Fabulous Matching Luggage

In the beginning, there was Joe Santiago: A former Police Director in Newark where he'd risen through the ranks while currying favor with longtime Mayor, State Senator and erstwhile political heavyweight Sharpe James. Despite steady rumblings of questionable associates and less than exemplary behavior, Mr. Santiago was placed in charge of the NJ State Police. Alas, his tenure at the helm of that respected body was marked with accusations of rule bending and more inappropriate behaviors that eventually lead to his dismissal. Like a multi-lived feline, Mr. Santiago resurfaced in February 2003 as the Police Director in Trenton. None less than the esteemed (and since indicted) Mayor James came to the City Council advice and consent hearing to speak on behalf of Mr. Santiago.

A couple of years later, Retired Newark Police Captain Barry Colicelli was given a contract as a special consultant to Trenton Mayor Palmer. The contract appears to be very lucrative: a city police car at Mr. Colicelli's disposal; an office in City Hall with his name on the door; equipment and staff. Mr. Colicelli reportedly does other consulting work as well and may or may not use the City of Trenton supplied and paid for vehicle and gas to get to and from those jobs as well. Mr. Colicelli's credentials as an expert on Gangs have been questioned by skeptics and his financial difficulties have been documented.

Neither Mr. Santiago nor Mr. Colicelli, by the way, live in the City of Trenton. Certainly, the Police Director is supposed to, but all pretense at having a Trenton residence has been dropped by Mr. Santiago. Regardless of where they live, they seem to have been able to relieve themselves of the burden and drop their baggage at the door to City Hall

Now, in the latest round of accepting Newark Police Department cast-offs, the City of Trenton has announced that the new director of the Communications Division (aka "the radio room") will be one Irving Bradley. Mr. Bradley was the Newark Police Chief for two years after being appointed to the position by former Mayor Sharpe James. Bradley retired last year just before current Mayor, Cory Booker, took office.

As with Mr. Santiago and Mr. Colicelli, it seems as though Mr. Bradley comes well equipped with his own load of baggage. Seems as though Mr. Bradley had a little trouble back in 1998 when Rahway Police found him behind the wheel of a car while intoxicated. Mr. Bradley tried to elude capture by the Police and assaulted an officer when ultimately caught and subdued.

Oh, and it should be mentioned that Mr. Bradley worked in the Newark Police Professional Standards office at the time of this incident. Move over Capt. Messina, you've got competition.

One has to wonder just how the City of Trenton seeks and screens candidates for these leadership positions. Are court records and allegations a requirement? Does a police record help?

Are there no other candidates out there other than retired Newark Police Officers?

Or maybe the Mayor is just trying to collect a complete set of matching luggage from all the baggage his appointees bring with them. I guess he needs it for all his clothes and his out sized ego.

But What About the Cap?

In yet another example economic silliness, much is being made about the dispute between Mayor "Dapper Doug" Palmer and Broad Street Bank developer Richard Libbey over the amount of rental units available to lower income renters.

The Mayor wants to hold the line at 20% of the units being less than market rate.

The Developer says the market won't support that ratio and wants 40% of the units made available at the lower rental rate.

The Mayor argues that a larger percentage of people who can afford the higher rents will benefit downtown Trenton with their disposable income spent in local restaurants and businesses.

Mr. Libbey counters that the businesses currently downtown will not attract the disposable dollars of the higher income tenants.

What is not being addressed in this standoff is the question of the income cap for renting apartments in the Broad Street Bank building.

That's right...if you were so inclined to rent and move into one of the apartments with those spectacular views of Mill Hill Park, Downtown Trenton and beyond, you had better not make too much money. The funding provided by the State of New Jersey (specifically the NJ Housing Mortgage and Finance Authority) comes with a restriction that applies even to the "unrestricted" apartments.

Tenants cannot earn more than seven times their rent. That is to say, for a top of the line $1500.00 per month apartment in the Broad Street Bank building, must earn less than $126,000 per year.

So, if we want residents to move into the city who can not only afford to live here but have money to spend supporting local businesses, services and restaurants what is the sense in arguing about how many or how few units are "affordable" on the low end of the rent scale in the Broad Street Bank?

As it stands right now we could have a line of millionaires that stretches from Hopewell to Princeton Junction who all want to live in the Broad Street Bank building (I can dream can't I?) but the rules of the NJHMFA would prohibit them from leasing an apartment there.

Now that makes real sense, doesn't it?!?!?

Golden Swan Lays Golden Egg for Developer

Once upon a time there was an early 19th Century building of historical significance located in downtown Trenton. After having served at various times as a tavern, newspaper office, appliance store, locksmith’s shop, etc. it sat vacant for over a decade.

Along came former NJ Senator Robert Torricelli and his real estate development company, Woodrose Properties, to step in to save the long vacant “Golden Swan” (aka “Caola Building”) at W. Front and S. Warren Streets.

Please hold your “huzzahs.”

Yes, it is a positive step forward in preserving a landmark downtown building. But at what cost?

Before Woodrose/Torricelli came along another developer had gotten the rights to the historic property. Enterprise Real Estate Services, Inc., an affiliate of the well-known and highly successful Rouse Company, was very interested in preserving, renovating and revitalizing that down-at-the-heels site in 2002.

Everyone was excited to have such a respected company come to town and do their magic. Best of all, Enterprise representatives said they were not intending to seek tax abatements on the project.

The banners were unfurled, the trumpets blared and the drums were beaten. Signs were hung from the building’s facade. It was the perfect follow-up to the then soon to open Marriott and just what was needed to turn the corner for that part of downtown and Trenton touted it as only Trenton can.

As the story goes, the developer went back to the city and asked for some help with the demolition of a 20th Century addition at the rear of the building, plus some other remediation/stabilization work. Specifically, the City declined to fund some/all of the needed work to the tune of about $500,000.00

Now remember, the developer was going to buy the building and wasn’t going to ask for tax abatements.

The City Father’s balked. The Developer walked.

In March of 2005 Woodrose comes in and gets the property for $1 (the city paid $164,000 for it a few years earlier) plus a five year tax abatement equaling 15% of annual gross revenues once a Certificate of Occupancy is issued. And the demo and remediation work were done at the City’s expense.

At about the same time, Woodrose/Torricelli purchased some property on West State Street, not too far from the Golden Swan. Plans were announced to redevelop those buildings for office space.

Work started and the Golden Swan started looking good. Progress was noted on the West State Street properties. The Mayor was happy. The Once and Future Acting Housing and Economic Development Director, Dennis Gonzalez, was happy. The Developer was happy. Signs went up, trumpets blared, yadda-yadda.

On August 17, 2006 Trenton’s City Council approved the granting of $89,000.00 in Urban Enterprise Zone funds to Woodrose Properties (a for-profit, private developer) for the installation of an elevator in the West State Street project. The vote was 6 to 1 in favor of the appropriation. The lone “No” vote belongs to West Ward Councilwoman Annette Lartigue.

The argument made by the Administration in favor of the funding: “The as yet uncompleted project is fully leased.” As of the last time we checked that building was still vacant.


What wasn’t said, but should have been made clear to the Council and the general public was the fact that this Private, For-Profit Developer has as one of the principals former Senator Robert Torricelli. The same Robert Torricelli who was caught up in a fund-raising scandal that cost him his Senate seat.

Interestingly, in the year immediately preceding the May 9 Municipal Elections, the Torricelli for US Senate, Inc. contributed $6,000.00 to the Mayor’s re-election campaign. Additionally, in April of 2006 the former Senator’s ex-wife contributed $2,500.00 to the Mayor’s campaign and another $2,5000.00 to the Joint Committee to re-elect the Palmer slate of At-Large candidates. In total, $11,000.00 was contributed to re-election campaigns.

Is it coincidental that $89,000.00 in Urban Enterprise Zone funds that could have been spread around to help many more businesses was contributed by the city to Woodrose? And is it equally coincidental that an estimated half a million dollars worth of demolition and remediation work was financed by the city plus a five year tax abatement granted to Woodrose’s “Golden Swan” project? A project, by the way that will probably also qualify for Historic Preservation Tax Credits.

All of this City financed largesse was given to a Private, For-Profit Developer and a principal in that developer is former Senator Robert Torricelli.

It’s no fairy tale.

Now isn't that interesting.

The Times had the following story on their webiste tonight (Thursday) and promised a print version in Friday's paper.

