##VIDEO ID:DDFVM7TL2kE## e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e recording in ress good afternoon everybody and happy New Year welcome to the 2025 planfield reorganization meeting the notice requirement provided for the open public meetings law has been satisfied notice was properly given said notice having been transmitted to The Courier news on December 17th 2024 as well as posting the notice of this meeting in the city clerk's office at this point we are all going to rise for the Pledge of Allegiance which will be led by the planfield fire department honor guard to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty justice for all please remain standing for the invocation which will be led by Reverend Leandra kohley of New Covenant Church honorable mayor Adrian our assembly woman Linda Carter thank you honorable Municipal council members business administrator corporate counsel municipal clerk Municipal staff ladies and gentlemen let us pray God of All Flesh Creator and sustainer of the universe we come seeking your Divine blessings on these your servants we give you thanks for bringing us this far thank you for endowing them with the abilities and passion to serve humanity and this great City we pray you will give them wisdom strength and courage to do what is right and good for all citizens may they put the interests of others above their own grant them the fortitude and the resilience to lead through challenging and difficult Seasons may they act with love to the unlovely and serve those with compassion The Compassion of Christ for the common good of all God we pray for their health we pray for their health mentally physically emotionally and spiritually enable them to serve in their fullest capacity without sickness disease or infirmity we pray for every resident of this great City that they will become aligned with the wisdom the vision and mission of our leaders as they forg to build a better and wholesome community God we give you thanks and we give you praise for the manifestation of these prayers in their lives in the name of the one who died and rose again Jesus the Christ amen amen amen may be seated now move on to the reading of the certifications of election the board of County cers of Union County does hereby determine that at an election held in the said County on the 5th day of November in the year 2024 Steve G hakay Esquire was duly elected councilman at large for a four-year term in the city of planfield would councilman Steve hackaday please step forward to take the off uh oath of office as councilman at large the oath of office will be administered by Union County Superior Court judge darra Goan repeat after me I state your name I Steve hak do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will Faithfully that I will faithfully impartially impartially and justly and justly perform all of the duties perform all of the duties of the office required by me of the office required by me of the as a member of the planfield city council as a member of the planfield city council representing as councilman at large representing as councilman at large according to the best of my abilities according to the best of my abilities so help me God so help me God I do further solemnly swear I do further solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution that I will support the Constitution of the United States of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and allegiance to the same and to the governments and to the governments established in the United States established in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people so help me God so help me God congratulations thank you [Applause] the board of County cers of Union County does hereby determined that an election held in the said County on the 5th day of November in the year 2024 Charles McCrae was duly elected councilman Third Ward for a four-year term in the city of planfield would Mr McCrae please step forward to take the oath of office as councilman for the Third Ward the oath of office will be administered by his brother Reverend Reginald McCrae repeat after me and state your name i i Charles McCrae do Solly swear do solemnly swear that I will Faithfully that I will faithfully and partially and partially and justly perform all the duties of the office and faithfully and justly perform all the duties of the office required by me required by me as a member of the planfield city council as a member of the planfield city council representing the Third Ward representing the Third Ward according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God I do further I do furtherly affirm somly swear Som that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and allegiance to the same and to the governments established to the governments established in the united states in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people so help me God so [Applause] help congratulations to councilman hoade and councilman McCrae at this point we will now have remarks from our assembly woman representing the 202nd legislative district assemblywoman Linda s Carter morning everybody oh afternoon happy New Year on behalf of Senate President Nick scari assembly Mo Kennedy I want to say wow what a year it's been but what a year going to be it truly has been amazing mayor map council members your Administration playing field members family and friends truly a pleasure to be here before you and today marks not just the start of another year but an opportunity to reflect on our shared journey and also to recommit to the work of building a stronger more vibrant playing field planfield has always been my heart and my