Congratulations to Rebecca Williams

A little after 9:00pm I called Rebecca and congratulated her on her win for the Plainfield City Council seat for the 2nd and 3rd wards.  I pledged to her my support in her fall campaign. 

I will take a few days off, but will continue to fight for the issues that I have been fighting for these past years:
* Government transparency
* Efficiency in our government
* Greater community engagement
* Resulted-focused cooperation between the Council and administration

Finally, I want to thank all those who came out and helped on this campaign. You know who you are, and your support was invaluable to me and meant a lot to me.  

Thank you.

Rashid Burney

The Truth

Yesterday's mailing by Jerry Green on Rebecca Williams was Jerry Green's mailing. Not mine.


Rebecca 's campaign has had one theme: "Jerry owns Rashid. Vote for Rebecca".

Jerry Green does not own me. He is a powerful force in this City and I work with him when I agree with him. When I disagree with him I work hard to get him to see things my way.


My record on the Council stands for itself. My support of gay rights is well known: I initiated and got passed equal benefits for same sex partners of City employees. I held a fundraiser in my home for the Plainfield Pride Film Festival. I fully supported Ray Blanco from day 1. I would never condone any "gay bashing". 


Rebecca has tried to make this election about Jerry and there is a lot of hate in this campaign, as evidenced by the mailers and Dan Damon's blogs. At this late date, can we move beyond the Rebecca psychodrama with Jerry? Can we get past the endless self-victimization by Rebecca?

I think we must.

My campaign has been about accomplishments, ideas, achievable goals for our City and a strategy to reach those goals:


Click here to see my vision for Plainfield


Click here to see my accomplishments


I am the ONLY candidate willing to speak on our schools. See my goals here.


Please remember, this election is about Plainfield and what we can get done. Will you vote for the person best qualified to move our town forward?


Thank you


Rashid Burney

Straight Talk • Results • Accomplishments

We Must Fix Our Schools, Plainfield!


The state of the public schools might be Plainfielders ' biggest concern . I've learned this on the campaign trail, from talking with parents, teachers, merchants, business people, people trying to sell their homes, people wanting to start businesses. Plainfielders feel that our schools have not lived up to their full potential for far too long.


Aside from the injustice to public school students and to parents who feel forced to pay to send their children to private schools, a broken school system hurts all of Plainfield: by suppressing property values, hindering growth and industry and contributing to crime. As so many of our citizen's have told me: There is no fixing Plainfield until we fix our schools.


If we could fix our schools, families with children looking for homes would give Plainfield a second look. Even childless potential homeowners would give Plainfield a second look, no longer fearing that if they buy in Plainfield they will never be able to later sell to families with children. Improved property values could also lead to improved tax revenues. If we can fix the schools we can fix Plainfield.


But more importantly, most importantly, if we could fix the schools we could fulfill our obligation to the next generation, to rear well rounded students, ready to compete for spots in colleges, the job market, the world at large.


Failed solutions of the past.
Plainfield has been thrashing around for years, looking for answers. Prior studies and reports have not yielded the results we need. Is it because of inaction? Inadequate action? I don't know. What I do know is that in the past five years, the school system has gone through five superintendents. We must stop looking for a knight in shining armor to come to our rescue. It is now apparent that no one is coming to save us. We must save ourselves.


A mandate from the People.
The easy out for the City government is to say the schools is the School Board's problem. But the voters' rejection of the school board budget for two years in a row is a mandate to the Council to address the problem of our public schools.


The start of the solution - a blue ribbon Education Commission. 
 
From my discussions with my constituents an idea has arisen - not a solution but the start of a solution. I will propose the Council establishes a blue ribbon Education Commission made up of volunteer members appointed by the Council, to seek the answer to the problem of persistent underperformance of our schools. This commission, who like the 9-11 Commission will be formed to look deeply into the issues, report and then disband.


Such a Commission would require the cooperation of the Board of Education and of course the willingness of the Council.


