"Give Generously to Those in Need"

Dear Jazz,

Today, I’m driven by a deep sense of community and a call to action that resonates with the values we hold dear in our city. In recent times, we've witnessed unprecedented challenges that have impacted many lives in our community. Economic hardships, health crises, and social upheavals have left some of our neighbors vulnerable and in need of support. It is during these trying times that the true spirit of Plainfield must shine through – a spirit of compassion, unity, and generosity.

Plainfield has always been a community that prides itself on its resilience and its ability to come together in times of need. Our city’s history is steeped in stories of neighbors helping neighbors, of people extending a hand to those who are struggling. This is not just a tradition; it's a testament to the character of our people. As we navigate these challenging times, it is more important than ever to uphold this tradition. The act of giving, whether it be time, resources, or support, is not just about the immediate relief it provides. It's about strengthening the bonds of our community and fostering a sense of togetherness.

It's also important to recognize that giving is not just a one-way street. The benefits of generosity extend beyond those who receive; they also enrich the lives of those who give. Studies have shown that acts of kindness and generosity can lead to increased happiness and well-being for the giver. In a time where mental health is as important as physical health, acts of giving can be a source of joy and fulfillment.

Furthermore, when we give generously, we set a powerful example for the younger generation. We teach our children and youth the importance of empathy, compassion, and civic responsibility. By involving them in acts of charity and community service, we are nurturing future leaders who understand the value of looking out for one another. This investment in our youth is an investment in the future of Plainfield.

As your Mayor, I urge each one of you to find ways to contribute to the well-being of our community. Whether it's through volunteering at local shelters, donating to food banks, supporting local businesses, or simply checking in on a neighbor, every act of kindness counts. Let's come together to ensure that no one in our city has to face tough times alone. Let's show the world that Plainfield is not just a place on the map, but a community with a big heart.

The act of giving is a powerful tool for building a stronger, more connected community. It's a reminder that, even in the darkest of times, there is light to be found in the kindness we show to one another. As we move forward, let's carry this spirit of generosity with us, making it a cornerstone of our community. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of those in need and, in doing so, enrich our own lives and the life of our beloved Plainfield. During the holidays and all year round, let's give generously and show how we #Love Plainfield.

#LovePlainfield #AmoPlainfield

Creating One Plainfield. One Future.

Sincerely,

Mayor Adrian O. Mapp

City of Plainfield

"Dar Generosamente a Los Necesitados"

Querido(a) Jazz,

Hoy, me impulsa un profundo sentido de comunidad y un llamado a la acción que resuena con los valores que apreciamos en nuestra ciudad. En los últimos tiempos, hemos sido testigos de desafíos sin precedentes que han impactado muchas vidas en nuestra comunidad. Las dificultades económicas, las crisis sanitarias y los disturbios sociales han dejado a algunos de nuestros vecinos vulnerables y necesitados de apoyo. Es durante estos tiempos difíciles que el verdadero espíritu de Plainfield debe brillar: un espíritu de compasión, unidad y generosidad.

Plainfield siempre ha sido una comunidad que se enorgullece de su resiliencia y su capacidad para unirse en tiempos de necesidad. La historia de nuestra ciudad está llena de historias de vecinos que ayudan a otros vecinos, de personas que extienden una mano a quienes luchan. Esto no es sólo una tradición; es un testimonio del carácter de nuestro pueblo. Mientras atravesamos estos tiempos difíciles, es más importante que nunca mantener esta tradición. El acto de dar, ya sea tiempo, recursos o apoyo, no se trata sólo del alivio inmediato que proporciona. Se trata de fortalecer los lazos de nuestra comunidad y fomentar un sentido de unión.

También es importante reconocer que dar no es sólo una vía de sentido único. Los beneficios de la generosidad se extienden más allá de quienes la reciben; también enriquecen la vida de quienes dan. Los estudios han demostrado que los actos de bondad y generosidad pueden conducir a una mayor felicidad y bienestar para quien los da. En una época en la que la salud mental es tan importante como la salud física, los actos de dar pueden ser una fuente de alegría y satisfacción.

Además, cuando damos generosamente, damos un poderoso ejemplo a la generación más joven. Enseñamos a nuestros niños y jóvenes la importancia de la empatía, la compasión y la responsabilidad cívica. Al involucrarlos en actos de caridad y servicio comunitario, estamos formando a futuros líderes que comprenden el valor de cuidarse unos a otros. Esta inversión en nuestra juventud es una inversión en el futuro de Plainfield.

Como su alcalde, insto a cada uno de ustedes a encontrar formas de contribuir al bienestar de nuestra comunidad. Ya sea a través del voluntariado en refugios locales, donando a bancos de alimentos, apoyando a empresas locales o simplemente controlando a un vecino, cada acto de bondad cuenta. Unámonos para garantizar que nadie en nuestra ciudad tenga que enfrentar tiempos difíciles solo. Mostremos al mundo que Plainfield no es sólo un lugar en el mapa, sino una comunidad con un gran corazón.