City condo development awaits council nod
Posted by The Times of Trenton August 23, 2007 9:57PM
Categories: Development, News
TRENTON -- Builder K. Hovnanian is just a vote away from receiving a tax exemption that would enable it to pay the city a fixed amount of taxes on the former Champale brewery site and other properties, where a condo development is planned, rather than full taxes for 10 years.
The city council recently introduced an ordinance that would grant Hovnanian a 10-year PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) for the Villages at Delaware Run, an 84-unit project bordered by Lamberton, Cliff, Lalor and Centre streets.
Under the PILOT, Hovnanian would pay the city 2 percent of the total project cost annually for 10 years instead of full property taxes. That translates into 2 percent of the sale price of an individual unit and 2 percent of the value of the development's common area. The payments would start when a certificate of occupancy is issued.
The project is expected to cost a little more than $20 million.
Dennis Gonzalez, city assistant business administrator, said he expects the city to received an estimated $400,000 a year in payment in lieu of taxes. That is 20 times the amount the city now receives in taxes for the properties acquired by the city through eminent domain, and the properties acquired privately by Hovnanian, Gonzalez said.
See Friday's Times for more on this story.
Contributed by Eva Loayza

Now a couple of things come to mind:

First, is Dennis Gonzalez being the spokesman for the city on this? As reported in the article, Dennis' current title is Assistant Business Administrator. My question is, why is an "assistant" speaking on behalf of the administration regarding this tax abatement? Why not the Business Administrator or the Director of Housing and Economic Development?

Second, why is the tax abatement or Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) being proposed.

It is understood that these PILOT's are offered to developers to sweeten the deal and make it attractive to do their work in the city. Similarly, homeowners who make substantial improvements to their properties are entitled (and encouraged) to apply for a five year tax abatement.

What is interesting about the K. Hovnanian proposal is the sentence in the article that reads:
"The payments would start when a certificate of occupancy is issued."

So if a Certificate of Occupancy (CO) is not issued, does that mean that no taxes or PILOTS are due? And if that is the case, what about the Nexus Development in Mill Hill where we live? My understanding is that, after two years, the City has not issued CO's to at least some of the owners of the property. So is Nexus or the Sussman family that controls the company making the appropriate tax or PILOT payments?

I'd like a direct and swift response to that question.

How's That Again?

A man received a gunshot wound in a scuffle that was the result of an armed robbery just after midnight, Tuesday morning (August 21). Crime Stoppers of Greater Trenton is offering a reward for any information leading to the arrest of the individuals responsible for the crime (reportedly four youths).

A quick review of the Crime Stoppers website provided an eye opener even for this jaded soul.

The organization has listed over 50 crimes that it is offering cash rewards for. Those 50 crimes only go back five months to late March of this year! That's 10 crimes a month that are serious enough to warrant a special cash incentive to bring forward information that can help solve them.

That's an average of one violent and/or serious crime every three days!

And that's just from one source of information...the Crime Stoppers website.

Odds are there is even a greater number of serious crimes that have occurred that haven't made it onto the Crime Stoppers list. Or that haven't been reported to the Police. Or have been reported but have been classified in a less serious manner.

But let's just stick with the 50 crimes on the website. Fifty crimes in 150 days. One every three days.

If crime is down, what was the old average number of serious crimes committed in the City of Trenton?

Who'll Stop the Rain

Well we need it. We've been a little shy on rainfall this summer (but not for the year to date) and the extreme heat of the past couple of weeks didn't help. So we really can't complain about a couple of days of grey, wet weather. It's good for the ducks and the mushrooms.

Speaking of mushrooms...you know the old joking way of referring to people left out of the loop on decision making as mushrooms because they are "kept in the dark and fed a diet of manure." Well, sometimes I feel like Trenton is being run like a big mushroom farm.

The leadership of this city is deeply mired in the habit of tightly controlling what it wants people to know and when. And this might not be all bad in theory, but in practice, so far, it pretty much sucks.

Councilman Coston has reported on his blog that directives have been sent out stating that City Council people are not to address concerns with City Department Heads directly and, conversely, Department Heads are not to respond to City Council people directly. All communication, we're told, is to go through the Mayor's Office of Citizen Concerns.

Does that seem odd to you? If City Council people have to take Citizen Concerns through the Mayor's Office, doesn't it sort of defeat the point of electing City Council people? Readers of Mr. Coston's blog know how he feels about this, but we haven't heard anything from the rest of Council. They should be outraged at being neutralized by the Administration, yet we hear nary a peep (except from the representative of the South Ward).

And then there is the most recent round of transfers and reassignments in the Trenton Police Department. Now its always a slippery slope if management decisions are made by public consensus, but some decisions are just plain wrong and should be reconsidered. What possible reason can warrant informing someone while on vacation that he has been reassigned from a job that he thought (and a majority of people seem to agree) he was performing well, if not excelling at?

Further, if the whole operational premise is one of "community oriented policing" where the various officers are assigned to specific areas and meet with the people from those areas regularly, then shouldn't the people be informed of the changes directly and at the same time as the officers are?

Doesn't it make sense to inform the community that they are going to have new "partners" and provide their names and contact information so there is no lapse in communication?

Apparently not in Trenton under the current police leadership. No, the Police Director appears to practice "management at will" (or is it "management by whim?") and he seems to believe there is little to no reason to inform the public of his decisions.

And then there is the situation where Zac Chester was threatened with legal action for doing nothing more than asking for some information about development and redevelopment projects in Trenton. In what is assumed to be an attempt to silence anyone who dares question members of the City Administration, a high ranking official is suggesting he'd rather sue than answer to a city resident and taxpayer.

The underlying theme in all of this is a very strong desire to not let the public know, for fear they might scrutinize and then criticize, what the Administration is doing. The leadership is apparently fearful that the public might not react well to how it's going about the City's business.

"What they don't know can't hurt us," seems to be the mantra emanating from City Hall.

Keep them in the dark and feed them manure.

Well, its' time that the citizens of Trenton stop acting like mushrooms. We need to stand together and demand the accountability of our appointed and elected officials alike.

We need to stop this deluge of indifference to the public's right to know and shed some light on just what is really going on in Trenton.

We need to demand proper, complete and timely answers to our questions.

Let My Fingers Do The Talking

Let's just recap all the events of the past week in Trenton that have left my hands exhausted from typing:

The week started with the discovery of a video produced in the manner of a movie trailer for an action film that touted the accomplishments and credentials of our own Mayor Douglas H. Palmer. The video was made by the US Conference of Mayors, a lobby group that Mayor Palmer currently presides over. It was filled with in-jokes and padded with TV and film clips. A DVD with the video plus a longer, more serious one was sent to select individuals in the area.

From this viewer's perspective, the video was in poor taste considering the state of our city. We'll comment on that at a later date.

Following on the heels of the release of the video, the September issue of Esquire hit newsstands. Inside was a pictorial shot at the Conference of Mayors Convention in LA in June. And there was "Dapper Doug" with a full page photo modeling a very expensive suit, shirt and tie.

More inflated that the cost of the clothes were the self-serving quotes that accompanied the image.

In a newspaper article reporting on the Mayor's Publicity Blitz, Mr. Palmer feigned humility and embarrassment at all the attention. A few days later the editors of the same publication called him on it by suggesting he could simply say "No" to these TV appearances, magazine layouts, etc.

On Thursday came the revelation that Dennis Gonzalez, a self-described "loyal employee of Mayor Palmer" sent a letter to a private citizen threatening to sue for libel and slander unless that citizen offered up a spoken apology at that night's City Council meeting followed by publishing newspaper ads with the same apology. And all the Citizen had done was ask for an status update on the various and sundry development projects that had been proposed since Mr. Gonzalez had become a city employee.

Imagine being sued for asking questions of your local government!

And to cap off the week, a dedicated and effective Police Detective was notified (while on vacation no less) that he was being reassigned to patrol in a seemingly deliberate attempt to weaken the Police/Community relationship in the City's South Police District.

Yup, folks. There is plenty of fodder for conversation in the events of last week.

Meet me out on the stoop and we'll talk about 'em.

A Tale of Two Citizens

Well it appears as though Doug Palmer's "go to guy" has crossed a line.

Dennis Gonzales, the person who's held more titles in City Hall than the Yankees have won penants, may have just lost his favored status.

Back on May 15, a respected, thoughtful young Citizen by the name of Zachary Chester sent a letter to City Council requesting information on all the development projects that Mr. Gonzalez had been involved with during his multi-tenures as Housing and Development Director (acting or otherwise). The letter opens:

Dear President Pintella:

I am very disappointed by what I read in The Times newspaper on Sunday, May 13, 2007. I would like for this council to look into every redevelopment and development project that Mr. Dennis Gonzalez, Assistant Business Administrator and Acting Housing and Economic Development Director has worked on since his employment with the City of Trenton. I would like to know the outcome of each and every project he has been involved in.

Mr. President, I would like to have this information in writing within the next sixty (60) days.

Mr. Chester then goes on to ask for some specifics on the Trenton Town Center project.

As noted in the letter, the requests were made in response to a lengthy article published two days prior in a local paper which pointed to Mr. Gonzalez as being at least partly responsible for delays in the Trenton Town Center project. Mr. Gonzalez's reported responses were fairly typical: arrogant.

So Mr. Chester asks City Council (with copies to the Mayor, the Business Administrator and the Chief of Staff) do some looking into the situation and report back.

Of course no one from City Hall responds.

On August 15, Mr. Chester received a letter from Mr. Gonzalez. The letter is not sent on City of Trenton letterhead. The letter is sent from Citizen Gonzalez's home address which is just one block away from Citizen Chester's home. And the envelope was post-marked August 14...two weeks after the date on the letter.