Who would be on the Education Commission? The Education Commission would be comprised of:
* Plainfield residents and those with teaching experience
* Plainfield parents with school age children who attend public and private school
* A State education representative
* Administrators and educators from the district
* A representative from another Abbott district that is doing well - like Union City or Jersey City.


All of the above must have one overriding concern: the betterment of our schools

What would the Education Commission do? The task of the Education Commission would be to:

• honestly assess the actual state of our schools, examining it from every angle
• honestly determine where the real problems lie
• dust off older studies and re-evaluate recommendations, see if they are still valid today
• search for real, meaningful answers no matter how difficult
• seek input from the People
• make recommendations for change

What issues would the Education Commission address?

1. The curriculum…or lack of a curriculum
2. Training and evaluation of teachers and administrators
3. School Board elections: move school board to November?
4. The value of electing versus appointing members of the School board
5. The budget and allocation of funds
6. What tools (books, lab equipment, programs) teachers need to help them give our children the qualified education they deserve
7. What administrative and other forms of support do our teachers need in order to perform at peak levels
8. What support and parental involvement issues are the children facing at home
9. Anything else a creative engaged Commission can propose to improve our schools

What can you do?


You can help. I need your help to make this happen. Tell me what you think. Encourage all elected officials, whether the School Board, the Council, the Administration, the General Assembly or the State to support this search for solutions. Volunteer to serve on the Education Commission.


We need an Education Commission!
Our public schools affects every aspect of our city life: justice for our children, property values, tax revenues, crime rates , growth and development, quality of life , and our very future. You deserve a City Council which will turn its attention to the problem of the schools. Our children deserve the opportunity to excel scholastically in a safe nurturing environment. An Education Commission is not the solution. But I believe it would be the start of a solution.


On June 8th, I ask for your vote to allow me to address the many difficult issues before us.

Rashid Burney for Council

A proud record of accomplishments

Endorsed by:

US Congressman Frank Pallone

Councilwoman Linda Carter

Councilman Bill Reid & (former Councilman) Elliott Simmons

My Vision for Plainfield

"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality."                    

— Warren Bennis

"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."

— Michelangelo

****************

As I have walked the streets of Plainfield knocking on doors campaigning for re-election, on of the most frequent questions I hear is "what have you done for the past four years?" The easy answer: a lot! If you'd like a list of what I've accomplished in my time on the council, click here.

The next most frequently asked question is, "what is your vision for Plainfield?"

I believe we all have one vision.

We all want many of  the same things...

We want a safe, thriving downtown that serves all of Plainfield.

We want a community of people living downtown, and close to the Netherwood station.

We want a downtown with available recreation where all of Plainfield shops and dines: a downtown with restaurants, cafes, music halls.

We want wider, pedestrian friendly streets, parks and jitneys.

Some might think I'm crazy, but I want to go shopping after work on a Thursday night in downtown Plainfield.

I want to go to a movie in downtown Plainfield on a Friday night. I want to meet friends at a restaurant in downtown Plainfield on a Saturday night and afterwards go out for a beer and hear some live music.

Plainfield was once a regional center for commerce and culture. There is no reason it can't be again. I will not stop until we make it so.

We all want a thriving industrial corridor humming with trucks and employees going in and out of these industrial tracts, enjoying the town they work in and, most of all, shopping in Plainfield and paying taxes.

Residents should not be the only tax payers. Plainfield was once a center of industry and it can be again.

We all want a town where we aren't afraid of crime.

We want a school system which routinely produces scholars, athletes and happy, well-rounded students, who are ready to compete in college, vocational schools or the job market. We want every parent in town to be comfortable, even proud of sending his or her children to our schools.  

We want a town that embraces our diversity and promotes our history.

How do I know what Plainfield wants?

Along with my colleague Councilperson Storch, we led the move to conduct a visioning study.

Money from the city's Urban Enterprise Zone was used to fund this study, conducted by NJIT, to envision our town's realistic potential, focusing on the future of the Raritan Valley line. Residents shared their visions for the future of our area and graduate students recorded and organized the information into a cohesive vision. It was a moving, positive experience for those who really do believe in the future of Plainfield.