El acto de dar es una herramienta poderosa para construir una comunidad más fuerte y conectada. Es un recordatorio de que, incluso en los momentos más oscuros, se puede encontrar luz en la bondad que nos mostramos unos a otros. A medida que avanzamos, llevemos este espíritu de generosidad con nosotros, convirtiéndolo en una piedra angular de nuestra comunidad. Juntos, podemos marcar una diferencia en las vidas de los necesitados y, al hacerlo, enriquecer nuestras propias vidas y las de nuestro amado Plainfield. Durante las fiestas y durante todo el año, demos generosamente y demostremos cómo #Amamos a Plainfield.

#LovePlainfield #AmoPlainfield

Creando Un Plainfield. Un Futuro.

Alcalde Adrian O. Mapp

Ciudad de Plainfield

Plainfield Lights Up with Holiday Magic!

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Plainfield, NJ - November 30, 2023 — The Holiday Lights Celebration turned Plainfield into a festive fairyland, captivating hundreds of community members outside City Hall. Led by the spirited MC Council President Charles McRae, the Plainfield High School Concert Band serenaded the crowd with classics like "Marshmallow World" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas."

The enchanting evening reached its peak as the City's Christmas Tree, Kinara, and Menorah lit up, spreading warmth through hot chocolate and cookies distributed to the delighted attendees.

Entertaining performances by the Queen City Academy Quartet and Plainfield High School Choir added to the festive spirit, while Mayor Adrian O. Mapp surprised the crowd with a heartfelt thank you for the Thursday afternoon cheer.

At 6:45 pm, the much-anticipated Santa Claus arrived on a fire truck, posing for pictures with hundreds of joyful children and families. Santa, with help from Santa's helper Dr. Rashara Fuller, also gifted Plainfield Teddy Bears as a token of appreciation.

Distinguished guests included County Commissioner Rebecca Williams, Council President Charles McRae, Council Vice-President Terry Briggs-Jones, Councilman Robert Graham, Councilman Richard Wyatt, Councilman Steve Hockaday, Councilman Barry Goode, Police Director James T. Aney, and DPW Director Oren K. Abney.

The Holiday Lights Celebration transformed Plainfield into a magical holiday haven, leaving a lasting imprint of joy and wonder in the hearts of the community.

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Union County Officially To Hold Emergency Holiday Food Distributions On December 17th

UNION COUNTY, NJ — The Union County Board of County Commissioners is announcing two emergency food distribution events that will take place on Sunday, December 17, beginning at 8:00 a.m. at the campus of Kean University, located at 1000 Morris Avenue in Union Township.

This event operates on a first-come, first-served basis, and will take place rain or shine. Participants must have proof of NJ residency with them. The first 2,000 residents will receive a special holiday food box with produce and trimmings.

Participants are reminded to clear a space in their trunk or cargo area. Event staff will load the food into their vehicle. Boxes may include perishable items, so please make sure all fresh produce and items with a limited shelf life are refrigerated.

For more information about the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, or to find other food distribution locations, please visit https://cfbnj.org/findfood or text FINDFOOD at 908-224-7776.

For updates on all Union County COVID-19 services, please visit www.ucnj.org. General information about COVID-19 is available through the New Jersey Department of Health at nj.gov/health.

Governor Murphy, Speaker Coughlin, Senate President Scutari Announce Appointments to New Task Force Charged with Aiding Implementation of Stay NJ Property Tax Relief Program

Stay NJ is Designed to Cut Property Tax Bills in Half for Senior Homeowners in New Jersey

Dave Ridolfino, Former Head of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to Serve as Executive Director

TRENTON – December 04, 2023 - Governor Phil Murphy, Assembly Speaker Craig J. Coughlin, and Senate President Nicholas Scutari today announced the appointment of six highly regarded public servants to a newly created task force charged with putting forth recommendations to implement the new Stay NJ property tax relief program, which is designed to cut property tax bills in half for New Jersey’s seniors.

Under the law, which was sponsored by the Speaker and Senate President and signed by the Governor as part of the Fiscal Year 2024 budget process, the six-member task force will consist of:

The State Treasurer, or the State Treasurer’s designee: Deputy State Treasurer Aaron Binder
The Commissioner of Community Affairs, or the commissioner’s designee: Dr. Christopher Wheeler, Chief Data Officer, NJDCA
One public member appointed by the Governor, who may be an Executive Branch employee: Chief Policy Advisor Dennis Zeveloff, Office of the Governor
One public member recommended by the Senate President: Jessica Cohen, former Director of Public Policy for the Senate President
One public member recommended by the Assembly Speaker: Woodbridge Mayor and former State Treasurer John E. McCormac
One public member jointly recommended by the Senate President and the Assembly Speaker: Plainfield Mayor Adrian O. Mapp

“Dennis Zeveloff has worked to advance my policy agenda since day one of this Administration. Aaron Binder has helped manage a $50 billion budget after years of overseeing public policy for the Legislature. Dr. Chris Wheeler is an esteemed research economist for the department tasked with overseeing local property taxes,” said Governor Murphy. “Cumulatively, the members of this task force bring a wealth of public policy experience to the table, particularly when it comes to the impact property taxes have on our local communities. I have no doubt they will serve the State and our residents well as we work together to make New Jersey a more affordable place to not only raise a family but to age in place surrounded by our loved ones.”