The letter from "Citizen" Gonzalez reads as follows:

Dear Mr. Chester:

The purpose of this correspondence is to place you on notice that you are to cease and desist in making defamatory oral and written statements which express or imply that I have personally and/or in my various capacities as an appointed official of the City of Trenton engaged in unethical and/or criminal conduct. I consider your oral statements at Trenton City Council meetings in May, June and July of this calendar year demanding that the City Council investigate me as well as all projects with which I have been associated to constitute slander. In addition, our letter of May 15, 2007 addressed to City Council President Paul M. Pintella constitutes libel for the same reason set forth here as to your oral statements.

Any express or implicit accusations of wrongdoing on my part are absolutely 100% without merit. The deliberate and unsupported perpetuation of falsehoods by you has, and will, damage my reputation , and adversely affect my ability to make a living. I will hold you personally responsible for any and all damages including pecuniary.

You can avoid a lawsuit by making a direct and clear public apology before the City Council on August 16th stating in no uncertain terms that you are aware of no instance or facts which support any allegation of ethical and/or criminal conduct on my part. In addition, I demand that you place advertisements of no less than 1/2 page each in The Times of Trenton and The Trentonian with the same public apology to be published not later than August 31, 2007.

I will not compromise the demands set forth herein. I am able by virtue of my education to proceed with litigation before the Superior Court of the State of Jersey [sic] and, ultimately, before a Mercer County jury.

Most Sincerely,

Dennis Gonzalez

It is clear from this letter that Mr. Gonzalez has already acted as attorney, judge and jury when it comes to the imagined allegations and assertions by Mr. Chester. For all of his education and experience, Mr. Gonzalez seems to have overlooked a couple of basic facts.

Mr. Chester's letter of May 15 never alleges anything. He merely asks for information about any and all development and/or redevelopment project that Mr. Gonzalez has been involved int since he became a City employee.

While I may not have the benefit of Mr. Gonzalez's education, I don't think that Mr. Chester's letter constitutes libel.

Further, Mr. Gonzalez is a politically appointed public official. As such, he certainly must expect if not accept, a certain amount of criticism from the public.

The fact that Mr. Gonzalez has not presided over any sort of economic boom during his various stints in City Hall or at the ill-fated Trenton Economic Development Corporation does raise questions about his competency. If there are any lawsuits to be filed, it should be by the citizens of Trenton against Mr. Gonzalez for failing at his various high-level, well paid jobs.

And if Mr. Gonzalez really wants to go to war, will he be prepared to answer questions about the amount of time he was a City Employee and yet didn't live in the City?

For his part, Mr. Chester is sticking by his guns and has not apologized for the alleged slights.

Mr. Gonzalez should face the fact that it is past time for him to go. He needs to pack his carpetbag and move on.

And leave the good people of this city, like Citizen Chester, alone.

Bad Call, Blue.

Community leaders in Trenton's South District have just been informed via South Ward Councilman Jim Coston that Detective Luis Reyes is being reassigned from Community Affairs to Patrol.

The Councilman, who emailed the news while away on vacation, reports that Patrol Captain Paul Messina has made the determination that Det. Reyes will be better utilized on Patrol.

Now, we don't purport to know why or how this decision was made. But even from this distance, it appears to be a bad one.

Det. Reyes has worked very, very hard at building a solid relationship with the members of the community throughout the South Policing District. From the beginning, with Lt. Gonzalez and continuing through with Lt. Maldonado, Det. Reyes has shown a real passion for building and maintaining that all important bridge between the community and the police.

The fact that he has worked within the community for so long, coupled with his dedication and the fact that he is bi-lingual makes him a perfect fit for his current assignment.

Detective Reyes, along with his colleagues in the other three police districts, has just been recognized by the Trenton Council of Civic Associations as Public Employees of the Year. This must be an indication of the kind of job he and the other Community Concerns Detectives are doing.

Whatever rationale Captain Messina might have for this reassignment needs to be checked.

This is a poor management decision.

The Emperor's New Clothes

Mayor Palmer's sartorial pictorial in the September Esquire just hit the newsstands. Check out page 220.

Since the copy is a little hard to read, I will transcribe it here for you:

Doug Palmer, 55 Fifth Term

TRENTON Pop. 85, 403

Greatest triumph: Changing the police department through a referendum. You take on the police - and I got rid of the fire chief, too - and they're bonded to kick your butt.

Best part: You know how they say you walk down the street and everybody stops to talk to you? Yeah, well, when they stop doing that is when you've got a problem.

Two-button wool suit ($1,995) by Dolce and Gabbana; cotton shirt ($490) by Domenico Vacca; silk tie ($125) by Dunhill.

AFTER MY THIRD TERM, I GOT EIGHTY SEVEN PERCENT OF THE VOTE, AND I REALIZED THAT THEY WEREN'T SAYING THAT THEY LOVED ME; THEY WERE SAYING, WE WANT TO GIVE YOU A MANDATE.

Now we know why he doesn't wear hats.

Seems that our beloved Mayor, "Dapper Doug," just can't get enough of himself.

While perusing You Tube for anything related to good old Trenton, we found this interesting clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adjDU2TxnsU

Now we're not sure what the purpose or intent was. We think it was meant as a "joke."

But it's not funny.

As an aside, we sure hope that whoever produced this got copyright clearances for the TV and movie clips incorporated into the piece. There could be some interesting fallout for misappropriating someone else's creative work.

Coming as it does on the heels of the Esquire fashion layout story, one has to think there was really only one purpose to this video: to feed Doug's hyper-developed ego. Too bad his achievements while in office can't match his inflated sense of self-worth. (In fact, his sole achievement may be that he has stayed in office so long).

As the Mayor's head continues to swell it becomes obvious we won't see him modeling hats anytime soon.

What Ever Happened To...

...the Internal Affairs investigation into allegations that TPD Captain Paull Messina was sleeping during his overnight shift back in June?

Oh, I remember.

The Captain copped a mea culpa and took a five day suspension;with his City issued Police vehicle for at least part of the week. I guess he needed it to get to Police HQ the day he is alleged to have been there during his suspension, wandering about the building unescorted in violation of policy (if not actual law).

Well, just in case you missed it, here's the link to a page on the Captain Sleepy website that shows a copy of the initial report to Internal Affairs requesting an investigation. The names of other officers have been redacted.

Now, what were we saying about preferential treatment for certain individuals?

What are they thinking?

The continued management follies in the Trenton Police Department are reaching new heights. Long ago having ceased being amusing or entertaining, the absurd way the department is being run is worrisome. Of course, it isn't just the TPD, but other City Departments as well.

First case:

There continues to be a problem with parking enforcement in permit parking areas. The main issue here is the failure of the City of Trenton to provide for the periodic updates and reissuing of parking permits and visitor passes that would enable the police to then more effectively enforce the permit parking regulations.

While residents wait for the Public Works staffers to implement the "new" permits, they cry for help in the way of stepped up enforcement of the parking regulations...all parking regulations. Since it is technically illegal to selectively enforce parking ordinances those cops who are "by the book" are doing just that: enforcing all parking regulations.

At the same time, City Hall's representatives have stated that "expired stickers will not be ticketed." And this means tickets get issued to individuals who are trying to comply with the law, even when it's not possible.

Further compounding the situation is the detailing of K9 officers to areas such as Mill Hill for a part of their shift each evening with the order to cite all parking violations. While no one would realistically argue against any police presence at any time, we have to ask if this is the best use of our K9 units?

In light of rumored intent by Police Director Santiago to do away with K9's altogether could it be that the police dogs have to make a quota of parking tickets each month or risk termination.

***

Second case:

Another example of bad management is the recent acquisition of Police Department All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and their questionable deployment on the streets.

ATVs are not street legal in NJ. It's that simple. And it is hard to believe that Police Departments are exempt from the law.

While the ATVs were ostensibly acquired for patrolling the parks, canal tow path, etc., they have been seen "on the street."

Accounts in the newspapers and online forums have indicated that not only were directives given for the ATVs to be used on the streets, inadequate protective helmets and training were given to those assigned that duty.

If the TPD had to use funds from other City Departments to meet the mushrooming overtime costs, where did they find money for the ATVs? How much did they cost? What about other accessories: trailers, helmets, the fuel to run them, the etc.?

Is there no end to the reckless expenditure of the City's scant resources?

For your consideration

Best line of the day (so far)
Commenting on the story in this morning's Times about Mayor Palmer participating in an Esquire fashion pictorial featuring members of the Conference of Mayors a poster to the NJ.com Trenton forum said "It's a shame he takes more time picking out quality clothes than School Board members." ---Eddie353

Dressed for Excess
On that story, does it surprise anyone that Mayor Palmer would volunteer to take part in this pictorial that will just happen to hit the newsstands one month before the Conference of Mayors holds meetings in Trenton? He says in the article it's all about Trenton, but we suspect it's really all about Doug.

School Board Approves New Positions; Changes Governance Style
News reports stated that Trenton's School Board voted to create three new positions and to do away with the four year old process that held the Board more to an advisory position than hands-on management. As someone who sat through the presentations explaining the process, I thought it made sense and held promise for our failing school system. As an outsider it is hard to say for sure, but one wonders if the process failed because it was inherently flawed or if it wasn't followed. That is, was it too difficult for members of the School Board to keep their hands off and did their meddling get in the way of education professionals doing better?