A resident at one of the sessions commented to me "I have hope."

I have hope, too. Not an irrational hope, but one founded on facts and a realistic ability to create the town of our dreams.

My job is to make this vision a reality.

As your council-person, my job is to make YOUR visions into reality. I want to take your dreams for this community and turn them into substance. I hope to continue to serve you in this task.

We are laying the foundation for the future of Plainfield . The train corridor will dominate this town for the next century . The soul of Plainfield will be tied to this train corridor.

My record of accomplishment shows that I am not a man of empty promises. I have the skills and determination to make our vision a reality.

On Tuesday, I hope you choose me to serve you, to fight for our vision , to represent you on the Plainfield City Council.

Rashid Burney for Council

A proud record of accomplishments

Endorsed by:

US Congressman Frank Pallone

Councilwoman Linda Carter,

Councilman Bill Reid

Former Councilman Elliott Simmons

Community Activist Jim Spear

Community Activist Jeanette Criscone

Unsolicited Emails from Block Leaders

STRAIGHT TALK • RESULTS • ACCOMPLISHMENTS

These two emails are examples of emails I have received this campaign. These emails are from block leaders whom I have worked with and know my track record of commuity involvement and legislative leadership.

"Good afternoon Rashid,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all you have done and will continue to do for the City of Plainfield. As a resident of 31 years, i feel you have accomplished the most I have seen in many years. "
Netherwood Heights Resident


"Rashid,

I want to thank you for coming out to speak with us. It is clear, at least to me that you work very hard to make Plainfield a better place. There is no one, in the 15 years that I have lived here that has done as much as you have and I know you have an up hill battle all the time. I also feel no one has the qualifications you have to lead us.


........ I wish you the very best and I feel you will win. You should think about running for mayor, ....


Thank you again for being who you are."
Near West Side Block Leader

Rashid Burney for Council

A proud record of accomplishments

Endorsed by:

US Congressman Frank Pallone

Councilwoman Linda Carter, Councilman Bill Reid

Former Councilman

Elliott Simmons

Community Activist Jim Spear

Community Activist Jeanette Criscone

More Politics from Dan Damon?

Rebecca Willaim supporter continues his smear campaign on me, like his candidate has been doing all week. 

Come on Dan. Didn't you know the taxes are determined on property assessment. Size does not always matter.  Further you know full well property taxes are determined by the tax office. Not Council members.

Funny, you had no problem with my property taxes when I ran as New Democrat!!

Also, got a great comment from Jim Spear.  I will post it in full here:

Oh my Dan. . .there you go again. . . Your house is MUCH larger than that 'cottage' you mentioned and you ONLY pay $10,089 !!!

I would think that whole cottage would fit on your front porch. Plainfield hasn't re-assessed since 1992. That cottage was built after that. Of course it will be assessed higher . . . . O my Dan. .

And speaking about that Cottage, I asked one of the owners of it last week if he considered appealing his taxes (again). He told me "NO". He said they were interested in moving to another section of town.

In my opinion, his taxes would have been reduced if he appealed again. Appeals are based on recent market rate sales. Market is down Dan. That pretty Mansion might have gotten a reduction too. Oh my Dan. . . . Oh my. . time for a retraction? jim spear PS so you know my taxes are 16k , all my neighbors with similar houses pay, 8,9,10 & 11K. I'm the guy you should be speaking up for Dan

Accomplishments! Not Retoric, not promises.

