Anyone who knows my family and me knows how much we love Plainfield. There are not many places where you can find a diverse community, beautiful homes, talented residents and many other assets all within 6 square miles. Furthermore, like you, I know that Plainfield has the potential to be even better. Our 2 train stations, rich housing stock, fascinating history and close proximity to major highways make us a “sleeping giant”. Unfortunately, the problem is that we are, well, asleep.
In order to wake up the Queen City, Plainfield’s leadership must address what I will call our “Branding Challenge”. I am not the first to say it and I won’t be the last: Beyond our city limits live many people who think of Plainfield as dirty, unsafe, difficult to do business with, poorly managed and stagnant. In general it is not seen as the most attractive place to live, work or shop. Re-branding Plainfield as a safe, clean, developing city with a wide appeal to a diverse group of people must be our long-term goal.
Furthermore, we don’t have to be a Westfield or a Summit or a Princeton to develop a valuable brand. We can create our own appealing brand that builds on the assets that we already have. For example, there are a number of talented professionals in the arts and entertainment industries that hail from Plainfield. Alonzo Adams, Indira Bailey, Chanj and Alrick Brown come to mind. Could the Plainfield name attract art, music and film aficionados to the Queen City? We could also focus on the richness of our diversity. We have a number of restaurants that serve different ethnic foods. Events like EthFest have been successful in the past. Could Plainfield’s brand be “The Melting Pot”?
I firmly believe that the Queen City has the potential to grow into something truly special. As my father used to say, Plainfield is “a very manageable city.” By setting the right goals, working with the administration to develop a vision for the City and ensuring that the basic foundations of safety, cleanliness and efficiency are in place, we can clean up Plainfield’s image and develop a brand that entices people to live, work and spend their hard-earned money right here.
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8 comments:
In working with the administration, I would like some clarification. If you mean this administration, I would be interested to know how you believe things will change in the next four years?
For a new administration, how do you believe the council and administration would be different?
Welcome back!
Hi Annie,
Glad to see you back in your blog, and while I have heard about how busy you have been keeping up, getting informed, and getting up to date with all city matters, I'm sure I am not the only one that keeps checking on your blog for some kind of news from you.
Many of us can't wait to see a much more efficient council, the city can't afford any more "sleepy" leaders. If change can't be made now when all is quite slow, then I don't know when.
Glad to read that you'll try to keep us informed through your blog since for many of us this is the only way we know what is officially going on in the city.
Thanks for the update and best regards,
Maria Pellum
Annie,
Thanks for responding to my post.
One of the ways to help us all awaken is for all of the council members to do their homework, to thoroughly examine what is put before you before, doing and after council meetings, to keep your constituencies informed and for you to cast your votes on behalf of those who you serve. We hear frequently when questions are raised, "I'll get back to you". Persons ought to be ready with meaningful information when issues are presented and part of rebranding Plainfield is to see that it is being led by intelligent, thoughtful and forward thinking individuals.
Margaret Lewis
As you know, rebranding can be either a way of refocusing energy and attention, or just lipsticking the pig.
While "Melting Pot" sounds good in a wishfully post-something world, will a slogan create many meaningful jobs in Plainfield, decrease crime to rates that rival the neighbors, significantly increase commercial activity, or dramatically improve the schools?
Will it put us back on a through route that non-residents want to use and bring the 21st century equivalent of Bambergers?
Will it give Plainfield an administration that wins awards for its vision and acumen?
Will it draw residents that want to be here or just more who are priced out of neighboring towns?
Will it reduce the poor, the uneducated and the illegal?
Will it solve the racial tensions and politics that colors life in Plainfield every day?
I know questions are easy and solutions are hard. Thank you Councilwoman McWilliams for thinking outside of the administration's box, but let's hear less about how to market the product and more about how to make a very flawed product better.
Nice to see that you are again writing your blog. It is beneficial to us citizens to learn aboutwhat the Councilors are concerned and their suggestions on remedies.
Annie, You forgot to mention the stranglehold Assemblyman Green still has on Plainfield. He is a major reason it has remained a ghetto and will remain a ghetto. You should make sure that the bad ideas of this administration are stopped. Stand with Adrian against this abatement garbage.
As my father used to say, Plainfield is “a very manageable city.” -- Quite possibly the nicest bit of truth I have read in a long time. New York City can be managed well, but some reason Plainfield isn't. This is sad. Please, Please, Please...CLEAN THIS CITY UP !!! Force the owners of the properties in this city to stand up and be responsible business and residential owners. There is no reason this city should honestly look like a psuedo downtown Beirut from the late 80's or Turkish Bazaar ( $1 stores..hello !! ) other than the city leaders allow it. I would love an opportunity to discuss the city of Saratoga Springs with you or any other Council Member as a perfect example of how people with vision CHANGED a cities future. I can only offer proven information on a dying city in Upstate NY with NO INDUSTRY, NO HOPE and no where to go but up. And they did...The LEADERS in Saratoga Springs years ago set the stage for the success of Saratoga it didn't just happen. Many dead or dying cities in Upstate NY are now - 40 years later - following their example and change has begun. Upstate NY... no jobs, no economy, no reason for success and yet there is. No one delivered a magic pill to these cities that are starting to rebound, it was forced down the throats of the residents and the businesses. Change, including good change is not always welcome, but sometimes true leaders map and plan out a vision and when it comes to fruition, their efforts weren't in vain. Please..research and look up all you can about Saratoga Springs and you can learn alot about how to help Plainfield. I will do the research for you..I don't care, anything to show the entire City Council that change is possible. Sorry for long post and , welcome to City Government in our "fair" city...
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