Council Asked to Resolve Baseball Dispute

Parents, coaches and about 60 young baseball players crowded City Hall Library Monday, seeking resolution to a six-month clash that intensified recently
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Speakers said the Queen City Baseball League had lights turned off and were locked out of a field house on grounds shared with another league operated by the city's Recreation Division. The league's banner disappeared and players could not hold opening day ceremonies in other examples of what one speaker called "purposeful sabotage." In one instance, the lights went out just as a pitch was thrown, raising safety concerns.

Youngsters dropped their home-made protest signs to applaud their supporters, but as the comments became more acrimonous, adults began cautioning each other not to argue in front of the kids.

Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs apologized for a game being canceled Thursday and said, "I don't believe anybody did anything malicious to hurt the kids. The city of Plainfield would never
do anything to hurt the children."

Robinson-Briggs pledged that the banner would be replaced and said the city supports both leagues. She said she had met with league directors to "discuss ways the city could be supportive" of the volunteer Queen City league, but after proposing joint fundraisers, she "never heard another word."

"If the adults don't see eye to eye, I'll work with the kids," she said.

Responding to an issue about bases being locked up, Robinson-Briggs piled a table high with new bases and equipment bags, saying, "This is a sincere olive branch."

But someone yelled from the crowd that the bases were the wrong kind.

City Council President Annie McWilliams asked City Administrator Bibi Taylor to respond to the issues and Taylor said the new lights on timers and the changed locks were being reviewed by Public Works & Urban Development Director David Brown II. As Taylor mentioned scheduling and access concerns, the league's executive director, Karen Glencamp-Daniel, asked, "Why so much secrecy?"

McWilliams asked the council members to consider what role they could take, noting the governing body started "with one list" last fall.

"We now have a laundry list of other items," she said.

Although Taylor is trying to resolve the issues in a timely manner, McWilliams said, "She shouldn't be doing this."

As city administrator, Taylor is in charge of the day-to-day workings of municipal government. She is also the acting director of Administration, Finance, Health & Social Services and oversees the city's othe two departments, Public Affairs & Safety and Public Works & Urban Development.

With Glencamp-Daniel seated at the council table to respond to Taylor, an advocate of the Recreation Division's league, Roland Crawford Muhammad, attempted to sit at the table as well.

"You're not helping the situation," McWilliams said, advising him to step back or she would have him removed by police.

By now, the council was an hour ad a half into the meeting and had not yet begun its own agenda.

Robinson-Briggs said she wanted both leagues' representatives at the table, to which Councilman Adrian Mapp replied, "The games that are being played here are not the game of baseball."

Mapp said the administration had not taken responsibility for what had transpired so far with the league, but Robinson-Briggs retorted, "It sure does," and added "You should give me respect - I am your mayor."

"I don't think you should argue in front of the kids," Councilwoman Bridget Rivers said, but Mapp said he was not arguing.

"Let me be the one to moderate the meeting," McWilliams said, but Mapp insisted the mayor had to take responsibility for the situation.

"The buck stops with the mayor," he said, noting there have been good faith efforts to resolve the issues.

Mapp called for a "directive to the Recreation Division" for "unfettered access" to the ballfield.

"Queen City did not come here for handouts, they came here for a solution," Mapp said.

The mayor said she was not going to debate the subject with the council and added, "The election is over, councilman."

Robinson-Briggs defeated Mapp in the June 2009 primary and won re-election in November.

As the discussion continued, the council agreed that someone neutral should be named in the short term to be in charge of the lights and the locks, but the longterm solution would have to come about through amendments to an ordinance governing use of the ballfield. The mayor said the topic will be part of her Wednesday cabinet meeting and assured the council there would be a point person identified by Thursday.

Most of the crowd left after two hours of talk on the league issues, but after midnight Glencamp Daniel revived some issues during citizen comments, concluding by saying, "Some people seem to have a blanket of immunity."

The mayor responded by citing a conversation with Glencamp-Daniel in which she asked her to tone down her remarks.

"If we are to work together, there can't be any fingerpointing," she said.

Dwayne Wilkins of the newly-formed Recreation Advisory Committee said all members were "happy to serve," especially in light of Monday's discussion.

Wilkins said the committee was empowered to work with the Recreation Division "so issues don't bubble up."

--Bernice Paglia

Baseball League Seeks Support

Advocates of a youth baseball league expressed anger and frustration Monday with the way they claim Recreation Director Dave Wynn handled their concerns.