Good Sense
Mill Hill resident Dan Dodson has posted some thoughts about the recent vandalism and crime in general in Trenton.

He's absolutely correct that these kids and/or their parents or whatever adult is responsible for them should be held accountable for their misdeeds. Monetary restitution (a lot of City resources went into the cleanup effort not to mention the police work in identifying and capturing the suspects), community service, and a face-to-face apology to those whose property was damaged are in order.

The kids should have the opportunity to learn that there are consequences to their actions and that when they act responsibly they will be treated fairly and given second chances.

More Blue
Trenton's Police Academy will graduate 24 officers this month. Among them will be the son of a current TPD Detective. If the son is half as good a cop as his father, we will all benefit.

Assuming all 24 graduates stay with Trenton, it should help ease the manpower crunch and hopefully ease the mandatory overtime that has been exhausting and demoralizing patrols. Of course, the new officers will need seasoning (we often overlook the significance of losing years of experience when our officers retire or transfer to other departments) but the feet on the ground will help.

Further word, mainly through Councilman Coston's blog, is that the new class starting in November will have 50 members. We may be on our way to having a full compliment of officers in the TPD once again.

Kudos to all the individuals and groups who spoke up and contacted the administration and elected representatives about the Police manpower issue. It would appear your voices were heard.

Anybody Home?
Well it is August and there still doesn't seem to be anyone living in the Broad Street Bank building.

What's the holdup now?

National Night Out

Ok, so there were eight crimes (assaults and robberies) reported in the local papers as having occurred last weekend. Crime is down.

But we're not going to dwell on that right now.

Tonight is the 24th annual "National Night Out" sponsored and promoted by the National Association of Town Watch.

This is Trenton's 7th or 8th year of participation.

While there will be block parties throughout the city this evening, there is one common theme.

This is the night when the community and those charged with law enforcement for the community come together and revisit, reestablish and restore the bond between them.

Neither side can function well without the cooperation of the other.

Tonight, Trenton and municipalities around the country will demonstrate the power of the Community/Police partnership.

There is no excuse for not participating. Even if your neighborhood isn't holding a big celebration, turn on your porch light and sit out front of your house for a couple of hours.

Demonstrate to those who would take from us our safety and security that you will not let them.

Demonstrate to your neighbors that you are part of the solution and not the problem.

Demonstrate to yourself that you can and will do something positive this evening to take back our city from those who think they "control" it.

Let it start tonight. But don't let it end tonight.

And the hits just keep on coming

http://www.captsleepy.com/ is a website that contains facts and commentary on some of the more questionable aspects of the leadership in Trenton's Police Department.



For some, it is a rallying point that illustrates the double standards and apparent hypocrisy of the department's leadership under Director Joseph Santiago. By extension, since the Director is a Mayoral appointee, the website also illuminates similar issues with Doug Palmer's leadership of Trenton.



To others, the website is inflammatory and does nothing to help overcome the very problems it highlights. This was especially true in the case of the site's namesake, Captain Sleepy, aka Capt. Paul Messina who received the sobriquet for being digitally captured sleeping on duty. The Captain was being, according to some, unfairly singled out just because he's stepped on the toes of some of his fellow officers.



This writer has weighed in on the "sleeping policeman" policeman issue previously.



What brings this website back to mind is the recent posting of information regarding

a) the apparently excessive use of Police vehicles for personal business by certain officers (and the preferential treatment of those officers that is implicit in such an arrangement)

b) the fact that such use directly conflicts with statements made on the record by Director Santiago about ending the abuse of city resources (cars) for personal use.



Once again "Accountability," the favorite watch word of Mayor Palmer and his followers, is being ignored.



There are those who may claim this is all just another example of the poor Administration/Police relationship and shouldn't be given too much credence.



But if the obvious favoritism and lack of accountability are rampant in the Police Department, can it be that much different in other areas of City Government.



Maybe if we had a few more websites like http://www.captsleepy.com/ the public would wake up to the realities of the situation at hand. More people making the effort and taking the time to learn about what is really going on behind the "Crime is down," "Trenton is moving forward" mantras, could stop this nonsense and get the City back on track.



Or maybe everyone is just "sleeping on duty."

What Are the Odds?

A quick trip around Trenton's 7.5 square miles on any given day will reveal a lot.

• Boarded up properties.
• Inhabited properites that should be boarded up.
• People living in (probably illegally) converted storefronts.
• Trash and litter.
• Street lights out.
• Overgrown lots and trash strewn alleys.
• Tree pits and planters that need attention.

The list goes on.

While not everyone of these issues are the direct responsibility of the City of Trenton, the enforcement of the laws governing these situations is.

Whether it is because of lack of resources (staff) or ineffective work habits (staff training) the City is not doing enough.

Of course, with the U.S. Conference of Mayors scheduled to come to town in a few weeks, watch for some quick "make overs" so that Trenton puts on its best face for the world.

As if a broom applied here, a touch of paint there will show what a progressive leader our Mayor is. Hey, there may even be some directive to sweep the street corners of 'loiterers' and roust the sleeping homeless from our parks.

If it's really effective, maybe this new found way of working will carry through past the weekend visit of the other Mayors.

What are the odds.

Foot Locker a step, but in what direction?

Downtown Trenton welcomed the new Foot Locker store yesterday.

Predictably, there was a lot of hype about it being a good thing; a signal of the capital city's progress; a harbinger of things to come.

And the hype may have some truth to it.

Certainly it is a good thing when a recognizable, brand name chain store chooses to locate in any business district. The bean counters at corporate do a lot of analysis of a location's demographics before granting their blessing to a new store. Foot traffic and disposable income have to be there in enough quantity to make the shop a success or a lease won't get signed.

Let's not forget the incentives (facade improvements, etc.) that can help swing the deal one way or another.

So the numbers worked in Trenton's favor. This is good...but no surprise. Any thinking person can see the business potential downtown (at least on weekdays). And anyone who can remember Trenton 40 years or more years ago knows what it was like when the storefronts were all occupied and the sidewalks were filled with people shopping, dining out, going to the movies, etc.

If the potential is so great, why are there still so many vacant buildings? What drives people to shop "elsewhere" rather than spend their money downtown where they work or in the city in which they live?

The Internet for one. But on-line sales have cut into every business.

How about the environment? What is different about shopping at a large retail center or mall versus downtown?

In our car driven culture, parking is important. But people who live and/or work in Trenton are already here during the day, why run to "the mall" to shop on your lunch break or in the evening/on weekends?

When was the last time you were confronted with panhandlers at the mall? Or had to thread your way through a group of individuals who's 'conversation' was liberally dosed with the "f-bomb" or "N" word? (Note: this author is not a linguistic prude and has been known to use colorful language, but not everywhere, any/all the time).

What about the trash on the sidewalks and in the streets? The Trenton Downtown Association (TDA) crew does a yeoman's job trying to keep up with the seemingly spontaneous re-generation of trash and litter and some days it appears as if they are losing the battle. You don't see the same struggle in the malls and strip centers. For whatever reason, the public seems to take a larger role in helping to "keep things nice" in other shopping districts.

You're not intimidated about braving the "urban wilds" to do a little shopping. Trash, bad language and bums don't bother you. You make it to the front door of the store. Now what?

Is the establishment clean and well kept? Is the staff courteous, helpful, is their speech intelligible? (OK---this one might be a tie. I've had some pretty bad experiences shopping in mall stores for these very reasons).

Are displays thought out and tasteful? Or does it look like a flea market stall?

Does the "background music" greet you from a half a block away?

And we can't forget the issue of Crime. Interesting thing, crime. There are facts and there are perceptions. And there is crime everywhere...even at "the mall."

We've all heard that car thieves love to do their shopping at the suburban retail centers. Those acres of parking lots are like a candy store.

I've personally witnessed fights at Quaker Bridge Mall and know of people who've had purses stolen while sitting in a movie theatre. Oh there is crime.

But somehow, the perception is that the suburban retail/dining/entertainment experience is safer. And that's where the money flows.

Now, I'm not a big fan of chains, franchises or the like. I believe we have to nurture and support as many local businesses as we can. Small businesses are a key indicator of an area's economic health. The men and women who own and operate local, independent businesses put it on the line everyday. Their risk is greater because they don't have the deep resources of the chains. They have to compete on price, service, marketing clout.

Foot Locker coming to Trenton might just be a positive sign. If they maintain the level of service and keep their store presentable, it might just set a higher standard for our Downtown.

If the staff of the local Foot Locker becomes part and parcel of the community, it might make TDA's task of boosting the overall success of the district easier. Other businesses might follow in their footsteps. Downtown could come alive again.

To my way of thinking, our vacant retail space should not become filled with chains and franchises (that's what the Malls are for). But if one or two locate here and raise the retail bar enough for others to seize the opportunity, then its a step in the right direction.

Just a thought

It has been suggested that City Council rearrange their standard docket in order to allow public comment to come earlier in the meetings. The request for this change has come about principally due to the fact that members of the public were kept waiting for hours before getting their time to address council at the July 19 meeting.

