DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
The Township Council voted 5-2 on Tuesday to reappoint the municipal clerk — an action also bestowing tenure — despite many months of many public complaints about her job performance. “Great” way to listen to one’s constituents?
Sincerely,
No Nix on September 26
I asked a renowned astronomer to respond to your sarcastic question, and she said: “We live in the Solar System. Montclair’s mayor and several councilors don’t live in the Merit System.”
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
What have been some of the issues connected with the clerk? List four, with one being fictional.
Sincerely,
Quartet Offensive
1. Very slow responding to many Open Public Records Act (OPRA) requests. 2. Very slow doing Council meeting minutes. 3. Reports of employee turnover in her office. 4. Bugs Bunny.
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Okay…Bugs Bunny IS fictional. So, why was the clerk reappointed?
Sincerely,
Hare-Raising Situation
I’ll answer that question with questions. Was she rewarded for doing the bidding of certain local officials? Has she been slow-walking OPRA stuff that’s negative for some of those officials? Are they worried she has some dirt on them? What’s your favorite breakfast cereal?
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
None of your business. Who were the two councilors to rightly vote no?
Sincerely,
The Pair There
Robert Russo and David Cummings, after they unsuccessfully urged that the reappointment decision be delayed until the clerk’s job performance was more formally evaluated. That duo’s cereal? I’m guessing the “Breakfast of Champions.”
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Many people prefer oatmeal over Wheaties, but I get your point. The five who wrongly voted for the clerk? Please list six, with one being fictional.
Sincerely,
Sixth Senseless
Sean Spiller, Peter Yacobellis, William Hurlock, Robin Schlager, Lori Price Abrams, and The Borg.
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Okay…that scary “Star Trek” entity IS fictional. At least a couple of those Council “yes” voters said they’ve had good interactions with the clerk. Comment?
Sincerely,
Captain Kirk, Not Captain Clerk
Well…duh. Most employees would be on their best behavior with those who can determine whether or not they keep their jobs. How one interacts with the public is a horse of a different color, according to another champion: Seabiscuit.
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Earlier this month, the Planning Board sent a 7-1 message to the Council by saying even the somewhat smaller Lackawanna Plaza redevelopment proposal doesn’t conform with Montclair’s Master Plan. The solution?
Sincerely,
Not a Doctorate Plan
Shrink the Lackawanna redo even more — somewhere between the size of the latest proposal and the cluster of tiny plastic green houses and red hotels on my Monopoly board last night.
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
The ones your cat swatted off the table! Was there a supermarket in that Monopoly cluster?
Sincerely,
I Can See for Aisles and Aisles
Tried to include one, but couldn’t find enough food items small enough. One pea, one blueberry, and one grain of rice are hardly enough to attract shoppers.
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Go directly to jail. (There must be one for local columnists.) Why is even the somewhat smaller Lackawanna plan not ideal?
Sincerely,
Prison Prism
Its scale would still dwarf the neighborhood, worsen already bad traffic, etc. Sure, the car piece that moves around the Monopoly board could also squeeze through Grove Street/Bloomfield Avenue-area traffic, but that miniature vehicle doesn’t have windshield wipers.
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Huh? Many Montclair residents are working hard to push for some Payment in Lieu of Taxes funds to go to our schools. That includes monies from Lackawanna if it ends up being a PILOT project, right?
Sincerely,
Take Me to the PILOT
Right. That would be only fair — and a lot more than the $200 that Monopoly players get for passing “Go.”
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
The need for a portion of PILOT funds to go to schools was mentioned by several residents speaking during the public comment period at Tuesday’s Council meeting. What was also mentioned?
Sincerely,
Topical Topics
Improving Clary Anderson Arena and saving lovely old trees threatened by baseball-field work at Woodman Field. Re the latter, school district leaders have not been a “hit” with nearby residents.
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
That’s because those leaders smacked a double: not very communicative and not very transparent. In other news, U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) has been accused of breathtaking corruption — and the evidence is damning. Should he resign?