Straight Talk • Results • Accomplishments

My work on the council can be summed up with two words: For Plainfield. This is important to understand, as I have not worked for a political party or faction. I have worked for Plainfield. By being focused on getting things done, I can now bring to you what I have done!  Not just "worked for" or "fought for". These are accomplishments. These are actual results. 
Transparency

• Put Council meetings on Comcast and FIOS cable stations - 2009 
• Personally made council doc available on www.RashidBurney.com 2006
• Council documents are now available at Plainfield Public Library (Reference section) 2009

Increasing Public Safety

• Got a Police Traffic Enforcement unit started in Plainfield - 2008
• Speed bumps on Kensington Ave. - 2008
• Got more tools, technologies into the hands of our Police and Fire departments - 2006-Present

Taxes:

• Every year, I have fought to eliminate waste and improve efficiency
• Today we have fewer employees then in 2005 when I came on the Council
• Today (after taking out inflation, and contractual salary increase) we are running city hall for fewer dollars than in 2005
• We have more Police officers on the streets then in 2005
• Successfully got a drug rehab center for non-Plainfield patients, off the Plainfield tax base - 2009
• Negotiated a 6-point settlement with PMUA. More to come! - 2009

Legislative Accomplishments

• Led inititive to create Plainfield's Shade Tree Commission - 2006
• Children’s safety: Created sex-offender-free zones in Plainfield - 2006
• Retained funding for Cultural and Heritage Commission & Shade Tree Commission - 2006
• Domestic partners now get the same benefits as married couples - 2006

 Increasing Community Engagement

•  Created the Citizen's Budget Advisory Committee - 2008
• Created the IT, Economic and Budget committees - 2009

 Responding to Constituents

• Halloween Safety: made Halloween night a safe holiday for everyone - 2008
• Got resident-only parking for Hillside/Randolph residents - 2006

 Planning for the Future of Plainfield

• Successfully led efforts to bring NJIT to Plainfield for Community Visioning project - 2009

Voting for What is in Plainfield’s Interest

• Voted against budget that took out six Plainfield Police officers and eliminated 150K in the Plainfield Library’s budget – 2010

Rashid Burney for Council

A proud record of accomplishments

Endorsed by:                       

 US Congressman Frank Pallone

Councilwoman Linda Carter, Councilman Bill Reid

Former Councilman Elliott Simmons

Community Activist Jim Spear

Community Activist Jeanette Criscone

Having your cake and eating it too!

Update: June 2, 2010

Dan claims the following in his blog: "Completely missing from his discussion is that the program has always been grant-driven and there have been reimbursements for provision of client services by the 'sending' county -- including Union County for Plainfield clients."

The Fact: The Dudley House is had costs beyond what was grant funded. Employee fringe benefits, program administrative costs, building space, heating light etc. all cost money. These costs were being borne by taxpayers.  Below please see the actual budget request for $56,000. Add that to emploee fringe benefits (on average of 35% of salary) and you get a total of $127,630.  

Dudley House0002

 

Bottom line: I got it done. We need to focus on getting things done Plainfield. We need to work together and we need solutions - I want to talk about solutions, and what we do from here forward. That is what Plainfield needs. Not excuses. 

Join me as we walk away frm the politics of the past. These are dead anchors - not bridges to the future. We don't need to be anchored to the past. We deserve better then that.  

Join me as we build a better Plainfield.



************************************
The Original Post

Rarely do we find ourselves in a position of wining on both sides. Such was the case for the Dudly House. When I came on the Council I realized that the Dudley House, a drug rehab center was costing taxpayers alomst $100,000 per year.


Upon further inquiry, I learned that 80% of the patients are non-Plainfield residents.

So Plainfield taxpayers are paying for the drug rehab costs of non-Plainfield residents?  Yes, and it had been that way for the past 10 years I was told.

I decided to do something about it.

Why nothing was done about this, I just do not know, but I made it my business to do something about it. The end result of three years of working on this is that we have sucessfully outsourced the facility to a non-profit organization who will actually perform the duty better then we could.  The icing on this cake is that we actually collect revenue from this in the way of rent. 

So we turned something that cost the city almost $100,000 to a positive cash flow of $14,400. 

See the article below from late last year.

Dudley House0001

Rashid Burney for Council

A proud record of accomplishments

Endorsed by:

US Congressman Frank Pallone

Councilwoman Linda Carter, Councilman Bill Reid

Former Councilman Elliott Simmons

Community Activist Jim Spear

Community Activist Jeanette Criscone

Domestic Partners Benefits - What is right....is right

In 2006 I researched, initiated, sponsored and led a simple piece of legislation that allowed the domestic partners of City employees to receive the same as married couples did.

