, especially traffic laws, noting “I’m a person who deals with laws the way they’re written. I’m a by the book person.” On the other hand, he said people who know him primarily through his civic activities find him to be more laid back in other settings.

Q: What methods do you propose the city use to enforce the illegal housing codes?

A. Mr. D’Amore said once a problem is reported, the Borough should “do an investigation.” For example, he knows someone who lives at 97 Rockview, a building in which there are 7-8 apartments being rented to individuals. “There’s no investigation done,” he said. Mr. D’Amore also said he’s been told that even if the revaluation appraisers check buildings from attic to basement and find people living in attics and basements, they’re not going to report it.

[Editor's Note: My understanding is that the appraisers will report what they find - i.e., attics and basements finished and furnished for living space. But the appraisers are not a code enforcement team; it's up to Borough officials what they do with the raw information provided by the appraisers.]

Q: What are you going to do about crime?

A: “We have the manpower. It’s just how it’s distributed,” Mr. D’Amore said. He noted that the Police Chief and Captain both currently serve on day-shift, even though most crimes are committed at night between about 5 p.m. and 4 a.m. He’s repeatedly suggested at Council meetings that the Captain should be put on duty at headquarters during the night-shift, which would free up all the sergeants and patrolmen to be on the road and improve public safety.

BARBARA HABEEB:

Q: Have you conducted a cost analysis of maintaining the Villa Maria property as open space/historic site vs. building condos or residences on it?

A: Not yet. We’re planning to do one, and a lot of towns have found that sometimes, open space preservation costs less in the long run, because open space doesn’t require additional police, fire, school or other services.

Mr. Gatto added that the proposed condo development at Villa Maria calls for 225 units, perhaps paying $9,000 per year in taxes. Should the age-restriction be removed due to the soft New Jersey real estate market, and several hundred children move in, the Borough would have to bond for construction of a new school; he estimated construction of a new school would cost about $15 million.

MARIE KUSHNIR

Q: How will you deal with the workers in Borough Hall’s treatment of residents when they call the Borough?

A: Employee performance reviews. Accountability. If Borough residents complain about rude treatment, those complaints will be written up and employees found to be treating residents poorly will be replaced. If employee staffers can’t do their jobs “efficiently and politely,” someone else can.

Q: What about programs for children ages 14-18?

A: Ms. Kushnir pointed out that North Plainfield has a wonderful community center, this building [Vermeule Community Center], with pool tables and shuffleboard and other recreational facilities downstairs, in addition to the large meeting room on the main floor and several small rooms on the second floor. “For whatever reason, the powers that be don’t want to use it” for youth programming, she said.

She also noted that the Borough has a Youth Commission and a Municipal Alliance, two committees concerned with youth programming. Yet all the school programs end at 5 p.m. and don’t include informal, drop-in activities. And we don’t have much outdoor space for open recreation; the only basketball courts in town are at Green Acres Park. Staffing could be done on a volunteer basis; it’s a matter of getting the people and the places organized to put something in place.

[Editor's Note: Municipal Alliance does run summer evening programs for teens on Tuesday and Thursday nights, but nothing during the school year.]

QUESTIONS FOR ALL FOUR CANDIDATES WHO WERE PRESENT

Q: When you get elected, will you insist on a time and motion study throughout the entire Borough - including and especially the Board of Education and Public Works - and thus rid the town of the dead weight that is straining our Borough’s coffers?

A: [Editor's Note: I can't remember which candidates answered this.] It can be expensive to do that, but yes. In the long run, it could save us millions. It has to be done by someone neutral, from outside the Borough, to come in and take a look at what’s being done wrong and what’s being done right, and how all the departments can run more efficiently.

QUESTIONS DIRECTED TOWARD NO-SHOWS:

MIKE GIORDANO, SKIP STABILE, BOB HITCHCOCK, FRANK RIGHETTI:

Q: Why didn’t you show up?

SKIP STABILE:

Q: How do you feel about education in North Plainfield?

Q As Chief of Staff to Senator Nicholas Scutari, do you share the same attitudes towards your constituents as the Senator? He and his office staff are not welcoming. He doesn’t respond to his people. Do you?

Q: Do you attend events when asked to represent your office?

MIKE GIORDANO:

Q: How do you pay for the person you want answering the telephone at Borough Hall? Remember that the state will have less money to give to localities.

Q: Why do you require OPRA filings from residents?