Parents, coaches and young people turned out at the City Council’s agenda session at Hubbard Middle School to press their demands, which include better upkeep of the baseball field, pay for coaches and keeping their group intact. Speakers said Wynn wants just one league, which would mean the Queen City Baseball League would have to merge with another.

Supporters of the league were incensed by a flier issued by the Recreation Division for baseball registration, as it did not allow for two leagues.

The Queen City group has 224 players and 42 volunteer coaches and has been successful in games with other leagues, supporters said, even though baseball is not as popular in the city as youth basketball and football.

The administration expects to go over the issues with league leaders and Wynn this week.

The impromptu airing of sports groups’ concerns has become a feature of recent agenda fixing sessions. Council President Rashid Burney acknowledged the presence of the group Monday and allowed numerous individuals to speak at length, delaying the start of the meeting.

--Bernice Paglia

Commentary: A Wynn-Wynn Situation

Yet another hour of the governing body's time and energy was spent Monday on how to settle a conflict between a volunteer youth baseball league and the city's Recreation Division, which launched its own league with paid coaches this year. Both leagues need access to municipal ball fields, but the Queen City Baseball League has had lights turned off, bases under lock and key, its banner vanished and other signs that the Recreation Division accidentally or on purpose is making the season difficult for its 50 or 60 young players.

In talks and protests since last fall, parents and coaches have suggested that Recreation Superintendent Dave Wynn's style of management is part of the problem or maybe is the problem. There was supposed to have been a sitdown last fall with Wynn and the administration to get to the bottom of the issues, but on May 3, Queen City players and advocates packed City Hall Library and had the ears of the governing body for two hours.

The clash is taking up many hours out of the lives of City Administrator Bibi Taylor and Public Works & Urban Development Director David Brown II, as well as the seven council members and the mayor. Calls are being fielded at all hours, from what Taylor said Monday, and Public Works Superintendent John Louise is being dragged into it as well.

When Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs was first elected in 2006, she said publicly there was not enough for children to do in Plainfield. Wynn correctly pointed out the city's huge roster of athletic programs and events for children and before long, the mayor was one of Wynn's most staunch supporters. Even when council members later sought to cut back on public events as the economy worsened, Wynn dodged the fiscal bullet. But some events took on political overtones, such as the Music in the Plaza series that featured the mayor's re-election campaign image on all its promotional materials.

The situation escalated Monday with the council proposing passage of two ordinances aimed at defusing the problem by changing who would be responsible for field access.The mayor was absent, but Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson, the most highly paid city employee, read off a series of remarks from the mayor, including one in which she threatened legal action if the council passed the ordinances.

"I am very sorry to hear that," Council President Annie McWilliams said, but noted seven days had elapsed without the administration naming a requested "point person" to replace Wynn in the current dispute.

Both measures failed, with McWilliams, Adrian Mapp and Rashid Burney voting "yes" and Linda Carter, Bridget Rivers and William Reid voting "no." Cory Storch was absent.

Then there was the notion that a newly-minted Recreation Committee, advisory in nature, should be made into full-blown commission with broader powers. Taylor objected, saying that would produce another budget line item with no duties assigned.

Responding to the mayor's suggestion of possible legal action against the council, Mapp noted budget decisions are coming up and said the "next level" might be to remove salaries from the Recreation Division.

Despite the heated nature of the controversy, Taylor described it at one point like this: "When you start a new program and mesh it with the old, you will have hiccups."

Apparently in this case, you will also have an ever-expanding sphere of well-compensated officials trying to deal with what time the ballfield lights should go out and why bases are being stored in the ladies' bathroom.

It is hard to conceive of any other organization where a middle manager can be at the center of a months'-long controversy without suffering any consequences. Parents and coaches are upset, children are perplexed, government officials are being drawn in when they have plenty of other things to deal with in these still precarious times.

Two commenters at the end of the meeting summed up their feelings, which no doubt many Plainfielders share.

Dwayne Wilkins of the new Recreation Committee said of seeing the children at the May 3 meeting, "I struggle with that."

Their plight "should not have to go to the highest levels of government," he said.

Lamar Mackson, who grew up in the city in what he described as "simpler times," said he was "hurt and distraught by what we're doing here."

"When you look at the headlines, there is nothing but distress coming from Plainfield," he said.

Mackson said he wants to see things that put Plainfield in a better light.

He said of the controversy, "It's just unconscionable."

--Bernice Paglia

Solar Panels Among Many Council Topics

Agenda items Monday ranged far and wide as the City Council met at Cook K-8 Center for its last neighborhood meeting of 2009.