This Plainfield ordinance went into effect BEFORE the state-wide rule went into effect. The first version of the state's law simply allowed the governing bodies to to offer domestic partners the same benefits as married couples. The state's law was three years old when I picked it up in 2006.

Back in 2006, the benefits to domestic parners was not an automatic given, and each municipality had to pass it's own ordinance.

Which is what we did in 2006 when I led the issue.


The Courier News reported on this. See article below.

Domestic Partnership Benefits Article in Newspaper

One Glaring Difference

Updated June 2nd, 2010

I wish to respond briefly to Rebecca Williams June 1, 2010 blog. Ms. Wiliams is one of the challengers for the seat I hold on the City Council. Her blog post was responding to my own blog post of May 29, 2010, regarding her failure to broadcast Council meetings when she was Station Manager for the Plainfield public access TV station.



First, I do not believe my blog entry smeared Ms. Williams reputation as a community media activist. I am sorry she feels it did.

Second, as best I can tell Ms. Williams accuses me of telling three lies :

1. Ms. Williams says I lied when I said she failed to tape Council meetings. I did not say she failed to tape Council meetings, I said she failed to tape and broadcast them. She says "these [meetings] were broadcast on the station several times." I do not recall those occasions. However, "several times" is not what the people need in order to keep track of their government: every Council meeting should be broadcast. That is what I was able to accomplish.
2. Ms. Williams says I lied about her record because I know "how hard she worked to get the city council meetings taped." I did not say that Ms. Williams did not work hard to get Council meetings taped. I said that she failed to get them broadcast.
3. Ms. Wiliams says I lied because she was not "hired for $50,000 per year". Perhaps she was not hired for $50,000 in 2004, but her position was budgeted for $50,000 in 2005. Then for 2006 she requested her salary be increased to $64,657.

Rebecca 0001


The proof that Ms. Williams offers that I lied about these issues is that I expressed appreciation for her efforts to get Council meetings broadcast.

Expressing appreciation for another's efforts is not proof of lying. It is a courtesy for one who perhaps tried but failed.

Ms. Williams blog post shows the style she uses in conducting disagreements. Casual use of words like "dishonesty," "deceitfulness," "unprincipled unethical leadership" and "outright lying" is divisive, alienating and hurts the welfare of our city. Plainfield deserves a Council-person who can use a civil tone in civil discourse to build coalitions and focus on results.

Plainfield also deserves a government which uses every means at its disposal to provide public access to its workings, like broadcasting Council meetings. I was able to get Council meetings broadcast. Ms. Williams was not.

I hope those living in the 2nd and 3rd Wards will consider voting for me on June 8th.

*************************************

ORIGINAL POST
I have stated many times this campaign that I am running on my track record. A track record of action, results, and accomplishments. These results and accomplishments are not promises. They are proof of my ability to focus and get things done for you, Plainfield. 

Of course Ms. Williams has not been on the Council, so how could she show a track record of results and accomplishments?  She cannot.  

Except for one situation.

We can look at one example in which she had an opportunity to make a difference. An opportunity to increase transparency and let the sun shine on Plainfield's government.  An opportunity to make the government more accessible to the taxpayers of Plainfield.

Did she deliver? You decide.

For Ms. Williams, her opportunity came when she became station director for the previous administration.  She was appointed as the station director at Plainfield's (then) Ch 74 for a salary of $50,000 for what was then a part-time position.  

I had been harping that we need to broadcast the Council meetings on our local access TV station.  Ms Williams was station director, Mr. Mapp was Council President, and the New Dems outranked the Regular Dems four to three. So there was no issue of who had control of the Council. 

Despite the clear council majority, Ms. Williams did not to tape and broadcast the Council meetings. It would have been very simple. Other syndicated shows were being broadcast. Other locally recorded shows were being broadcast. So why not Council meetings?

