My Commentary on the Muhlenberg Campus

I have been very busy as the new Democratic Party Chairman trying to move the Union County Democratic Party in a direction that all of Union County can be proud of. I have not spent much time dealing with issues locally that I have no control in making decisions over.

When I read some of the blogs and misinformation put out to the public I try not to respond but unfortunately sometimes when you don’t respond people don’t know whether its true or not. I have no respect for people who anonymously spread lies and rumors. But I can’t sit back and not respond to these lies.

I feel that unless you have a solution to this problem being critical for the sake of being critical isn’t productive and doesn’t serve to help Plainfield.

I am going to be very short and to the point, I have not been critical of anyone when dealing with the Muhlenberg Property. I am in support of what is best for the City of Plainfield. For over a year I have been meeting with people in the medical field people who deal with properties like Muhlenberg and have listened to their recommendations on what the best course of action should be.

I have been working with people with a background in reopening hospitals in urban communities all over the country. Their recommendation was that if the right funding was in place we would be able to offer medical services on the Muhlenberg campus. The key was to get the right financing to accomplish this.

The primary issue is the 20 million dollar debt that comes with the campus that has been one of the main factors. Also there are environmental issues with some of the buildings on the campus that would cost an additional 5 million dollars to correct. With the right financing in place we could offset this debt to create something to better serve the Plainfield community.

I sponsored a bill A3043 just in case anyone would like to go read the bill to see what I was trying to accomplish. It would have “Allowed corporation business tax or gross income tax credits to developers for certain capital investments for repurposing qualified health care facilities.”

This would have given companies the ability to use these dollars to redevelop hospitals like Muhlenberg and others around the state in a similar financial situation as Muhlenberg.

My bill was included in the largest economic development package in our states history the New Jersey Economic Opportunity Act of 2013. The bill passed out of both the Assembly and Senate with Bi-Partisan support. The Governor, knowing how desperately communities like Plainfield needed this portion of the bill vetoed it without giving a reason.

I hope that this answers any questions about my position on the Muhlenberg Campus and what I am trying to help accomplish; which is bringing the best medical services to our community in difficult economic times.

When I am Re-Elected this November I will not stop. The people of Plainfield deserve the best. I would also like to add I support the hiring of someone to look at what’s the best use of the site.

I’m hoping that in the future people will stop being so critical and give suggestions so we don’t end up with an empty lot like Irvington. In Irvington they talked for years and did nothing only for the community to suffer and bring property values in Irvington to an all-time low.

My understanding is that my opponent John Campbell has begun telling people he has found a buyer for the property but has not yet released to the public or City Council who the buyer is. I will be the first person to work with him if such a buyer exists because this is not a political issue. After five years to say you have a buyer I think it’s only fair that you tell the public who this buyer is so that the city won’t have to spend money on a study.

I have just explained what I’m doing to help our community; unfortunately Mr. Campbell hasn’t said what he’s doing or what his plan is. As I drive around town I see giant pictures of Mr. Campbell but he hasn’t said what he has done for Plainfield or what he would do as a Republican member of the Assembly.