home it's where my Roots Run Deep but most importantly it's where my commitment to Public Service started I am proud to represent you and stand alongside you as we continue to move our community forward and that's what we are we're family we're friends we are colleagues we are individuals who live here in our town and we want to work collectively together to make sure that we are moving it forward and 2025 is the year that we're going to do that mayor please know that I will always be here for planfield working with you advocating for you and striving to create opportunities for every family here in planfield thank you for your trust and your support you have given me over the years but you know what let's make 2025 the year to remember for Playfield happy New Year everyone thank you a son woman Carter we will now have remarks from our honorable three-term mayor Adrien om [Applause] mat well hello planfield let me Begin by wishing each and every one of you a very happy healthy and prosperous 2025 the last year has been a wonderful year in our city and I must tell you that our state the state of the City by all measures is very strong we have accomplished a great deal this year our Redevelopment which is happening all across the city continues to revitalize every quter of our city generating millions and millions of dollars in tax revenue that go directly to the bottom line to help stabilize our property taxes and I don't know why my phone is recording but it should not be and I can tell you that this year while let me continue to focus on the past year in particular our crime has been down significantly and continues to go down each and every day because of the hard work and dedication of our men and women in the Plainfield Police Department [Applause] and we know that when crime is down it means that our city is safer and it leads to a better quality of life for everyone that's here also some of you were there yesterday for what we call the Day of Reckoning and there's always a Day of Reckoning but yesterday on North Avenue we began the process of tearing down a blighted structure that has really been a stain on our city for decades it's the warehouse that sits on North Avenue within feat of the Netherwood train station and so yesterday we held a community event where we started to tear down that building it will take about 4 to six weeks to bring down the complete structure and that is so because there's asbestos on the Eastern corner of the building and that has to be removed first before the entire building can come down and then what you will see rising from that same location is a warehouse that will employ numerous people from the city of planfield but not only that on the second level there'll be recreational enhancements that will provide opportunities for all of our residents to enjoy wholesome Recreation there'll be a restaurant it'll be a place for people to come to from across the city and from outside of the city and it's just a stone throw away from our Netherwood Tren station so that is an exciting time the residents of that neighborhood they are very happy one homeowner from across the street said I've been here for over 25 years and I had to stare at that every single day and no one should have to do that and so we are going to eliminate that blight and you will see rising from there something very different very new and what would be in the best interest of our city of planfield I mentioned that there's a park who some on the city conil might have discovered that for the first time on cushion Road it used to be a farm and we've had some discussions with the county and our goal is to create a decent recreational space there because the second ward is the one ward in the city that doesn't really have a park and we intend to make that into a park with the assistance of the county the property is owned by the county and to make sure that we have input from the community we have sent letters to a thousand plus homeowners within a half mile radius of the site and so there'll be Community engagement there'll be a shet and we will hear from the residents what they believe to be the best use for that site and our goal is to make it into a decent Recreational facility Well not fac facility but a a park we talked about crime being down the office of homeless prevention so I have charged members of the team for several months to come up with a strategy given the fact that we've had to displace some residents from their apartment buildings as a result of these structures being unsafe and we thought it necess Neary for us to make sure that we do the right thing by the people of this city and that is to not allow people to live in filthy unhabitable conditions and so that sort of cause us to think hard about what we need to do about housing in the city of planfield and to that end we have decided that we're going to build over a thousand new units of affordable housing but beyond that we want people to be able to stay in their homes toay in their apartments and so the team and I have been discussing for quite some time the creation of the office of homeless PR homelessness prevention and that office what will be housed in that office will also uh um be dealing and focusing on the complaints that we've heard loud and clear about rents and about how landlords treat some of their tenants and so the office of homelessness prevention would make sure that there resources and that there's a place that people can come to at City Hall to make their case and to let us know what has been happening between them and their landlords as far as their rents are concerned and so the Corporation Council and the business