Might it have meant others could scrutinize what was going on at the Council? Might others see Council meetings and might have some questions? Might some even criticize the Council?  So what is wrong with that? Isn't that part of the democratic process?

So why not broadcast the Council meetings?  

The bottom line is that Ms. Williams was in charge of the station from 2004 to early 2006 and through out her tenure, no council meetings were broadcast on our local TV station.  

This deeply disappointed me. 

I am sure you will get a lot of reasons on why it did not happen. But I ask, are excuses really acceptable?

Thus the task was left undone when Ms Williams left the TV station in 2006.  I picked up the pieces and start to get the task done.

After two years of pushing, I got it done. 

Today, our council meetings are broadcast several times per week not only on Comcast but also FIOS. Many residents tell me now that they see us on TV and they enjoy watching us.

A transparent government. Wow!

This single event clearly contrasts myself and Ms. Williams on the same issue. The ability to get something done.....or not.

In summary, what you will not get from me is a lot of promises. You will not get grand visions that will never happen, and you will not get rhetoric that cannot be backed by facts.

But you will get straight talk, action and results.

On June 8th, I ask for your vote to allow me to continue the bring change and bring results for Plainfield. I am working for Plainfield. Not a political faction.

"A Community Activist"

Councilwoman Linda Carter has been a champion for the people in her wards on many issues including the engagement of our youth. Linda has been an active member of the city's block association leadership meetings, and has been the Council's representative to the schools and the annual National Night Out. 

Linda's hard work has not gone unnoticed and now she is running for a spot on the Union County Freeholder board.

Today I am proud to have the endorsement of my colleague on the Council for the past five years, Councilwoman Linda Carter and the next Freeholder from Plainfield.

Councilwoman Linda Carter:
"For the past five years I have worked with Councilman Rashid Burney on Plainfield's City Council. Councilman Burney has been a community activist and has advocated strongly on the council for lower taxes, transparency and community engagement.

He sponsored the Citizens Budget Committee. He championed with several of our colleques to get a traffic safety bureau started and he sponsored and wrote the ordinance that created the Shade Tree Commission in Plainfield.

Burney is not running on promises. He is running on accomplishments and results.

I am proud to be serving on Plainfield City Council with Burney and today, I am equally proud to endorse Rashid Burney for a second term on the Council."

Halloween Safety

Four years ago, Halloween became scary around here- and it wasn’t just the costumes and Jack-o-lanterns that were causing all the fright: groups of teenagers, bent on vandalism and senseless mayhem, walked the Hillside, Netherwood and Sleepy Hollow areas damaging people’s properties and making kids and even some adults afraid.

The result of this was that many people decided to keep thier doors shut and the lights off - the message was clear - no trick-or-treating at this house!


Those kinds of responses to Halloween are just terrible: not only do they ruin a night when community usually has a chance to really come together, but it takes away special, fun memories from the children who are growing up here in Plainfield. That isn’t right.

In response to what was going on, I formed a committee along with other concerned citizens, to see what could be done to address the problem. After many meetings where we discussed what we thought would need to be done, we agreed upon a plan.

We held a public meeting to allow the public to provide input.  After that we reached out to the police department and public safety director Martin Hellwig, who were very receptive to our ideas.

Three years ago, our plans resulted in a new approach to Halloween: weeks before the big night, block association leaders from all over the city met down at Police headquarters to review and discuss plans for Halloween night. Public PSAs were broadcast to inform the community. Even the school system helped out by sending a note home with the kids.  See the 2007 PSA here. 

There is now increased awareness among community members of our goals for a safer Halloween and a much stronger show of police presence on the streets so that parents can feel safer as they walk with their kids from house to house, and people at home can be more confident in decorating their homes and answering their doors.

Halloween really is different now than it was even a few years back, and I hope that it continues to be for years to come. As I see it, every kid deserves the memories of Halloween, and people deserve to feel safe in their homes…every night of the year.

These type of improvements are the heart of what I want for Plainfield: the kind that put what is right ahead of everything else and make it happen for the good of our city.