Besides considering resolutions and ordinances on the prepared agenda, the governing body heard a presentation by a representative of PSE&G on the recent installation of solar panels, some in historic districts. Eileen Leahey, regional public affairs manager for the company, said the panels are part of a program that was approved by the state Board of Public Utilities in July. At issue is whether the city's Historic Preservation Commission has the right to review their placement in historic districts. In answer to whether the company has sought local review before installing the panels, Leahey said, "We really have not."

Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson said as a result of talks he had with Public Works Director Jennifer Wenson Maier, the comapny will suspend any further action in Plainfield and a representative will go before the HPC for a similar discussion "within the next week or 10 days."

Plaintalker reported on the issue as soon as it emerged. Click here for the story.

Leahey told the council and audience Monday that Plainfield has 6,500 utility and light poles and that PSE&G inspected 2,800 of them, identifying 100 that can be used for the solar panel program. The panels, each measuring 5 by 2 1/2 feet and weighing 60 pounds, collect solar power and put it back in the grid.

While expressing apologies for the local concerns, Leahey said the panels are designed to help New Jersey's renewable energy plan, which calls for use of 30 percent renewable energy.

A South Plainfield company is installing the panels and has hired 100 local residents to do the work, she said. More work is expected in Plainfield within the next four to six weeks.

Leahey said she would provide Wenson Maier with an installation schedule.

Councilman Cory Storch, an advocate environmental causes, said, "I think it's a great idea," but asked whether the company had sought approvals in any local jurisdiction, let alone historic districts.

Leahey said only one out of four poles is viable for the program. For example, if there is more than one transformer on a pole, it can't be used.

"Municipalities have little leeway as far as allowing us not to do it or to do it," she said.

Storch asked about the program's benefits and Leahey said, "All customers will benefit."

The company announced the plan in February and received BPU approval in July. The novel plan was publicized by the company and reported nationally and internationally, but somehow escaped local notice until the fisrt panels went up around Thanksgiving. The next scheduled HPC meeting is 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15 in City Hall Library, 515 Watchung Ave.

Among many other topics:

- Council members voiced their support for a volunteer baseball league and said the city should hold off on starting one through the Recreation Division until there was an overflow from the Queen City Baseball League. That group is coached by volunteers, while the city league would have paid coaches. In recent weeks, proponents of the volunteer league have hailed its benefits to city youth, but the Recreation Division has moved forward with its own plans.

- Finance Director Bibi Taylor spoke on a corrective action plan to address findings by city auditors on fiscal procedures. (The annual review and recommendations from the auditors turns up issues such as making purchases without prior authorization, lack of timely deposit of receipts and other lapses. Plaintalker has not reported on specifics of the last review.) Councilman William Reid said the city needs a Certified Purchasing Agent and suggested that each city department be reviewed occasionally to make sure procedures are being followed. He also said anyone lax in their duties should be fired. Taylor said current findings cover 2007 and 2008 and some repeat findings may turn up in the 2009 review that is being completed. Reid said, "We were promised the same thing the last time we had an audit review."

Taylor is the newest of a series of directors of the city's largest department, Administration, Finance, Health and Social Services.

-Wenson Maier gave the governing body a detailed report on flood mitigation, a sore subject since insurance companies have hiked rates. Wenson Maier said the city is aiming for a 15 percent reduction in rates, but said an individual homeowner can hire a surveyor to challenge flood designations. Anyone building a new home can get advice from the city on how to achieve higher elevation, she said. The city has taken measures such as adopting a stormwater management plan to address flood-related issues and is in early stages of working with FEMA to update flood maps.

Council members said residents have not reported flooding problems for some time, but insurance rates have skyrocketed.

- Another item that was not on the printed agenda was Council President Rashid Burney's proposal to put rules in place for the distribution of flyers that are left on lawns and driveways. Burney wants companies to be required to register with City Hall and obtain licenses, with fines for non-compliance. He said residents who have asked companies to stop delivery have been unsuccessful.

"I think the goal is a good one," Councilman Adrian Mapp said, but questioned the need for a new ordinance.

Williamson said litter laws were on the books, but did not cover private property. If the ordiance is enacted, individuals could call police, Inspections or the city clerk's office for enforcement. He said it would take "a marriage of city staff and residents to enforce this."

But Councilman Elliott Simmons questioned the amount of effort it would take to register vehicles and names of those delivering the fyers, and Reid asked whether the city had researched how other municipalities handle the problem of unwanted flyers. Storch also questioned the need for a new law, but Burney insisted companies don't heed residents' calls to desist.

"It just doesn't work," Burney said.