Charges of deliberate delays to discourage the attendees from waiting it out just to unload on Council have been floated from several quarters.

To be fair, there was an unusually large amount of work laid before council that evening:

• a presentation on the revamped city wide housing inspections initiative
• some Alcoholic Beverage Control Board matters (remember, besides regular Council responsibilities, Trenton's City Council sits at the local ABC Board as well)
• an executive session
• docket review

And that all came before the regular public meeting.

As long as I have been observing Trenton's City Council, they have pared down their regular meeting schedule to just one each in July and August. Ostensibly, this is to provide the opportunity for Council members to enjoy a little down time in the summer.

Faced as they are with an increasing work load and with the added burden of dealing with ABC issues (all liquor licenses are up for annual renewal in June leading to some extended 'business' in July), maybe Council should reconsider the cut back in meetings for July and August.

Surely the long hours of an extended meeting such as occurred on July 19 must be hard on our elected officials.

Certainly, the delays and discussions were frustrating to the members of the public awaiting their turn at the podium.

If there is too much work to get through in one night's meeting, Council should think about not voting to lighten their summer schedule. Instead, they might want to choose to allow adequate time for all of the business in front of them even if it means having to hold two or more meetings during the "dog days."

At the very least, and as one attorney suggested that evening, they could relenquish their ABC duties to a separate, appointed Board.

If allowing adequate time to do fulfill their responsibilities year round isn't to any one's interest, they can always forfeit their $20,000 pay check and seat at the table to someone for whom the sacrifice of an evening or two a month is more of a calling.

Perhaps someone who was in the group waiting for their chance to address the issues of the day.

"Johnny" talks back

Below is the text of a Letter To the Editor that appeared in today's Times. It is an eloquent response to Trenton City Council President Paul Pintella's ridiculous assessment and subsequent dismissal of residents who openly dissapprove of City Hall's status quo. Kudos to the author.

Listen to Johnny,

come lately or not

Trenton City Council President Paul Pintella's remarks in The Times' "Residents present litany of wishes" (July 21), in which he referred to city residents who addressed council July 19 as "Johnny-come-lately" are reckless and unbecoming of the leader of Trenton Council.

The council president's comments serve to divide the electorate in the city. More important, it seems counterproductive to make such comments at a time when Trenton seeks to attract young liberals who prefer neither Philly nor New York City, but a safe haven in between. Trenton has great potential to be that hub, to attract this "disposable income." But Pintella's remarks would suggest otherwise. It would suggest: We want your investment, but do not come with expectations of us (the elected officials and administration) and when they are not met, don't come to city council and complain. Come into the city and buy a home, a brownstone, open a boutique, café, or bookstore, and pay your taxes -- just don't think you have a right to ex pectations and the right to ask questions.

If the numerous men and women who addressed council that Thursday are "Johnny-come- lately," then what would Mr. Pintella call the pastors of so many of our black churches who migrated to and around the city and have similar expectations? Does this same logic apply to the numerous administration officials who were not born and bred in Trenton? President Pintella should consider apologizing for his remarks. Trenton needs all the support and input it can get from all people.

-- PAUL A. HARRIS JR., Trenton

The writer maintains a blog about Trenton at http:// TrentonRising.blogspot.com.

What's A Tourist To Do?

Trenton used to have a Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

Housed in the 18th Century Masonic Lodge at the corner of Lafayette and Willow (now Barracks) streets, it was the point of contact for anyone seeking information on Trenton activities, history or sites via the phone, Internet or even in person.

Then came the great idea.

In order to better fund the bureau, the state, county and city regrouped and hired someone to coordinate it's activities.

What was the end result?

The Convention and Visitor's Bureau Downtown office (located, by the way, just across the street from the hotel), hasn't been open on any kind of regular basis for a couple of years.

The "regional" effort appears to have failed.

Now, the Trenton Downtown Association (TDA) has shown an interest in taking it over.

This could be good. TDA is located downtown; it's focus is downtown. TDA has successfully developed and grown the "Patriot's Week" concept over the past few years.

And having a Visitor's Center that is actually open and accommodating to, um, Visitors, might be a good thing.

Ya think?

It's Not All Bad

Trenton's City Museum at Ellarslie Mansion in Cadwalader Park continues to prove that there are some wonderful things in Trenton.

Housed in what old timers (not those vilified "johnny-come-latelies") might remember as "the monkey house," the Trenton City Museum houses a wonderful permanent collection of locally produced ceramics plus works by regional visual artists and more. (See http://www.ellarslie.org/)

The non-profit Trenton Museum Society owns the bulk of the collection housed in the Museum. The City owns, operates and maintains the building...a glorious Italianate Mansion built as the summer home of the wealthy McCall family of Philadelphia by famed 19th Century architect John Notman.

Under the guidance of Museum Director Brian Hill (a city employee) and in conjunction with the Trenton Museum Society and groups like Trenton Artists Workshop Association (TAWA), the programming at Ellarslie is as strong and diverse as ever. A full year's calendar of exhibits, concerts, lectures and workshops is on tap for those looking for a local diversion.

This evening, a full house of patrons enjoyed a concert by Trenton-based Joe Zook and Blues Deluxe accompanied by free refreshments. Two sets of "Jersey Blues," a to-die-for chicken/pasta salad, and liquid refreshments were provided, all in an elegant setting showcasing the summer TAWA exhibit of works by local artists. The audience was made up of more than just Trenton residents.

There is life in Trenton after dark and on a summer Friday night!

Ellarslie and the Trenton Museum Society, along with entities like Artworks, Cafe Ole, Classics New and Used Books, Passage Theatre, the Trenton Film Fesitval and the Trenton Downtown Association's Gallery 125 are doing a lot to promote the arts as an economic engine for our city. We've got to support these efforts if we hope to generate the kind of civic life that will attract and retain more forward thinking individuals who can join the campaign to turn Trenton around.
There is still good to be found in town. We need to promote that as heavily as we point out what's wrong here.

But will it really help?

Both houses of the New Jersey Legislature have passed a bill aimed at curbing the number of "illegally registered" vehicles in the state. The Bills (S2087/A3372) aim to close a loophole that has allowed individuals residing in New Jersey "touring privileges" and not forced them to legally register their vehicles here once residency is established. (links to an online copy can be found at http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp

It has been a popular belief in Trenton (and throughout NJ, no doubt) that enforcing the required registration laws would somehow free-up spaces in the parking starved capital.

To be sure, it is always good to revisit our laws and tweak them for better efficacy. But before everyone gets there hopes up too high, they must bear in mind a couple of things.

First, should Governor Corzine sign this into law, it won't just be enforced against those residents who may not have enough documentation to properly register their cars in New Jersey. This will also apply to people with second homes in states with lower insurance rates who've registered their autos there. If NJ is your primary residence (test: are you registered to vote here?) then your automobiles need to be registered here.

There goes your insurance discount!

Second, if this bill becomes law, is it enforceable and will it be enforced? Can you truly see a squad of Trenton Police detailed to patrol a neighborhood solely to issue summonses for improperly registered automobiles?

Do you think we have that kind of manpower to spare?

Finally, what if the law goes into effect and all the illegal cars are then properly registered in NJ. They'll still have to park somewhere...maybe in front of your house!

I'm not saying this bill isn't a good idea, or shouldn't be enforced if it makes it into law. But we must be aware that it may not be the panacea so many have hoped for.

How Does Your Shoe Taste, Mr. Pintella?

City Council President Paul Pintella seems to have a chronic case of "foot-in-mouth" disease.

Over the years he's admitted to forging the signatures of young athletes on letters of intent to play for a specified baseball team so their spots on the rosters were safeguarded. Yet he didn't think he, as a City Council person, should be sanctioned in anyway for this illegal act.

While attending a conference related to his then job at the now defunct Urban League, he felt is was legitimate to charge some travel expenses to the City as Councilman because he was also acting in the interest of Trenton.

In the heated battle over the ill-fated Leewood Development proposal for a large chunk of South Trenton, the Council President uttered the infamous "sometimes a new brick is better than an old brick" line. He also made a statement threatening those in opposition to the project with being "run over" by the train of progress.

So it should be no surprise when Paul Michael Pintella is quoted in the paper as discounting people who openly disagree if not outright oppose his presence on City Council as "johnny-come-lately's."

If Mr. Pintella was half as astute as he is glib, he would recognize the fact that longevity and tenure in town are not prerequisites for observing and understanding how woefully deficient our City Government has become. Just because someone is younger than the Councilman or has lived in Trenton less time than the Councilman doesn't mean their concerns should be summarily dismissed.

It doesn't take a genius to see how and where City Officials are failing us. And if anyone should be chided or dismissed for being oblivious to the facts and history, it probably should be those who continually elect the same inept leaders.

If Mr. Pintella were truly a believer in being cooperative and progressive, he would embrace these recent arrivals and invite them to the table rather than sending them away with a verbal wave of the hand.

Instead, he'd rather sit alone, exalted on his high horse, packing a lunch of shoe leather.