"An Agent of Change"

For many years now our own congressman,  Frank Pallone, has been championing progressive causes including the environment, social equality, women's rights and other and social issues.

He strongly supported President Obama's health plan, but he strongly opposed the war in Iraq. The way I see it, Pallone has the right stuff and..... frankly speaking, we need 400 Pallones in Congress.

Today, I am pleased to announce the endorsement of US Congressman Frank Pallone.

Here is what Pallone had to say in endorsing me:

"For the past four years Rashid Burney has been an agent of change in Plainfield. He has brought transparency to City Hall, engaged the community through his Citizens Committees and has fought to contain rising property taxes.

Burney is a team player but will act in the best interest of Plainfield.

In 2007 he showed foresight when he endorsed Obama early, and Burney went on to become a delegate for Obama.

Today I am proud to endorse Burney for another four-year term as Councilman in Plainfield."

Truth from Trash: the PMUA

Overview

Many of the residents I speak with are angry about the PMUA. Why wouldn’t they be? A 20% increase in fees at the same time that expensive junkets for board members are unearthed; billing controversies too numerous to mention; it’s enough to leave some scrambling to find alternatives.

It’s helpful when we’re in a mess like this to look at where this came from, where we are now, and what to do to move forward. When I hear the anger from residents that has turned into things like the “Dump the PMUA” campaign, I think of the old Robert Frost quote “Don't ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up.”

Background

The PMUA was formed in 1995. Before that, every household was free to hire whomever they chose to haul away their trash. There are problems, though, with relying on each resident’s personal sense of responsibility to arrange and pay for trash removal. Trash sometimes piled up on certain properties and in public areas, becoming a health hazard and making Plainfield look and smell disgusting.

In short, residents wanted the services of the PMUA, but they did not want the seemingly unexplained rate hikes, complicated billing structures and perceived waste driving up costs.

The PMUA must reform - and reform quickly. We must demand it! That’s what I have done and continue to do…

What Actions I Have Taken

A resident earlier this week reminded me that even though the Council is not in charge of the PMUA budget, there are political means, albeit extraordinary, which can make change happen, which is exactly what I did a year ago!  As Council President, I summoned the PMUA leadership and demanded changes in the wake of justified outrage over expensive trips for PMUA officials. These discussions resulted in a ban on ALL travel over $250.00 and a six-point agreement. You can see my blog entry here about this from July of 2009. That is a start, but it is by no means an end.

Another part of my discussions with the PMUA was how to cut overall expenses (other than the much needed travel restrictions). There are a few ideas already in the works or at least on the table which could save us plenty of money:

*Pick-up starting from 2:00am Without morning commuters and school children to deal with, trash pickup could be much more efficient if started at 2:00am in the morning. This would mean a significant savings to Plainfield. However, this is an option that Plainfield needs to agree upon. We have to weigh the efficiency vs. some noise of the trucks in the middle of the nights.

*Two pickups weekly in the summer time, a single pick-up in the fall, winter and spring. Especially if residents are following recycling guidelines, most can function fine on a once-weekly pick-up, which is the way many towns run trash pick-up year-round.

*A single truck driver using an automatic pick-up arm

This has been proven successful in several communities and I have urged the PMUA to explore this option for Plainfield

*Consolidation of operations under one roof
I have asked the PMUA to analyze its own organizational plan and look for cost-saving consolidations the way any company might have to in hard financial times. One way to do it is to consolidate it's operations in a single real location where all administrative and executive funcations are under a single roof.

*Expanding Shared Services agreements The PMUA was chartered to become a regional service- not just to operate within Plainfield. At a time when every municipality in the State is facing budget belt-tightening and considering shared services in many areas, this is a golden opportunity for the PMUA to expand its services beyond Plainfield. Profits generated from these agreements and additional payers could help defray costs in Plainfield and spread the PMUA operating costs among more than just Plainfield’s residents.

The PMUA needs to take action to reform In addition to trying the reforms outlined above, it must become more transparent and much more price competitive. Actions such as these would keep the PMUA a viable service provider in Plainfield, but without these kinds of reforms, it is clear that the city should investigate alternatives.