- Storch questioned passage on second reading of a salary increase ordinance for firefighters in the face of a possible 9.6 percent tax increase, but Williamson said holding it up could result in the union filing an unfair labor practice complaint. But Mapp raised an even larger question, noting the ordinance would be up for a vote Dec. 14 and needed 20 days to take effect under the concept of "estoppel" But he said the year would elapse before that, requiring the salary ordinance to be re-introduced on first reading in 2010. In that case, all six ordinances up for second reading and final passage Dec. 14 would be similarly affected. Although Williamson said he would look into it, all the ordinances state they will take effect in 20 days.

- Another new item for Dec. 14 will be a contract with Sunrise House to operate Dudley House. The agency would pay rent to the city for the residence on Putnam Avenue where men needing substance abuse counseling will live. In addition, the agency would pay rent for a site in a municipal building where clients will receive counseling. Storch, an executive with a mental health agency, questioned the latter, saying such a location "may not be conducive." He asked for an escape clause allowing the agency to seek another location.

There were several other issues, including the merits of free downtown parking for the holidays and how to curb unlicensed taxis in the city. Plaintalker will report more later.

--Bernice Paglia

Some Council Highlights

Here are some highlights of Monday’s City Council meeting:

--Councilman William Reid apologized to Council President Annie McWilliams for an outburst at the May 3 agenda session where he accused her of disrespecting him and being unethical over something that happened at the April 12 business meeting. Reid had claimed he was not given information on a last-minute item passed out to council members.

On Monday, he said he is very passionate about city affairs, but in the May 3 instance, “My negative passion came out.”

“I will attempt to repress that negative passion in the future.”

--The governing body took no action on the defeated school budget. As officials explained at a special meeting Friday,the council could not cut the $21.8 local tax levy because it was mandated by the state. Council members said attempting to identify changes that could be made among budget lines was pointless, as the council would not have time for a thorough review. The state deadline for changes is May 19.

--The administration will attempt to get more people trained for the role of Zoning Officer in order to help enforce a sign ordinance. At present, although proper signage is desired, enforcement is on the shoulders of already burdened Planning Director Bill Nierstedt. City Administrator Bibi Taylor said David Brown II, the new director of Public Works & Urban Development, is taking a course to become qualified and will encourage others to earn the title.

--The administration withdrew a resolution to hire Automatic Data Processing to provide time, attendance and payroll services after council members asked for a biometric system rather than a time clock plan to replace an outmoded manual human resources management system. The issue came up on May 3 and the governing body was told there might be objections from unions over biometrics. But council members said they want to get the latest system if there is to be a conversion.

--Council candidate and former mayoral candidate Jim Pivnichny objected to a contract for engineering services with Remington & Vernick, saying it would cost $88,725 for just one-third of a mile on Watchung Avenue.

“This one really bowls me over,” he said.

But Taylor said sometimes such projects take up to two years, and Brown said the award resulted from a “fair and open” bid process.

--The council granted approval for the city to turn over four West End parcels to habitat for Humanity and seven parcels to Plainfield Community Development Corp, which is affiliated with the Housing Authority of Plainfield. All the properties were part of a redevelopment plan for 197 scattered sites. Some may recall that when the 197 plan first came about, a Westfield company was assigned more than 60 lots to redevelop, while non-profits only got four. The Westfield company built about 30 pre-fabricated homes, but failed to build the rest.

--The council spent more than an hour discussing issues related to youth baseball. The volunteer Queen City Baseball League had used ball fields in the past, but now that the city has begun its own youth baseball league, the volunteer group has experienced problems with lighting, access, equipment and scheduling. About 50 young players, along with parents and coaches, came to the May 3 agenda-fixing session to ask for help. Speakers suggested the team was being sabotaged and called it a “control issue” with the Recreation Division.

Although the council asked the administration to name a neutral “point person” to assure access for the volunteer team, Taylor said she and Brown were acting in that capacity, in consultation with Recreation Superintendent Dave Wynn. The council had two ordinances up for a vote Monday, one to put the Public Works Division in charge of ball fields and one to restrict Wynn’s powers to playgrounds. But Taylor said, “These ordinance mix apples and oranges,” and at the vote both failed in 3-3 ties.

Prior to the vote, Corporation Counsel Dan Williamson said, speaking for Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs, that the mayor felt the legislation was heavy-handed and if it passed, she reserved the right to take legal action against the governing body.

Councilman Adrian Mapp noted a new budget year was coming. Not hearing a willingness to change the behavior that led to the friction, Mapp said the next level might be to take away the salaries for Recreation.

More later on some of these issues.

--Bernice Paglia