“Stay NJ will be transformative for all families planning for the future, with historic property tax relief for seniors,” said Speaker Coughlin. “We need to ensure this program launches smoothly with a seamless application process and benefit distribution. That’s why I am pleased to appoint Mayor McCormac to the Stay NJ Task Force. His depth of experience will be invaluable. His service as State Treasurer and his 17 years as Mayor— particularly his innovative initiatives for Woodbridge seniors—make him uniquely qualified for this role.”

“I am pleased to appoint Jessica Cohen and to join with Speaker Coughlin in appointing Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp to the Stay NJ Task Force. Jess has spent most of her career working inside state and local government helping to shape responsible policy for the citizens of New Jersey. She has my full confidence in taking on this important responsibility. Mayor Mapp’s extensive government experience and expertise in public finance will be an invaluable asset. He possesses the skills and good judgment needed to help guide the work of the Task Force in coordinating property tax relief efforts for our residents,” said Senate President Scutari. “The work of the Task Force will help ensure the effective implementation of the Stay NJ program that will reduce property taxes for most senior citizens by 50 percent and the integration of the other tax relief programs will help make the lives of homeowners and renters more affordable.”

Under Stay NJ, eligible seniors with a gross income under $500,000 will receive a credit of 50 percent on the annual property tax bill for their principal residence, up to $6,500.

In order to implement Stay NJ, the task force will review all of the State’s existing property tax relief programs and present a report to the Governor and the Legislature, no later than May 30, 2024, containing recommendations on how to restructure and consolidate the various programs into one streamlined property tax relief program for seniors through a singular application, with a target implementation date of January 1, 2026.

The Governor also announced today that David Ridolfino – who retired several years ago as Director of the State’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) after serving the Department of the Treasury for more than three decades – will be employed by the task force as Executive Director and assisted by staff from the Treasury Department.

Stay NJ is the latest in a series of initiatives the State has implemented to make New Jersey more affordable for residents, particularly seniors. Seniors are already benefitting from the Senior Freeze and ANCHOR programs, which have proven successful in easing the burden of property taxes. The Fiscal Year 2024 budget allocated funding to expand these programs, offering even greater savings to New Jersey residents. The StayNJ Task Force will also focus on simplifying and aligning the ANCHOR and Senior Freeze programs to deliver property tax relief to senior homeowners and renters.

Remarks by National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard Addressing the Challenge of Housing Affordability At the National Housing Conference

DECEMBER 07, 2023

AS DELIVERED

Good morning. It’s great to be here to kick off today’s conference and speak to one of the most important issues in the President’s economic agenda – lowering costs and increasing access to housing for Americans.

President Biden knows that too many Americans feel the path to the middle class is out of reach. He is fighting to lower costs on everything from prescription drugs to a gallon of gas.

For many Americans, housing expenses are the biggest of their monthly costs, which is why housing affordability is at the center of having a little breathing room at the end of each month.

Housing that is affordable provides a vital foundation to achieve other goals, such as securing a good job, engaging in training and education, providing for children, and building a financial cushion.

Our agenda has been guided by the goal of lowering housing costs. During the pandemic, that meant ensuring Americans could afford to remain in their housing despite the disruption to incomes. Since the recovery, our agenda has focused on increasing the availability of housing that Americans can afford, lowering costs for homebuyers, and lowering costs and promoting competition and fairness for renters. I will discuss each in turn.

Ensuring Americans Could Afford to Remain in Their Housing During a Global Pandemic.

During the lengthy course of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses laid off tens of millions of workers and millions of Americans could have faced the possibility of eviction or foreclosure. President Biden came to office committed to preventing that from happening. Working with many in this room, the Administration and state and local governments delivered more than 10 million emergency rental or utility assistance payments, provided financial assistance to nearly 400,000 homeowners at risk of foreclosures, and worked to provide unified and consistent mortgage modification options for millions of borrowers. As a result of these actions, today, foreclosures and evictions remain below or at pre-pandemic levels, and the Black homeownership rate has actually increased above pre-pandemic levels.

Increasing the Availability of Housing Americans Can Afford

While job opportunities are much brighter, and many things have gotten more affordable in recent months, we know that affording a quality place to live is still a challenge for too many Americans. Ever since the subprime crisis, there has been a shortfall in affordable housing construction and preservation. That accumulated shortfall, combined with the disruptions around the pandemic, means that the average renter pays 30% of their income on rent every month and around half of renter households are considered rent burdened.

Our first major priority is increasing the supply of affordably priced homes in order to lower housing costs. We are using every lever at our disposal – legislative proposals, our administrative authorities, our convening power, and our bully pulpit – to do so.

Achieving the greatest improvement in supply will require Congress to act. The President’s Budget proposed housing tax credits that increase the number of households that have access to affordable rents by 1.2 million over the next decade. That means rents set at less than 24% of area median income, with rent increases tied to area income gains. These provisions are also in the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act.

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