In Summary...
While we value the service that it does provide, we can not be tied to an enterprise that does not make itself efficient and competitive to our detriment as a city. Still, we shouldn’t throw out something that we might clean up and re-use. Let’s demand a clean up at the PMUA and if we still find that it just isn’t worth it, it’ll be out on the curb.

Thank you for reading!

Economic Development - My Vision for the Future of Plainfield
Have you read the book from the 80's titled Megatrends? If you have not, you should. It is still a good read. Well, we are just starting to feel the breezes of a major mega-trend about to start blowing Plainfield around. This mega-trend is the end of cheap oil. The implications are simply astounding! This mega-trend will blow us around. We can simply flap in the wind or we can take advantage of it. The choice is ours.

First of All, We Need a Plan
Tired, government-oriented, or profession-centric programs are not the answer. A fresh thinking and a methodical approach, on proven strategies is the answer here.


The first step in this is to lay the groundwork - get the residents involved in the future of our community. As Council President, I spearheaded the train corridor visioning process and the NJIT Visioning study lays the groundwork for the revitalization of the train corridor.


Next we need a City-wide economic revitalization plan. To that effect, I have led the formation of a Citizens Economic Growth Committee. This Committee will get help from Rutgers and other regional think tanks. They will develop an over-arching, city-wide economic revitalization plan - the plan will take a year, but when we are done, we will have the blue prints of our work: a detailed tactical plan.


Plainfield Village - A Community of Urban Dwellers

  

Before - a picture from the NJIT presentation

After - a possibility - from NJIT presentation

A downtown like Plainfield is begging to be brought to life 24-hours per day. It is begging for a community of residents who live downtown, eat downtown and shop downtown. It is begging to serve ALL of Plainfield's residents and it is begging to once again become the place to go in central Jersey. We can get there and I know how.


First you need a base. In this case the base is a downtown community of condo/apartment dwellers. Not just 2 or 3 buildings - we need a critical mass of people living downtown. This critical mass is necessary to transform downtown into serving a much broader clientele.


We should offer free wi-fi downtown. Elizabeth did this a few years ago for only $30K. Also, we can attract a movie theatre showing latest releases. A movie theater is one of the pillars of a vibrant downtown.


What We Can Look Forward To

Done right, economic development will mean many benefits for Plainfield residents. These include:

* 20+ new restaurants in the downtown areas
* New cafes
* New boutique shops*
* Weekend concerts in the parks and downtown
* Thursday would again, be shopping night

Niche Markets Plainfield Can take Advantage Of

Beyond downtown, which will primarily be filled with residents, and retail and service businesses, there is room for considerable growth of our non-retail sector. Beyond nail salons, and taverns Plainfield can once again become a center of bustling light-industrial activity.

* Plainfield can become a center for Green Energy companies including Solar and next generation energy warehousing and distribution

* Warehousing and light assembly
* Arts and garments
* Organic food preparation
* Call centers


The Results of All of this Economic Activity?
Jobs and lower taxes! We can create up to 3,000 new jobs in Plainfield and up to $8M in new taxes from the improvements and developments that will come our way. Our tax base would become significantly broadened, thus giving some relief to taxes weary residents.


How do I know all of this?
As a business student, I have spent many hours trying to think of what would make a community attractive to business. I have had the fortune to be able to travel the world. Finally I have life experiences of living in Zambia, Pakistan, Chicago and Peoria IL. Further, when I was in charge of over $700m of revenue for AT&T, I made many decisions that brought jobs to and away from local communities. I know what business look for and I know how to leverage our strengths.


This is one of the many differences between myself and my opponent Ms Williams. I have a solid business, enterprise and management experience. Today, I now run my own business.  Over the years, I have learned how to manage people, how to build a budget, how to manage a business and how to make things happen in an organization. These experiences I directly apply to every day matters on the Council.

On June 8th, vote for the Democratic Party - The "A" team!