We really have to be able to do better than this.

Can We Be Honest, Just Once?

Capital Health System has announced that it is interested in developing a first class, tertiary care facility in Trenton. (Think Cooper Medical Center in Camden) This would mean an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in the City. Some of the money would come from the State of NJ which, by the way, has expressed an interest in just such a facility.

Mayor Palmer says, "No thank you. I want St. Francis (Medical Center) to build it. Downtown."

Well Mayor Palmer, how about some full disclosure.

How about you are trying to prop up the sagging fortunes of St. Francis Medical Center which is in need of some tertiary care itself. Even after you "suggested" this plan to St. Francis' management, they have not done the necessary planning nor do they have even have the proportionate amount of funding that CHS does to put toward such a major development. (Translation: more government investment)

How about the fact that old friend and confidant Bill Watson is on the Board of Trustees for St. Francis?

How about you tell the truth and the whole truth. Just once.

Don't Even Think It

This morning residents of Trenton's Mill Hill neighborhood awoke to find they were the victims of an apparent gang-related spate of "criminal mischief." Several buildings and cars were spray painted with signs and sayings consistent with those of the city's gang element.

Police response was apparently quite thorough. The 200 blocks of Mercer and Jackson and adjacent streets and alleys were blocked off by mid-morning so that investigators could photograph and videotape the vandalism. Officers, accompanied by Police Director Santiago, canvassed residents.

Additionally, city graffiti removal crews were dispatched as soon as possible to work on the buildings that had been "tagged."

Now, I want to get this on the record before any of our local scribes or activists start howling about preferential treatment for Mill Hill.

From what I have seen and heard about this situation, the city's response was what any neighborhood that is actively engaged in making things better in Trenton should expect.

Everyone in Trenton should get the best services the city has to offer, in good times and in bad. If and when the City leadership fails the residents (as in the lapses previously noted in the posting about Sunday's situation on Centre Street), it is the responsibility of the citizens to hold that leadership accountable.

When the system goes to work for the people, it is what is expected of them. So don't cry foul or ask why? Ask why it isn't always the norm and ask your leaders to do better.

What happened in Mill Hill last night should not happen anywhere, anytime.

What happened by way of a response from the Trenton Police and Public Works Departments should happen everywhere and all the time.

Oops! They Did It Again!

As a very unfortunate series of events unfolded in the greater Trenton area Sunday, dozens of South Ward residents were left standing in the heat and rain with no initial consideration for their physical well being.

With law enforcement types of all stripes on hand to apprehend a fugitive, there was no one present to attempt to deal with the needs of the residents evacuated from neighboring homes.

While it is understandable that things might get overlooked in the initial moments of a crisis, shouldn't there be procedures and considerations in place to communicate with and support those who are impacted by government actions?

In a newspaper report on the handling of the situation by City leaders, Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer is quoted as saying he wasn't told about the evacuations or made aware of the plight of those forced from their homes. He further claims to have been in constant touch with Police commanders on the scene and yet hours went by before any relief actions were taken.

True, once he became aware of the plight of the residents left without shelter, food, beverages or rest room facilities, the Mayor acted. Unfortunately, it wasn't until hours had gone by that any of this occurred.

Yet, when criticized by a resident for failing to perform his duties to the citizens of Trenton, the Mayor is reported to have "bristled" that he indeed did do his job. Well, he may have acted as Mayor, but the performance was less than stellar and he deserves the criticism.

Now before any of you dear readers throw up your hands and claim this as just some more unwarranted Mayor bashing, consider two items:

Mayor Douglas H. Palmer is in his fifth term as the elected leader of this city.

He has been chosen to head up the U.S. Conference of Mayors based upon his leadership skills and successful management of the affairs of New Jersey's Capital City.

After 17 years in office is the Mayor's leadership so good he can literally "phone it in" from afar.

Rather than being on site to see exactly what was happening and how it was impacting the residents, the Mayor relied upon phone reports from law enforcement officials on the scene.

Why wasn't the Mayor on hand to witness for himself what the situation was? And if not the Mayor, why not a staff member empowered to act on behalf of the people? Why wasn't the Ward Councilman notified by the Mayor immediately?

Why wasn't the Police Director on-site...oh right, he doesn't live in the town where he's employed as is dictated by local ordinance (but that is a story for another time). And, for thta matter, where was the highly compensated, city-car driving Special Assistant to the Mayor?

Why isn't there a public communication/coordination component to these types of emergency scenarios? One might expect these oversights from a rookie Mayor, but they are inexcusable from a veteran officeholder.

In the spring of 2006 when a rash of shootings left Trenton nearly under martial law, the Mayor and the Police Commanders failed to notify and communicate with the public in general and with various groups and institutions that would specifically be impacted by some of their actions.

Countless hours over several years have been spent trying to forge better relationships between the public and the police as well as other city departments. And it's funny how, when they want to, various City officials can tap into that network to communicate things they want to spread the word about.

But when it really counts, the contacts are not utilized; community leaders are not brought in to help; and even the local council people are left in the dark.

A veteran Mayor knows better. A good Mayor does better.

Fair Play

The NJ.com/Trenton forum was on fire yesterday as flamers burned up the Internet with commentary on the "sleeping police captain" story. Smoldering on the sidelines was the growing debate about the need for more police officers versus escalating overtime costs.

In the former case, there are those who are gleefully enjoying the negative spotlight playing across the career of Police Captain who was caught on camera for the second time sleeping while on duty. Certainly, this is a serious infraction of the regulations and it should be dealt with accordingly.

I won't pretend to have thorough knowledge of Police Union and Civil Service disciplinary procedures, but common sense dictates a possible course of action. Immediate dismissal is probably not warranted in this case. A suspension without pay would probably be more suitable. Along with the suspension this officer should be relieved of some of his many extra responsibilities (professional standards positively, Patrol quite possibly)so that he can get the proper amount of rest that would allow him to then focus his renewed energies on his narrowed duties.

In this writer's opinion, anything less would be grossly unfair to the many officers who have suffered more severe sanctions for lesser offenses. To do less would demonstrate to all the world that the Police and City Administrations do indeed play favorites. And that just isn't right.

As for the "More Cops/Overtime" debate, again we need to stop all the posing and posturing and bear in mind a few simple facts:

The call for more cops is not a "knee jerk reaction" as our Mayor has so glibly categorized it. "Knee jerk reaction" to what? If we are to believe him and the Police Director, crime is down in the city. If overtime is what is driving these numbers downward, then wouldn't more cops on the force be able to accomplish the same thing with less risk of physical and emotional fatigue to the force (thereby providing for an even safer environment for all)? The simple fact that at least one citizen group called for more police over two years before this shows that this has been on the minds of people for awhile.

Any financial argument to be made that the costs of increasing the number of cops would be greater than the ballooning overtime expenses, should be readily available to the Police and City Administrations right now, not two months after the issue is raised by City Council. A dynamic and competent management team would be looking at these cost factors for planning purposes and should have already identified the tipping point where the OT costs start to exceed the personnel costs of an larger police force. It certainly seems as though the Administration is stalling for time as they try to make the best of what appears to be a weak case for not hiring more cops.

The myth of the four on/four off schedule is not the sole problem. Let's be clear, it is a scheduling problem. It always has been a scheduling problem. And when the Palmer Administration was making the pitch for it, many citizens and community groups spoke out against it. Still it became part of the contract with the unions. We've known for six or seven years that sooner or later, the City was going to have to renegotiate (pay more) to return to a more traditional work schedule. The fact is, the schedule went into effect when there were more police on the force and fewer dedicated posts. Available manpower was greater then than now. The schedule has created the need for more cops. Resource deployment and departures from the force have.

Rather than hide behind excuses and stall for time, the Administration needs to step up and say it has made a mistake. We need to increase the number of police on the street by hiring more cops and by returning to a more standard work schedule. The Unions must graciously accept that position and bargain in good faith and conscience for a fair and equitable agreement for all.

We need, now more than ever, to drop the grudges and vendettas; end the controversy and start the conversation. Everyone must dismount from their high horses and start dealing fairly and openly with each other.

Something New for Something Old

The Trenton Historical Society, that venerable body of folks interested in preserving and promoting the Capital City's incredible story, has hit upon an idea to help preserve the character of it's housing stock.

The "Restore Trenton!" historic property rehabilitation grant program offers homeowners a funding source for historically appropriate work done on the exterior of their residences. Grants from $300 to $3000 can be applied for.

Homes must be 50 years old or older and owner-occupied. Preference will be given to homes located in designated historic districts, but properties can be located anywhere within the city limits. All work must be done according to appropriate historic standards.

More information on the program can be found at www.trentonhistory.org.

This is a great example of a local, volunteer driven non-profit doing something concrete to secure Trenton's future by honoring its past.

More Cops

This one is just too simple.

We're going to spend over $8 million in Police overtime this year.

Overtime spending has been increasing for awhile, but the climb has steepened in the past couple of years.

The Administration likes to point to the fabled "4 on/4 off" schedule that the cops work as a prime culprit. The Administration likes to forget that it was on their watch that this schedule went into effect. And, I might add, over the objection of many citizens and community groups.

