Enough already

This situation about Paul Harris, the vehicle accident, whether or not he had permission to drive a city vehicle, etc. has gone on too long.

It seems pretty clear that a city vehicle had been repaired at the request and with the knowledge of the BA's office...specifically his assistant, John Seigle.

While it is quite plausible that Mr. Harris used the vehicle without formal, written permission, it does not seem likely that he did so without anyone's knowledge and assumed approval. The set up of the offices in which the vehicle keys are kept (in a lockbox) is such that it would be hard to obtain them during the work day without someone taking notice.

The amount of misinformation, misdirection and miss-appropriation of city resources, while par for THIS administration, is way beyond what is acceptable.

Both of the local dailies have reported on this. The Trentonian, the Times (twice) and Trentonian columnist L. A. Parker has commented on the matter.

It certainly appears that, as Mr. Parker puts it, Mr. Harris was made the scapegoat in an episode that points up several failings of Trenton City Government:

1. The city has way too many vehicles than are needed.
2. There are minimal policies and procedures governing who uses these vehicles, when and for what reasons.
3. There is lax adherence to the policies that do exist.
4. There is no adherence to the 2010 ordinance that was meant to rein in the abuses and costs of maintaining the fleet of passenger vehicles.
5. The city has failed to provide accurate information in this matter: either the inventory dated June 30, 2012 is incorrect or the statements that BA Sam Hutchinson did not like the "Crown Vic" he had been assigned is flat out wrong. This document says he was assigned a Chevy Caprice.
6. The vehicle in the police report, has a license plate number matching one that was "unassigned" at the time of the June inventory. Just like the Saturn that Mr. Harris had been driving around in for a few months and that it is claimed Mr. Hutchinson desired over the "Crown Vic (Chevy Caprice?)". The Ford Escape was, in effect, a "pool car" available to anyone needing a city vehicle to do city business (such as dropping off another employee to pick up a recently repaired auto).

Kevin Moriarty discusses this kind of "casual corruption" thoroughly in his blog post from the other day.

We suggest that the Administration rescind its disciplinary action against Mr. Harris, immediately (or whatever the proper action is according to the Civil Service rules.)

We also suggest that the Administration make immediate plans to reduce the current passenger vehicle fleet and adopt a straight up reimbursement policy/procedure for business use of a personal vehicle.

What does the Trenton Water Works have to do with the Mayor’s Learning Center Libraries?

That’s what we wondered after noticing Paul Harris at Monday’s ribbon cutting at the former Skelton Branch Library building.

Mr. Harris, if you recall, was hired as an “intern” by the Mack administration on August 9, 2010. His rate of pay was $15 an hour. On October 15, 2010, Mr. Harris received a 33% pay raise to $20 an hour, just a few weeks before the city’s first wave of layoffs and demotions of regular employees was put into effect.

Ostensibly assigned to the city’s department of Health and Human Services, no one was ever really sure Harris’ described job duties were. It was pretty evident that Mr. Harris was to serve basically as yet another assistant to the mayor. He seemed to spend all of his time taking photographs and videos of the mayor in action (or would that be “the mayor’s inaction?”); working on the city website; trolling Facebook and other online sites for any negative comments about the Mack administration.

In a memo dated February 14, 2011, Joseph Rubino, then the director of HHS, informs Harris that three days a week he is to report to Gwen Carter to assist with the Health Clinic.  The other two days a week Harris would be assigned to “ancillary projects” working with other units under HHS.

In an accompanying description of his duties, Mr. Harris appears to be assigned to marketing and other activities relating to the city’s senior centers. It is interesting to note that this “intern” is also charged with helping to “supervise” certain employees stationed at the centers.
(NOTE: we really hope to delve further into the Mack administration’s use and abuse of the term “intern” in a future post)

But all of the above almost seems sensible when compared to what has recently transpired.

Sometime this year, Mr. Harris was “transferred” to the Trenton Water Works. His payroll information from March 1 forward clearly shows him being paid out of the TWW administration account.

Yet there he was at 3 pm on a Monday afternoon, recording the mayor's ribbon cutting for posterity but being paid on the water customer's dime. 

Hence our question: what does the TWW have to do with the Mayor’s Learning Center Libraries?

Thanks for sharing

Another party heard from.

Juan Martinez sent out what appears to be the second press release of his campaign. Martinez is a candidate for the south ward council seat vacated by Jim Coston.

Sunday, the Times published an announcement listing Martinez’s campaign staffers. The release names a Campaign Manager (Rafael Valentin), Deputy Campaign Manager ( Carmen Melendez) and Second Deputy Campaign Manager (Tina Roach). Six other team members are named in the release.

Previously, Martinez refused to participate in the September 8 candidate forum sponsored by the Jersey Street Community Association because it was held two day before the City Clerk certified all the candidates. Martinez also complained that the forum was unfair because two officers of the organization had, as individuals, already endorsed one of the candidates.

It was noble that, in this latest release, Mr. Martinez didn’t embroil himself in the controversy over rival candidate Paul Harris’s bogus posting on the Trentonian website. But it would have been more beneficial to the voters, not to mention to Mr. Martinez’s campaign to have used the press release to outline some positions.

You would think that at least one of the more than half dozen campaign staffers mentioned in the press release could have advised Juan of that.