administrator have been researching this getting information from a number of municipalities to make sure that we do this right this should never be a knee-jerk reaction and so we have put all of the time in to making sure that we gather the information learn from how others are doing it and so you will see at the next council meeting we will present two ordinances one will be to address rent rent controls the other one because when you have rent control you must have um a rent leveling board and so this will provide we will provide the ordinances to make this a legislative mandate that will allow the office of homeless prevention to work with residents and to make sure that we address their concerns we make sure we keep our landlords honest and we make sure that no one goes homeless in this city when there is a way for us to intervene and to stop that from happening and so that's what you will be seen coming forward from this Administration after studying that and working on it for several months now one of the things that I want to make mention of is the fact that we have had the planfield house music festival for the last five years and so we will continue but I mentioned that the person who has been instrumental in the formation the creation of the Plainfield house music festival is none other than Lenny kcart Lenny kcart the son and he was um stricken with prostate cancer several years ago he was very open about it and he came to me with this IDE day of doing something to call attention to cancer not only prostate cancer but cancers in general and so the house music festival has grown year after year where we attract well over 10,000 people into the park and so because this was the grandchild of Lenny ccart I've decided that we're going to Rebrand and rename the planfield house music festival to the Lenny CF cart Playfield house music festival and that will happen beginning the next house music festival it will be branded as the Lenny cfcard house music festival hosted by the city of planfield so those are the few remarks that I have for you today as you know I normally give an expanded state of the city address where we go into a lot of things giving you more details and really enabling you to follow the path that this Administration has been taken and that we continue to take in our efforts to move our city forward so to all of you again Happy New Year [Applause] one second all right all the duly elected members have been sworn in and have taken the oath of office so I will now call the role for the 2025 planfield city council Madame Deputy Clerk would you please call the role councilwoman Briggs Jones president councilwoman Cherry president councilman Graham present councilman hak present councilman McCrae present councilwoman sesams present councilman Wyatt present all members present and a quorum thank you madam Deputy clerk at this time the floor is now open for nominations for planfield city council president I'm not I'll take the nomination I nominate myself Terry bricks Jones for city council president is there a second on that nomination second is there any other nominations yes I nominate Steve haked for city council president second okay I'll call the nominations in the order they received this is first uh nomination will be the nomination for councilwoman Terry Briggs Jones service council president seconded by councilman Wyatt council members Briggs Jones yes Cherry no Graham no hackaday no McCrae no sesum no Wyatt yes two in favor five opposed that nomination fails so now I'll call the role on the nomination of Steve chakade to serve as council president Council memb brick Jones no Cherry yes Graham yes hackaday yes McCrae yes sesum yes Wyatt yes six in favor one opposed I'll do yes let it be noted that uh councilwoman brick Jones has changed her vote in the affirmative so that is unanimous and therefore it is declared that councilman hackaday has been duly elected as the 2025 city council president would councilman hakay please step forward to take the oath of office as council president judge Goan repeat after me I state your name I Steve hak do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will Faithfully that I will faithfully and partially and partially and justly and justly perform all of the duties perform all of the duties of the office required by me of the office required by me as city council president as city council president of the planfield city council of the planfield city council according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God I do further solemnly swear I do further solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and that I will bear true faith and Allegiance and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same to the same and to the governments and to the governments established in the United States established in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people so help me God so help me God thank [Applause] you congratulations council president hak does this mean I have to leave the seat now I have to leave the seat now okay as always Mr clerk your your services are appreciated and much needed a vital Cog in the city is is our very capable clerk Abu Mard [Applause] jallo all right ladies and gentlemen mayor Adrian omap members of the council distinguished elected officials including our assembly woman of the 22nd legislative district uh members of the Judiciary Dar a Goan and residents of planfield thank you once again for electing me and placing your trust in me as council president for the year 2025 it's both an honor and a privilege to continue this journey together striving for a playing field that is inclusive Equitable