Are we talking about the same place?

Recent public relations attempts play fast and loose with the facts

Readers of the Times earlier this week were treated to a comforting story about how the new ownership of Roman Hall were taking great pains to keep restaurant and catering hall just as it has always been.

Neighbors of the venerable establishment on Whitaker Avenue were invited to tour the place and see how nothing has changed.

The décor, the menu, the ambiance, the article assures us, will stay just as it was.

Right.

Then can anyone explain these postcards that were distributed widely throughout Chambersburg in December?

These advertisements for Infinity Lounge “The Biggest and Elegant [sic] Club in Trenton” don’t remind me of Roman Hall. And the website, http://www.infinitylounge.net/, doesn’t show anything about the food at this restaurant.

Since the postcards, the website and the advertisements are in both English and Spanish and the DJ’s and Performers being promoted are Latino, we have to assume the target market for this establishment is NOT the former, traditional Roman Hall clientele.

And before anyone gets all hot and bothered, we are not in anyway suggesting that the ‘Burg of old is alive and well and can support the Roman Hall of days gone by. Nor are we denying the rising and welcome Latino presence in the greater Trenton community.

What we are saying is that the new owners might be a tad disingenuous in suggesting that only the name has changed.

And shame on the Times for reporting the fluff without even scratching the surface on the real story here.

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Apparently the new owners of Infinity Lounge aren't the only ones around here who like to play with the facts. 

Recently, this post appeared on the Trenton Speaks forum:

Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:20 pm Post subject: Townhouses on Champale Site

"Have you noticed that the newspaper ads for the new townhouses being built on the Champale site, indicate that they are within walking distance of the train station on Clinton Ave? I guess you'd have to walk the entire length of Centre St to S. Broad, then through Mill Hill. Close reading of the Hovnanian web site admits "The station is within 2 miles of The Villages at Delaware Run." I guess walking four miles a day through a ghetto will appeal to a certain class of commuter? "

"Their web site also promotes 'Shopping', which includes dining. Were you aware that we're known for our Scandinavian restaurants? How about the "several" "five star gourmet restaurants" in Chambersburg? Here's the quote: 

"Trenton is noted for its pottery, china, and fine porcelain from makers such as Lenox, Boehm, Cybis, and Ispanky, which may be found at outlets and showrooms throughout the area. Trenton's principal downtown shopping district encompasses four blocks on State Street and five blocks on Broad Street, within 2 miles of The Villages at Delaware Run."


"Trenton's culinary fare reflects the city's eclectic heritage; it is famous for its pizza and hoagies. Other ethnic cuisine includes the dishes of Mexico and Scandinavia. Several Italian eateries in the Chambersburg neighborhood, within 2 miles of the community, are highly acclaimed five-star gourmet restaurants"

Wondering how they approach the subject of our school system? The best they can come up with is to mention its sheer size and mayoral control, and then suggest the "pretigious day and boarding schools" in Princeton:

For more entertaining and misleading sales information, visit the hovnanian "Villages at Delaware Run " web site: http://www.khov.com/Home/NJ/D0ME/_Properties_AUTH.htm

"Trenton's school district is the largest in Mercer County. The mayor appoints a nine-member Board of Education for three-year terms. The district is in the midst of a several-year project involving the construction of several new schools as well as renovation of many existing buildings."


"Additionally, several parochial and private elementary and secondary schools supplement the public system in Trenton. A number of prestigious day and boarding schools are found in the Princeton area."

Good catch!  KHov sure does tell the truth. Makes me want to run right over and buy one of their "tunnel-front" townhomes.

Great lines

Note: entry edited on 9/24/08 to substitute "resign" for "retire."--OMH

The reporting of the departure of Joe Santiago from the already vacated position of police director for the city of Trenton provided ample opportunity for some interesting word choices and turns of phrase.

Let me replay for you now, just a few of the better ones we've read.

At the top of the list is the announcement of Santiago's "resignation" itself. As several of the more astute members of the community have pointed out, you can't really resign from a job you don't have. Lest we forget or overlook the fine point of this, four judges in two separate hearings of the matter determined that the position of police director in the city of Trenton was vacant due to the simple fact that Mr. Santiago was not a city resident. Judge Feinberg gave her decision in March with a 30 day grace period for orderly transition that was stayed until the three judges of the Appellate Court upheld her ruling but extended the transition period to 75 days. No matter how you look at it, Joe Santiago was out of a job. I don't think you can resign from a grace period. He might as well have said, "You can't fire me. I quit."

Another great quote came from Council President and Palmer lackey, Paul Pintella. The idiot prince was quoted as saying Santiago was "one of the finest police directors ever to work in Trenton." Nice.

Here's a test for you Paulie. How many police directors has Trenton had?

Let me help you out. There have been two: Jim Golden and Joe Santiago. (George Clisby and Abe Hemsey were never fully appointed to the position).

Now if we accept your statement that Santiago was "one of the finest police directors" to work here that would indicate that he was a) not the finest and b) Santiago was, by elimination, the worst police director to work in Trenton.

If there were only two, and Joe was not the finest but "one of the finest" than he is second. Second in a field of two is last. Last in this case equals worst.

So you managed to insult Santiago and give a backhanded compliment to his predecessor at the same time. You could have won the prize for best statement, but...

Unexpected vacancy

The topper may be one of the wry comments from Trentonian columnist and Palmer plugger, L.A. Parker.

First, L.A. writes about the appointment of Captain Fred Reister as acting director "until further notice as Palmer attempts to fill an unexpected vacancy."

Something that has been on the books for six months, is "unexpected?"

About 11 paragraphs into his page three article about Santiago's departure, Parker cleverly wrote the following:

"Mayor Palmer bid farewell to his partner in crime, calling Santiago one of the city's top assets and a major crime fighter."

I'm not sure but there may be some double, if not triple irony to that statement.
First, without a doubt Palmer and Santiago are partners in crime. The waste of taxpayer dollars fighting the illegal waiver of the residency requirement was nothing short of criminal (and we still think they should have to repay the city for the legal fees and court costs). Referring to Santiago as one of the "city's top assets" might have read more accurately if the final t was swapped for an s. A similar rewrite might be applied to the declaration that Santiago was "a major crime fighter." His regular displays of favoritism, cronyism and the reported poor attendance record he had while on the city payroll add up to make Santiago more of a major criminal than a crime fighter.

And just when you think you've read the best comes old Smug Doug himself. The Missing Mayor made a prophetic statement in the Times.

"I'm disappointed," Palmer said. "However, I have to move on. I have a city to run and I have to run it."

At last, a statement we can agree with. Palmer has to move on.