Sincerely,
Go NOW
Yes, yes, YES. I remember Menendez visiting Bradford School a few years ago when my younger daughter was a student there. Fortunately, there were no gold bars in the halls that could be grabbed.
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Why would valuable gold bars be lying in the halls of a Montclair elementary school?
Sincerely,
Not Typical Paperweights
“Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.”
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Wise words from Monty Python. Getting back to Tuesday’s Council meeting, many audience speakers publicly praised the “Bike Bus” caravan of kids, parents, and others cycling to schools. Thoughts?
Sincerely,
A Spokes-Person
Such a wonderful initiative — fun, good exercise, fewer cars on the road, and no pollution in this climate change era. James Michener’s novel “Caravans” was prescient!
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
That 1963 book was NOT about biking to school.
Sincerely,
No Place Like Tome
Now I’m wondering if some of Montclair’s OPRA-requested documents are being stored on one of the Vanuatu islands. Will check Michener’s “Tales of the South Pacific.”
Dave Astor, author, is the MontClairVoyant. His opinions about politics and local events are strictly his own and do not represent or reflect the views of Montclair Local.
Montclairvoyant, you raise some compelling points; especially that OPRA information is being stalled tactically for certain officials. It would be one thing if the City Clerk had an overwhelming response from net promoters of her work. The community really seems against the re-appointment or ambivalent–why would council approve her tenure in such an iffy space so quickly. I wonder if any has anyone spoken with the employees to see if any information was being withheld? Do we know if they were under NDA and might not be able to speak up as they’re observing how the Rao case is unfolding? Maybe there might be a way to have the employees speak off the record to see if there was any wrong doing and need to appoint an independent investigation before the polls close and folks move in/out of office. Would be better to get them on the record now than after the fact.
Thank you, SuburbanCitySlicker! Several excellent questions and points! And, yes, there’s been virtually no public praise — but plenty of criticism — of the clerk’s work from Township Council meeting attendees and Montclair residents commenting on this site or on social media.
Dave,
FYI
https://www.montclairnjusa.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=5276290&pageId=14140244
Thank you for the link, Frank! I suspect a LOT of Montclair residents will be voting in the mayoral and Township Council elections next year.
Dave, over the course of this mayoral and town council’s term in office, Montclair never been more mismanaged. It has been one epic and unprecedented calamity after another. Shameful !
Dave,
Hopefully, it will be to replace 3 members of the current BoE.
Just for total kicks & giggles I look at the agenda for the upcoming BoE mtg. Nothing serious because they are not serious people. Unless, it is cutting down trees. So, tomorrow early evening – usually around 6:30 or so – is the BoE mtg.
Do you think they could post an agenda? Nah, let’s wait to just before the mtg and just talk about whatever they want. And how much are we paying the PR flack?
This elected board thing is working out well. 🙂
Thank you for the comment, silverleaf! The elected and appointed municipal leadership of the past few years has, with some exceptions, indeed been the most problematic I can remember in my 30 years in Montclair.
Frank, thank you for mentioning another important election — the Board of Education one next month — that’s happening prior to the mayor/Township Council election next year. Yes, some problematic aspects to Montclair’s current school district leadership, though not at the level of Montclair’s current municipal dysfunction, I think. I don’t think the appointed BOE was any better than the elected BOE, however.
Dave,
Agree w/ last sentence. But, their promise was a major selling point by the parents. Anyway, the BoE & Superintendent seem a little piqued by the public criticism over the trees. (see Communication Comm minutes @ https://www.montclair.k12.nj.us/cms/One.aspx?portalId=889560&pageId=38732639 )
I feel badly through & through after reading the minutes. I think some discrete netting, some ornamental trees and soldier courses of arborvitae would enhance the streetscape. 🙂
I hear you, Frank. The hope was that an elected BOE would be significantly better than an appointed BOE. So far, the results are kind of inconclusive, but it’s still relatively early. One good thing is the massive bond referendum to repair/improve schools and school sites; not sure that kind of money would have been authorized under the appointed board. Of course, the implementation of the bond referendum has not been perfect, with one example being the baseball field controversy. Yes, the minutes you pointed out show some defensiveness about that.