and resilient first and foremost I'd like to thank the almighty God for the breath of life and the ability to serve uh to my colleagues on the council and our community I promise to lead with Integrity dedication and an unwavering commitment to the well-being of all of our residents as we enter this new year we do so with an acute awareness of the challenges we Face locally Statewide and quite frankly part of a broader Nation grappling with division and uncertainty it is in this spirit that I outline the priorities that will guide our work in 2025 just like last year when I gave my address uh uh civility in government uh will be at the Forefront uh in times of heightened polarization civility in our local government is is not just a choice it's a necessity our debates may be spirited but they must always remain respectful as Leaders we set the tone for our community and I'm committed committed to fostering collaboration and thoughtful discourse that reflects the strength of our diversity second safeguards against hostility in the face of growing hostility from federal policies that threaten the rights of immigrants women and other marginalized communities we as a progressive Council must act as a safeguard planfield has always been a sanctuary a city where diversity is celebrated and where policies reflect our Collective values of compassion equity and Justice this year we'll continue to protect those who call planfield home regardless of their immigration status gender or economic standing we will work to create local policies that counteract Federal overreach and ensure that Playfield remains a Beacon of Hope and opportunity so look forward to this Council bringing forward legislation that aims to protect its residents such as rent control and resolutions that affirm our support for immigrant immigrant rights three transparency and accountability transparency is the foundation of trust and trust is the lifeblood of governance this Council remains steadfast in its commitment to accessibility ensuring our residents have a clear understanding of the decisions that shape their lives public trust is not a one-time achievement but an ongoing responsibility and we continue to prioritize open communication as as the CornerStore Cornerstone of our work affordability and economic Justice we must remain steadfast in our efforts to ease the financial burdens of our residents from affordable housing to Equitable tax policies we will prioritize initiatives that make planfield a city where all residents can Thrive I will continue to advocate for Innovative Partnerships and strategic Investments that lift up our most vulnerable while maintaining fiscal respons responsibility we also aim for a healthy and resilient playing field and we'll build on our health issues uh initiatives by expanding access to Community Gardens promoting sustainable practices and reducing our environmental footprint from clean air to Green spaces every step we take brings us closer to a city that prioritizes health and well-being of its residents as leaders in a predominantly black and brown Community we have an opportunity and an obligation to demonstrate that Progressive governance Works whether it's providing second chances for those re-entering Society supporting the undocumented or advocating for social justice Playfield can and will remain a model of Grace and compassion for the nation to emulate as we look back over the past decade it's impossible to ignore the remarkable transformation our city has undergone uh under the leadership of maen air Maden omap playing field has experiened of resurgence that has touched every corner of our community through his vision resilience and tireless dedication he has steered this city through challenges and brought us to a place of stability growth and opportunity from revitalizing our downtown and improving infrastructure getting that great Tax rating that we have and credit credit rating uh and expanding access to resources for our residents our mayor has laid the foundation for a stronger more unified playing field his ability to Foster Partnerships Statewide Drive Economic Development and Champion Progressive policies has not only turned our city around but positioned us as a shining example of what effective leadership can achieve at the same time we must recognize that our work is far from finished we will celebrate how far we've come but we acknowledge that the challenges remain no city is perfect but what sets playing field apart is our unwavering commitment to progress and our intentionality in addressing the needs of our residents progress is not an accident it's the result of vision collaboration and a shared commitment to making Playfield a better place for everyone in my observation of Playfield over the past 20 years the two missing ingredients uh in in why there hasn't been more progress uh has been the lack of a strong and consistent leader uh that has been addressed with the consistent leadership of Adrian omat and closing let us step into this year with purpose and resolve let us be a council that protects uplifts empowers our community in the face of adversity let us continue to honor our diversity and demonstrate that progress is both intentional and achievable together we will build on a strong found Foundation that we've laid Guided by civility transparency affordability and Grace together we'll continue to move pling field forward so thank you and may 2025 be a year of growth strength and unity for the Queen City [Applause] okay let's get to business we will start with public comments limited to items appearing under new business council president president election of the vice