"You'll end up with only a 'part-time' police force that will cost you more to operate," we told them.

"It will actually save us money," the Administration said.

Well, too late for that argument and it doesn't really matter anyway. The work schedule is only part of the problem.

When questioned by Councilman Melone about the number of new cops that could be put on the street for the money spent in overtime, the Director played it off.

According to the Director, what's driving a lot of the overtime right now are the mandated "posts." Director Santiago admitted that the Walnut Avenue posts, the Mill Hill post, the Chambersburg (Restaurant District) post, the Hamilton Business District post, etc. was putting demands on staffing that were hard to meet. He inferred at the time that these posts were there at the discretion of the public and the administration and he'd gladly do away with them if allowed to.

Director Santiago didn't' address the posting of an officer nearly 24/7 outside of the Mayor's home...even when the Mayor is not present.

Director Santiago didn't address the lockdowns that occur in certain areas after trouble (usually a murder or shooting) has occurred.

And then there are the emergencies (like last year's flooding of the Island and Glen Afton neighborhoods) that require a police presence. We have to have personnel available to work these types of situations.

While we can find more and more uses for police officers beyond the normal patrol, crime investigation, etc., we have fewer and fewer cops available to fill the slots. Retirements have outstripped recruitment. And the shortfall is made up with mandatory overtime.

Officer are working longer shifts and more consecutive days without time off and they have little choice. And really, neither do we. We obviously have a need for the staffing levels. In fact, I have read that mandatory staffing levels were actually reduced in an effort to reduce overtime costs.

So, we the taxpayers are paying through the nose to stretch our police to the breaking point. We're demanding that they work extra hours, fore go days off and put vacation plans on hold just to cover the day-to-day needs of policing our city.

This is insanity! It is grossly inefficient and a very cheesy way to operate a business, let alone run a city.

We need more cops and we need them now!

We've been very lucky so far that we haven't had an exhausted, stressed and demoralized cop react poorly in a situation that escalates to a major problem.

We don't have enough cops to maintain a minimal presence on the meaner streets in town.

And the administration thinks the cure all is to wave the magic wand of overtime.

Wrong!

It is time that the people of Trenton; the residents and business owners alike stand up and demand a more effective and efficient expenditure of our tax dollars.

We need to hire more cops and hire them now!

Trust me, a safer, more secure city will pay dividends.

We need more cops.

It Could Be Worse

So the City of Trenton has yet another Director of Housing and Economic Development. Sassa Olessi Montaño was named "acting" Director of Housing and Economic Development by Mayor Palmer last week pending her approval by City Council.

I don't know Ms. Montaño personally or professionally. She may be a very competent person with the best of intentions. But I question the Mayor's choice.

With an extensive background in social services and subsidized housing, is she really the best choice to head up the department charged with not just Housing, but Economic Development as well?

Can her experience running the local YWCA, overseeing programs for Luther Social Ministries, managing a community service program in Princeton serve her, and Trenton as a whole, when it comes to overseeing the redevelopment around the Train Station? What about the inertia bound Full Spectrum Town Center project? How will she apply her experience to the "Mannex" site or the proposed Performa Project across from the arena.

I don't mean to sell the woman short. I've no doubt that she is bright and articulate and well intentioned. But is that enough to survive in City Hall let alone make a meanigful difference in the city's redevelopment?

It hasn't even been a year since we experienced all the ballyhoo surrounding the appointment of Alan J. Greenwald. According to the Mayor's own press release, Mr. Greenwald was noted as "a veteran urban policy and community development specialist." We all had high hopes that Greenwald would be able to get real redevelopment moving in Trenton.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Mr. Greenwald took his expertise and knowledge and left in April, allegedly due to "family problems." Insiders say it was more a case of having his hands tied by the Chief of Staff and the Once and Future Director of Housing and Economic Development, Dennis Gonzalez. Mr. Greenwald couldn't or wasn't allowed to unravel some of the rat's nests Mr. Gonzalez has created during his various tenures in the post. Additionaly, Mr. Greenwald was not given the authority to do his job as he saw fit. Instead, this world class talent was handcuffed and hamstrung at every turn by micromanagement.

So, what hope does Ms. Montaño have of being truly creative and proactive about jump starting redevelopment effots in Trenton? With Chief of Staff Renee Haynes and Assistant Business Adminstrator Dennis Gonzalez standing over her shoulder there is little expectation that anything will change.

Sasa Olessi Montaño will survive just as long as she doesn't overstep her bounds. She can't cross Renee or Dennis or her days will be numbered. The first time crosses either of the two characters above she will be rendered ineffective and ultimately cast aside in favor of a more loyal subject.

No. I don't expect much from Ms. Montaño in her tenure as Housing and Economic Development Director. But it could be worse.

No matter how long she serves in the post, it's that much less time that Mr. Gonzalez holds the "acting" title and wreaks more havoc.

Palmer Flip Flops On RCA's

According to news reports Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer has refused to take Regional Contribution Agreement (RCA) funds from Hopewell Township.

This is a new tack for our Mayor. He's previously vigorously defended the acceptance of RCA's as a way for urban centers to provide better housing and home ownership opportunities for residents.

Granted, of late, he's been moderating his stance to say that RCA's are not good, but that New Jersey's cities need some form of funding (from the state) in order to provide for the housing needs of its residents. Mr. Palmer has begun to advocate for a change in the funding mechanism but until now he's not refused to accept any RCA's offered the City of Trenton.

What Mayor Palmer has always seemed to ignore is that by accepting RCA's, urban centers get to house the working class who are priced out of the suburbs where the jobs are.

Now, because the State of NJ has approved the move of Capital Health Systems Mercer Campus to Hopewell Township, Doug Palmer has found a new religion.

No longer will Trenton accept Hopewell's RCA's. No, the Mayor, feels it would be wrong to allow Hopewell to shrug off their responsibility for providing affordable housing, especially since it will be needed for the workers at the relocated Capital Health Systems Mercer Campus.

Funny thing, as I recall, the Management at Capital Health Systems have always declared they would provide transportation for their Trenton dwelling employees to their new facility (whether in Lawrence or Hopewell). Now Mayor Palmer is on the one hand "hoping" that CHS will take care of their current employees while at the same time declaring that Hopewell will need to be prepared for the influx of employees looking to follow their jobs there.

Mayor Palmer needs to serious up and get a grip. He's been wrong on RCA's and his "conversion" is cheapened by his constant pot shot taking at Capital Health System. It's about time for our Mayor to stop posing and start acting like the leader he purports to be.

What is wrong here?

Two blocks.

I walked two blocks of downtown at 6:00 pm. 18:00 hours.

Here's what I saw:

A male standing in a parking lot urinating.

Two men sleeping on separate benches outside of a public building (where, by the way, they seem to spend most of the day, everyday).

A fourth man standing at the corner of the same public building...urinating.

Is it any wonder people don't want to come to Trenton to shop, work or for entertainment (OK, what entertainment? we haven't had a movie theater for decades and the restaurants are closing...but I digress).

When did we accept third world behavior as politically correct for those unfortunate enough to be homeless, mentally ill, or both?

Why is it OK for people to constantly loiter around public buildings? Some panhandle, some outright hustle you for money by opening doors or trying to sell you day old newspapers and we accept this.

Of course by giving money, we encourage this behavior just as by ignoring it we allow it to grow.

Do you see this in our suburbs? No.

Do you see this at "the malls?" No.

Why...because it is not tolerated by the powers that be.

Why do we tolerate it in Trenton? The County Seat. The State Capital. One of the most historic and interesting cities in the country.

And we allow, out of some distorted sense of political correctness, this kind of activity to go on day after day after day.

Anyone who thinks that the (hoped for) new residents of the Broad Street Bank Building will tolerate this is fooling themselves.

Same with the tenants for the proposed Trenton Town Center Development.

Making Trenton more attractive to visitors and residents isn't just about putting a positive spin on crime numbers or touting big marquee development proposals.

It's going to take an concerted effort to clean the streets of litter, debris and unacceptable behavior like public urination, panhandling and perpetual loitering.

It's time that our City Officials, the Courts, the Social Service Agencies, the Police and the People find a legal and humane way to discourage this type of behavior.

Let's Finish What We've Started

Trenton’s model Daylight/Twilight School is being constructed on East Hanover Street opposite the historic Trenton Friends Meeting House. The complex will utilize newly constructed buildings to connect two existing ones. The architecture will tie together in a harmonious way that gives the appearance of an intact city streetscape.

But it’s not just how the complex looks that is so good.

For those not familiar, the Daylight/Twilight school is a “non-traditional” (the term preferred by Principal Bill Tracy) institution that allows individuals to complete their high school education after an “interruption.” The idea is that regardless of the reason for the interruption, the students can take this opportunity to more than just pass a GED (General Education Development) test, but can actually get that High School Diploma. For the most part the returning students, who can range in age from 16 to 60+ are considered highly motivated to successfully complete the program despite the obstacles that life throws in their path.

