This is not news...

K. Hovnanian is pulling the plug on it's development plans for the former Champale site in South Trenton. As originally presented and coming on the heels of the ill-conceived Leewood Village proposal back in 2004, the project won praises and support all around.

Then Hovnanian decided to get greedy. They determined they couldn't make their plan work on the existing footprint of the Champale property, so they got the city to expand the redevelopment area and set their sights on some privately held properties. After a long drawn out fight, Hovnanian and the City prevailed and private properties were acquired.

Unfortunately, the developer's fortunes sank with the housing market and economy and the market was missed. The project is dead. And what is left to show for it?

The city has needlessly acquired properties it must now deal with; people were forced to give up all or part of their holdings for a perceived "greater good;" and individuals who were anxious and willing to sell have been left high and dry.

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Last night's school board meeting regarding the future of Trenton Central High School was a farce at best. Representatives of the SDA reversed position on timelines to achieve funding; the school board president opted not to allow public comment (perhaps in violation of the state's sunshine laws) and adjourned the meeting while a member of the Board had the floor.

Another shining example of the quality of leadership in Trenton.

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Doug Palmer was given the opportunity to throw another hissy fit in this morning's Times where he tried to pass off last week's City Council resolution as politically motivated by individuals who will seek his seat in 2010. Palmer went on to sing his usual song about the Mayor and Council having to work together (meaning Council should acquiesce to his whims and desires) and that if they (Council) didn't feel the ordinance allowed for exemptions they should amend it.

Kind of counters his own argument that the ordinance does allow for exemptions now, doesn't it?

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And finally, apparently yesterday the powers that be in the Trenton Police Department decided they would respond to City Council's request to bring the "ComStat" process to the public in a series of ward/police district based road shows. Starting this Thursday, January 24, at the West Ward Citizen Police Advisory Council (CPAC) meeting, the police will present an abridged version of their weekly process for the public to witness.

Is it just me or does anyone else see the timing of this as a little more than coincidental? The first of the four proposed public events is scheduled for one day before the "seven working days" deadline that City Council gave the Mayor regarding Police Director Joseph Santiago's residency. And the first meeting is to take place in the West Ward...long a stronghold of Mayor Palmer (and Councilman Pintella who abstained from voting on the resolution) supporters.

Nope. This is not news. Not in our little piece of paradise.