Should Councilor Taylor resign for her conduct in the Kenny Reid matter?

Councilor Gloria Taylor precipitated a racially-tinged
and threatening scene at last Monday's Council meeting.

Word in the street is that the wind was considerably taken out of some Plainfield City Council members' sails this past week after the Union County Prosecutor's Office briefed them confidentially on the facts in the Kenny Reid matter.

While Reid has never publicly stated the issue(s) which precipitated the push for his resignation or demotion, and has not revealed whether other officers were involved, now that Council members have been briefed, word will probably start to seep out about the details -- the confidentiality of the briefing notwithstanding.

One councilor who had been a Reid supporter is said to have been shocked by the briefing and to have said that the facts related by the prosecutor's office were unlike what she had been told by Reid supporters.

A Courthouse rally for Lt. Reid led by Elizabeth activist
Salaam Ismial featured anti-Mapp stalwarts Malcolm Dunn,
Alma Blanco and Councilor Tracey Brown.
(Image: Star-Ledger)

It also seems that Council members have been warned that if they interfere with the proper exercise of the Police Division's Internal Affairs process -- from which Reid, or any other officer, has the right of appeal to the Civil Service Commission and then to the Appellate Courts -- they will do so on their own accord and be personally liable for their conduct in case of any lawsuits or legal action that ensues.

So now the only question that remains is what did Councilor Taylor know and when did she know it when she created a racially-tinged scene and menacing atmosphere at last Monday's Council meeting?

If Councilor Taylor was ignorant of the true facts of the matter and was misled by Lt. Reid or his supporters, she should publicly apologize to her fellow Council members and to Plainfield residents for going off half-cocked.

If, on the other hand, Councilor Taylor knew the true facts of the situation when she created her scene, she should resign for the good of Plainfield.

Plainfield City Council sessions are videotaped and rebroadcast on the city's public access cable stations 34 (Verizon) and 96 (Comcast). The schedule can be viewed here.

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  -- Dan Damon [follow]

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