president first oh let's do that then let's do that let's do that I think we need a vice president all right let's open the floor for nominations for 2025 vice president council president I'd like to nominate Dr Darcel sess may have a second second okay are there any other nominations okay nominations are now closed clerk may we have a roll call it's roll call on the nomination of Dr Darcel sesum to serve as the 2025 city council vice president council members bricks Jones yes Cherry yes Graham yes hak yes McCrae yes councilwoman sesum yes councilman Wyatt yes that is unanimous okay I now declare Dr darcella sesum as the 2025 vice president [Applause] okay so we'll now move to yes she who's gonna do you I'm GNA give aj his job back Dr sarelis sessums will now take the oath of office as city council vice president administering the oath of office will be assemblywoman Linda Carter thank you all right now be careful with repeat after me I state your name I darcella Patterson sesum do solemnly swear do solemnly swear that I will Faithfully that I will faithfully impartially impartially and justly performed and justly performed all of the duties all of the duties of the office required of the office required by me as city council vice president by me as city council vice president of the city of the planfield city council of the planfield city council according to the best of my ability according to the best of my ability so help me God so help me God I do further solemnly swear I do further Solly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States States and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and the constitution of the state of New Jersey and I and that I will bear true faith and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and allegiance to the same and to the governments established and to the governments established in the united states in the United States and in this state and in this state under the authority of the people under the authority of the people so help me God so help me God congratulations a wonderful [Applause] job all right you good to go I'm going to make sure I look over to my left to make sure I'm on the right PA so I appreciate that all right uh we're moving to public comments limited to resolutions I'm sorry items pring under new business and resolutions and motions total of 30 minutes has been allocated for the same each speaker will be given three minutes name and address for the record floor is now open may I have a motion to close public comments so moved second is there anyone online okay all right all those in favor say I I any opposition or abstentions okay uh public hearing is now closed all right are there any questions for Resolutions r125 through r425 okay if not I have a motion to approve those motions so moved second okay clerk roll call please roll call on resolutions 1 through four council members brick Jones yes Cherry yes Graham yes McCrae yes Wyatt yes vice president sesum yes council president hak yes those items have been approved okay are there any questions for Resolutions r525 through R 32-25 okay may I have a motion to approve so moved roll call please sorry it's to be thank you that would be requested mintion 11-2 okay we need a motion to move remove that or it's fine yes we do need a motion to yeah okay so let me have a motion to to remove R 11-2 11-25 please second okay all those in favor say I I I any opposition or abstention abstaining from r013 d25 okay all right that's a different one but uh so let's have a uh Motion in a second on on R 5-25 through R 32-25 noting that with the exception with the exception sear correct so moved second okay and can you note again for the record the one you're abstaining for r013 d25 okay thank you all right roll call please okay this is going to be a roll call on 5 through 32 with the exception of 13 which will be voted on separately council members bridg Jones yes Cherry yes Graham yes McCrae yes Wyatt yes sesum yes and hak yes that is your ious and resolution 1325 council members brick Jones yes Cherry abstain Graham yes mcra yes Wyatt yes sesum yes haked yes that has been approved with an obse from councilwoman Cherry okay are there any questions for resolution 33-25 can have a motion and a second so second res uh roll call please roll call resolution 3325 council members Brig Jones yes Cherry yes Graham yes McCrae yes Wyatt yes vice president sesum yes council president hak yes that item has been approved okay are there any questions for Resolutions R34 through R 45-25 I have a motion in a second so moov second clerk roll call please roll call resolution 34 through 45 council members bricks Jones yes Cherry yes Graham yes McCrae yes Wyatt yes vice president sesum yes council president hackaday yes those itas have been approved okay are there any questions for Resolutions r46 d25 through R 51-25 if not I'll entertain a motion in a second so moved second clerk roll call please please council members brick Jones yes Cherry yes Graham yes McCrae Wyatt yes vice president sesum yes council president hak yes those items have been approved okay and that concludes that we'll now move to General Public comment which a 30 of total of 30 minutes has been allocated for all public comments uh all general public comments come up give your name and address for the record uh each speaker will be given 3 minutes the floor is now open is anyone online I have a motion to close public comment move and a second second okay all those in favor say I I I any opposition or abstentions okay public comments is now closed uh I'll entertain a motion to adjourn second all in favor say Okay meeting adjourn thank you all for