Boards and Commissions Need Informed Members
At Tuesday’s reorganization, Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs had staff hand out applications to serve on boards and commissions. This scatter-shot approach reminded Plaintalker that an important part of the Civic Responsibility Act has never been fulfilled.
The 2005 legislation called for a form to be created for applicants and also a directory of seats on boards and commissions, including duties, terms, vacancies and other information so an applicant could make an informed choice of where to serve. The form was indeed created and can be obtained at City Hall or downloaded from the city’s web site. But the directory was never established.
The mayor has made numerous appointments since taking office in January 2006, but many boards are lacking members. Click here for a large file of blog posts on the vagaries of the Civic Responsibility Act (it will include the current post).
Applying for a board or commission with no knowledge of what the commitment entails is not a good idea. Most appointments involve a two- to five-year term. Some, such as the Planning Board, require state-mandated training. Somebody has to run the meeting and somebody has to keep minutes. Boards and commissions must adhere to the Open Public Meetings Act.
Among the boards that have only partial membership are the Plainfield Youth Commission, the Human Relations Commission, the Citizens Advisory Committee and the Plainfield Television Advisory Committee. No members have ever been named to the Environmental Commission. The Beautification Committee can have up to 40 members, but presently has none. Another youth council for liaisons to other city boards was created, but never implemented, nor was the Hispanic Affairs Commission.
All the information on boards and commissions was to have been posted on the city’s web site by April 2006. That web site is still awaiting an overhaul after two years.
Mayoral mentor and Assemblyman Jerry Green promised seniors civics lessons in December 2006, as he urged participation on boards and commissions. But what people really need is knowledge of what they are signing up for.
Plaintalker has a suggestion. At the next community forum, display in large format the requirements for selected boards and commissions and then have a “speed-dating” style match-up of volunteers. The resulting applications would still need screening and maybe interviews before the mayor could offer nominees for City Council advice and consent, but at least the ball might get rolling.
Meanwhile, anyone who wants to investigate independently can look up “Boards and Commissions” in the Municipal Code at City Hall or on Councilman Rashid Burney’s web site and submit an application for one that seems like a good fit for one’s talents and interests.
There is one other problem that would have to be handled within City Hall. Several people who applied for boards and commissions in the past two years have had their applications lost or misplaced and have had to re-apply multiple times. The mayor’s office needs to fix this problem so that people who want to volunteer are not discouraged. There are plenty of non-governmental agencies in Plainfield that welcome volunteers and the city could lose out if forms and resumes keep getting lost.
Finally, the Planning Board, Zoning Board and Historic Preservation Commission need the very best, most dedicated members they can get as the city moves forward with redevelopment. The decisions of the land use boards will be with us for many decades, so they had better be well-informed and solid. These boards need people who will ask questions and not just assume good faith on the part of developers. Those who follow the land use boards can tell you that some developers will try to “get over” both in Plainfield and elsewhere, painting a picture of competence and wherewithal that is largely an illusion.
Thus endeth the sermon.
The 2005 legislation called for a form to be created for applicants and also a directory of seats on boards and commissions, including duties, terms, vacancies and other information so an applicant could make an informed choice of where to serve. The form was indeed created and can be obtained at City Hall or downloaded from the city’s web site. But the directory was never established.
The mayor has made numerous appointments since taking office in January 2006, but many boards are lacking members. Click here for a large file of blog posts on the vagaries of the Civic Responsibility Act (it will include the current post).
Applying for a board or commission with no knowledge of what the commitment entails is not a good idea. Most appointments involve a two- to five-year term. Some, such as the Planning Board, require state-mandated training. Somebody has to run the meeting and somebody has to keep minutes. Boards and commissions must adhere to the Open Public Meetings Act.
Among the boards that have only partial membership are the Plainfield Youth Commission, the Human Relations Commission, the Citizens Advisory Committee and the Plainfield Television Advisory Committee. No members have ever been named to the Environmental Commission. The Beautification Committee can have up to 40 members, but presently has none. Another youth council for liaisons to other city boards was created, but never implemented, nor was the Hispanic Affairs Commission.
All the information on boards and commissions was to have been posted on the city’s web site by April 2006. That web site is still awaiting an overhaul after two years.
Mayoral mentor and Assemblyman Jerry Green promised seniors civics lessons in December 2006, as he urged participation on boards and commissions. But what people really need is knowledge of what they are signing up for.
Plaintalker has a suggestion. At the next community forum, display in large format the requirements for selected boards and commissions and then have a “speed-dating” style match-up of volunteers. The resulting applications would still need screening and maybe interviews before the mayor could offer nominees for City Council advice and consent, but at least the ball might get rolling.
Meanwhile, anyone who wants to investigate independently can look up “Boards and Commissions” in the Municipal Code at City Hall or on Councilman Rashid Burney’s web site and submit an application for one that seems like a good fit for one’s talents and interests.
There is one other problem that would have to be handled within City Hall. Several people who applied for boards and commissions in the past two years have had their applications lost or misplaced and have had to re-apply multiple times. The mayor’s office needs to fix this problem so that people who want to volunteer are not discouraged. There are plenty of non-governmental agencies in Plainfield that welcome volunteers and the city could lose out if forms and resumes keep getting lost.
Finally, the Planning Board, Zoning Board and Historic Preservation Commission need the very best, most dedicated members they can get as the city moves forward with redevelopment. The decisions of the land use boards will be with us for many decades, so they had better be well-informed and solid. These boards need people who will ask questions and not just assume good faith on the part of developers. Those who follow the land use boards can tell you that some developers will try to “get over” both in Plainfield and elsewhere, painting a picture of competence and wherewithal that is largely an illusion.
Thus endeth the sermon.
--Bernice Paglia
posted by Bernice at 8:14 AM
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