The new facility will bring together under one roof the courses, faculty and students from the two existing campuses in the West and South Wards respectively. Operating with morning and afternoon sessions each day, the school will accommodate roughly 1000 students per 10 week session. Another 400-500 can be served through the on-line school with testing being conducted at the downtown location.

The proximity to Mercer County Community College’s Kearney campus will hopefully allow students graduating from Daylight/Twilight to seamlessly move into college level courses.

In putting together the Daylight/Twilight school puzzle, various vocational education pieces will be fit into the picture in order to prepare graduates for real jobs in the real world. This is perhaps the most exciting facet of the model school being built.

For some time now activists and advocates have decried the lack of honest to goodness vocational training in our city schools. With no way to prepare the skills needed to succeed in the real world, is it any wonder that so many of our Trenton’s youth forsake their education for the streets. Bringing real job skill development and training into the mix for the students who are returning from their educational hiatus is smart.

Shouldn’t we consider doing the same for traditional high-school students with an eye towards preventing them from leaving the system to begin with?

Going, Going, Gone

Marsilio's Resaurant, a Chambersburg icon for over half a century will be closing later this year. Reportedly catering will be provided from the Roebling Avenue location and a restaurant will open in a hotel in Hamilton, Twp. The owner wants to spend more time with his family and play more golf and tennis.

Michelle Lorie's cheesecakes, another of Trenton's gastronomic landmarks, will be closing in a couple of weeks so the the owners may pursue other interests.

We all know that the food business is one of long hours and success is dependent not just upon excellent product and service, but the fickle tastes of the public. So maybe the time for these two businesses has "passed." Maybe they have traveled the arc of their business lifecycle and change is inevitable.

These are but two examples of longtime, locally owned businesses that the city is losing. Sal de Forte's restaurant closed and moved to Ewing. Tattoni's closed/sold and although Lou has been on hand for a transition period, will most likely reopen elsewhere.

And it's not just restaurants. Trenton Auto Body and Auto Glass abruptly closed up and left town last year. Martha Press's Gallery on Lafayette, after navigating the treacherous initial five year period of any small business closed and relocated to Bordentown.

We, the people of Trenton and our elected representatives need to stop and take a reality check. Are we doing or not doing something(s) that are contributing to the exodus of local businesses from the scene?

Support: do we make every effort to spend our dollars locally or do we chase "bargains" that ultimately cost us more because the money leaves the local economy?

Image: do we take every measure that we can to make sure our properties are neat and tidy and welcoming and that all codes and laws are enforced for the maximum benefit of the majority? Do we deport ourselves in civil, humane and courteous ways that welcome and encourage people to come to Trenton, linger and spend their money here?

Accountability: do we hold ourselves and our public officials accountable for maintaining a safe and orderly city that welcomes visitors and businesses?

Unless we can answer all of those questions in the affirmative, we are going to see more of our treasured businesses withdraw from the city.

Until we can answer all of these questions in the affirmative, we are not doing enough to ensure Trenton's revitalization.

The Director Speaks But Is Anyone Really Listening?

I was only able to be at the City Council Conference session for an hour last night but that was enough.

From what I heard, plus what I read in this morning's papers we got the usual flood of verbal absurdities from Police Director Joseph Santiago.

First, on the funeral detachment...it took four days to come up with the cover story that the attending officers requested to go to the funeral and have now requested to take administrative leave for that day so as not to burden the taxpayers. This, we are told, was done out of respect.

Well, what about respect for those taxpayers? Even if, as the Director would have us believe, this escort was arranged without his prior knowledge and strictly because the four officers "wanted to go," who authorized the use of multiple city vehicles?

What about respect for the laws of the city of Trenton and a Police Director who doesn't reside here and hasn't for some time!

What about respect for the intelligence and sensibilities of those individuals who can see through the double-speak and blame avoidance clearly enough to ask tough questions but are vilified and criticized for their efforts to understand.

Director Santiago essentially gave the same speech (sermon?) last night that he gave on his previous visit to Council about 6 months ago. Nothing has changed in what he is saying or doing. Nothing has changed in the effectiveness of his tactics.

Alternating between "I am the Trenton Police Department" and "This is not a Police problem..." Director Santiago seems like he wants the "respect," but shirks the responsibility.

Kodak Moment

So, yesterday I dropped off my trusty old Minolta SLR, a couple of flash units and some additional lenses at Trenton Central High School (TCHS). Seems the students in the photography classes there don't have enough equipment to go around so they have to share.

If you've ever taken a photography course, you know that much of the lesson work involves taking pictures and processing film and prints. Can you imagine how difficult it must be to complete an assignment in time to hand off the camera to a classmate and hope that they don't make a mistake that effects the images you captured?

Since so many people are moving from film to digital imaging, a call has gone out from TCHS for donations of working, 35 mm Single Lens Reflex cameras...preferably with some sort of manual operation mode so the students can learn how to manipulate shutter speed and aperature settings for creative impact. This seemed to me like a great idea to augment the stretched to the breaking point resources of Trenton's school district.

It has been some time since I used any of my film camera equipment. I picked up a digital camera a few years back and that was that. Still, I was having a hard time deciding what to do with my old 35 mm gear.

When I received the email asking for equipment to be donated I had a Eureka! moment.

Now I knew what I would do with my equipment. Donate it to the school.

Yes, I'm sad that for the first time in over 40 years I don't own a film camera. I remember the thrill of getting my first SLR and all the adventures my cameras accompanied me on over the years. Although not a great photographer myself, I love the medium and count several excellent practitioners of the art amongst my acquaintences.

Here's hoping that through these equipment donations some Trenton kids will develop an appreciation and love for photography as I have. The equipment is being put to use and it's not taking up space in a closet or (worse) landfill somewhere.

Got some equipment you'd like to donate? Contact Beth Paugh and Trenton Central High School. bpaugh@trenton.k12.nj.us Tell her you heard about this "From the Front Stoop."

Enough Already

Ok, while I hone my prose on a longer screed about the lack of leadership from our absentee Mayor I just have to vent about the latest abuse of "the system."

According to an article in this morning's Times former City Councilman John Ungrady is openly seeking appointment to the Taxi Inspector position. He's able to do this because the position was recently vacated when the City terminated the employee who had held the post for a few years.

Regardless of the legitimacy of the claims that the dismissed provisional employee was not qualified for the position and/or had some performance problems, putting the former Councilman in the position is just wrong. This is nothing more than political patronage and should not be tolerated.

If Mr. Ungrady has any dignity or honor, he will immediately and irrevocably withdraw his expressed interest in the position.

Dysfunctional Family?

I going to take a cue from the literary style of a friend of mine and pose this to any of you who know the situation here in Trenton and care to read/respond to this blog.

What do the following have in common:

A failing school system and a school board that refused to act upon serious allegations of nonfeasance on the part of top level administrators.

The hastened departure of a highly touted Library Director after less than six months in the position.

The resignation of (yet another) Housing and Economic Development Director after much less than a year on the job.

A somewhat secretive non-profit Lafayette Yard Corporation (LYC)that oversees the finances of the City--owned Marriott hotel but is reluctant to operate openly.

The inability or unwillingness of a majority of City Council members to truly represent the interests and needs of the residents and challenge the will of the Administration.

The answer is Mayor Douglas H. Palmer.

Now, some will argue that the Mayor isn't solely responsible for these problems.

They will say the school board and the district professionals are there to ensure that the system works.

It's the Library Board's duty to oversee the hiring and management of the Library system.

The departed Housing and Economic Development Director made his own decision to leave his post is such a short time.

The Lafayette Yard Corporation was created to manage the Hotel and keep it competitive in a tough market.

And City Council was elected by the people of Trenton and the voters can send select new representation in the next election if they are dissatisfied with the representation they receive.

While somewhat accurate, those are rather superficial responses to a very serious problem.

The fact is that the Mayor of the City of Trenton appoints the members of the School and Library Boards as well as the members of the LYC. Department Directors serve at the pleasure of the Mayor. And at least three of the current City Council people hold office in large part because Mayor Palmer endorsed and financially supported their campaigns.

More and more people are taking notice that, despite the offical spin to the contrary, the City is not doing well. Economic development is not happening. Our infrastructure is crumbling. The school system is failing our children and therefor the City as a whole. Our Libraries are underfunded and lack any kind of direction that will put them back in the forefront of the City's Civic life. The Hotel is barely making it and a potential sale has fallen through.

It is time to recognize that Mayor Palmer has ceased to use his position to lead the City of Trenton to a brighter future. While he is off self-promoting himself via his position as head of the US COnference of Mayors, the boards packed with Palmer cronies and his "loyal" appointies in the City Administration are stifling Trenton's progress with their ieffectiveness and lack of true vision. City Hall is "run" by the Mayor's hand-picked Chief of Staff and the Business Administrator. Neither is doing anything to improve the situation in town.

Council appears to lack the will or power to overcome the Mayor's control. The At-Large Candidates were elected largely due to the Mayor's continued blessing and support. The Ward representatives are somewhat at the mercy of the administration's bullying tactics. Make waves and the people of your Ward will suffer.

Maybe it's time to stand up to the bullying and reign in the Mayor. The City will not improve until the bully is put in his place.