Commentary on TV Board Revival

The agenda for Monday's City Council meeting includes the proposed appointment of nine people to the Plainfield Cable Television Advisory Board, an important item now that the city's franchise with Comcast of the Plainfields is up for renewal.

The board is supposed to have 13 members in six categories, but all seats are currently vacant. The resolution before the council names Finance Director Ron West as the mayoral designee and Lamar David Mackson as the representative city official. Mackson, formerly chairman of the board, was hired in 2013 as managing director of the city's Media Division.

Plainfield Public Library Director Joseph DaRold is nominated to represent the library on the board. The roster allows for a Board of Education representative and three council members, though none are named in the resolution. In the citizen category, nominees are Timothy Thompson, Teron Dow, Jan Massey and John Jewczyn, with Carmencita Pile and Richard Lear as alternates.

In 2009, Mackson as chairman of the PCTVAB outlined an ambitious program for revitalization of the board. By degrees, the board went fallow and Mackson focused more and more on production aspects.

I am going out on a limb here and stating my objections to having Mackson in both a managerial capacity and an advisory capacity. Feel free to holler at me. First, Mackson made a strong commitment to revive the advisory board and followed through, up to a point where he began to blend professional opportunities with oversight. As I recall, I made my views known to him as the shift began.

In giving his credentials, Mackson lists both the city title he acquired in May 2013 along with his ongoing position as president and CEO of  his own company, Nonstop Entertainment Group, Inc. By coincidence, three members of the past PCTVAB board he put together are officials in the company with titles such as VP of sales and marketing, senior producer and senior event consultant and VP.

I realize Plainfield often functions like a small town when it comes to alliances that blend personal and professional ties, but even Mayor Adrian O. Mapp's Transition Team found cause for concern about the blurring of boundaries in the PCTV sphere. A municipality has certain checks and balances as well as arms-length rules for its employees and officials which must be taken into account.

Mackson may well be the most qualified city official to represent the city on the PCTVAB. He might just need a sit-down with the city administrator or corporation counsel to talk about parameters.

--Bernice

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