Let them build it, then we'll come

This Thursday’s city council meeting is another “double-header” with the docket review conference session scheduled for four in the afternoon and the regular council meeting immediately following (the schedule says 5:30, but we know better).

On the docket is this interesting item:

5. NEW BUSINESS

5ar - RESOLUTION AWARDING A CONTRACT THROUGH COMPETITIVE CONTRACTING TO E-PATH COMMUNICATIONS, INC., 5110 EISENHOWER BOULEVARD, SUITE 300, TAMPA, FL 33634 FOR THE FURNISHING AND DELIVERY OF WIRELESS FIDELITY “WIFI” AND WIRELESS 4.9 GHZ INTERNET SERVICES FOR THE CITY OF TRENTON. (In an amount not to exceed $250,000)

Now if memory serves, when this was brought up back in November the administration said that there would be no cost to the city to build this system. Trenton would just pay for the services it used.

In fact, in an article in the Trentonian at the time, Mayor Douglas Palmer was quoted as saying,

“In addition, E-Path will build, at no cost to the city, a separate, secure, dedicated network, that the city will use for police, fire and emergency services, communications and all other city services.”

So, has E-Path miraculously been able to install test and make operational its wi-fi system in three months time? We don’t think so.

If the system is not available to us, why are we authorizing a contract for services with them unless that capital is needed to help fund the installation? And if that’s the case, then the council and the people of Trenton were lied to yet again by Douglas H. Palmer.

Let’s face it, we knew all along the only way this young company from Florida was going to be able to launch this project was with the promise of a contract for services from the city, and probably with similar contracts from the county and state to follow suit.

What happens if we don’t approve this contract? Does E-Path lose its funding for the project and the whole thing just go away…”at no cost to the city?”

What happens if we do approve this contract? Will we start making payments to E-Path prior to service being provided? What happens in the likelihood they never get the system built? Will we then have incurred a “cost to the city?”

You know, Verizon is working hard to get areas of the city wired for its highly touted FIOS system. They are taking on the expense of designing and installing the system before they take any money from subscribers to the service.

Why are we being asked to contract with E-Path communications now unless it is to partially underwrite their proposed system? A system, as we’ve pointed out previously, that is most likely doomed to fail.

Once again, we need to ask our council to exercise common sense and fiscal controls by not approving this handout to E-Path Communications.

Build the system, demonstrate that it works, and then come see me about subscribing to it.

Is that too hard to understand?

Who's at the helm?

After burning up the keyboard and the logging some serious verbiage last weekend, we sat back this week to quietly observe things from our vantage point on the stoop.

The picture isn’t all that good.

Revelations about Mr. Colicelli’s continued use of city resources and appearances at City Hall despite not having a binding contract, coupled with the fact that he’s been paid for “work done” last month and not authorized under any contract irritated certain council members. Meanwhile the Times, unconvincingly took those council members to task for an alleged hasty vote that didn’t allow for a proper transition as the consultant, who according to his submitted invoices did little more than attend meetings, exited.

Trentonian columnist L.A. Parker wrote about the questioned need for a $130,280 Chief of Staff position and a $55,457, part time aide. Citing an anonymous source, Parker reported that “Palmer antagonists” may be setting their sights on eliminating these two positions.

Interestingly, these (and other) positions need to be reviewed with respect to their effectiveness in the overall operation of the city and the relative cost to the tax payers. During the Palmer years, the city hall hierarchy has grown. The Chief of Staff position, a police driver, and various aides to the Mayor: these have all been added, but do the results justify the costs?

Or is the Mayor:

a) covering for his own managerial inadequacies
b) taking care of friends and associates
c) paying others to do things he’s not interested in doing.

Perhaps all of the above.

Councilman Coston made a point in the aftermath of the Colicelli decision that maybe the Palmer should “take the reins.” And that is the simple truth.

The hallmark of the Palmer administration is that the man himself is remote and detached from the day to day job he was elected to do. In fact, he is increasingly absent from the city itself. In his stead we have had a succession of Chiefs of Staff: Bill Watson, Gwendolyn Long-Harris, and Renee Haynes. And then there are aides, like Mr. Jerome Harris…who, if we are not mistaken, is the husband of the former Chief of Staff.

It was also announced this week that there will be some half dozen different attorneys working on the Santiago residency case. And they will all be funded by city tax dollars. All because Doug Palmer is determined to have his way, or punish those who oppose him by dragging things out in the courts. And if he won’t capitulate and rescind his unlawful waiver, city council should step up and terminate Santiago’s employment with the city. The law is the law (and take heed all you other not-quite-bona-fide-city-resident Directors who’ve been sticking closer to your Trenton cribs—you could be next). Drawing this matter out in the courts is unnecessary and costly.

Similarly, it was revealed in today’s paper that the city is filing for the return of settlement payments made to Trenton Fire Captain Ron Kosztyu. Kosztyu had alleged the city passed him over for promotion due to his union activities and anti-administration stance. The State Department of Personnel Merit Board agreed, but the city appealed. Just prior to the case going before the judge, a settlement was reached.

Now the city is challenging that Kosztyu and his attorney, George Dougherty (who is also representing the citizens who are challenging the Santiago residency waiver), improperly spoke to the press regarding the settlement and disparaged the city. On these grounds, the city is seeking to have the settlement declared void and the payments returned.

Anyone notice a pattern here?

It’s been said elsewhere but the comparison to Nero fiddling while Rome burns keeps coming to mind.

Palmer is only fooling himself if he thinks the people of Trenton can’t see through his charade of leadership. This Captain is not on the ship, let alone in the pilot house. He’s left it to an ever increasing cadre of loyalists with questionable competencies (the names Haynes, Gonzalez, Santiago, Colicelli come immediately to mind) to run the city.

And folks, we’re in danger of running aground.

Perhaps its time for our other elected officials, city council, to grab the oars and turn this boat around. Before it’s too late.

And another thing

Ok. We've used up more than our daily allotment of bandwith today, but this needs to be said.

Angel's Wings is a great non-profit that takes in youths from infancy through 12 years of age that need shelter, care and love. Now a part of Anchor House (which deals similarly with older children), Angel's Wings sports an impressive record placing kids in foster homes and, ultimately, getting some returned to their families or adopted into loving and welcoming homes.

Tonight, Angel's Wings held their 6th annual benefit dinner dance. The previous five were held at the Trenton Marriott. In those five years, there was never an appearance by any Trenton official. Nobody from the Mayor's office. No Councilpeople. Nobody.

This year's event was held at the new Hilton Garden in Hamilton Township. As the guests arrived and checked in, they were greeted not only by Alan Meinster, owner of the now closed Marsilio's and caterer at the hotel, but Hamilon Mayor John Bencivengo. Mayor Bencivengo stayed for most of the proceedings (unlike Trenton's Doug Palmer who breezes in and out at will of those events he deigns to attend.)

Kudos to Mr. Meintster. And to Mayor Bencivengo of Hamilton.

Recognizing the significance of hosting events like the Angel's Wings "From the Heart" gala is an important part of an elected official's duties.

Shame on Mr. Palmer and his "chosen few" for not acknowledging this wonderful organization and their support of Trenton. What would it have taken to have him recognize the value and significance of having this event in Trenton?

An open letter to Andria Carter

Ms. Carter,

Your opinion piece in this morning's Trentonian came off as more "Pro-Palmer" propaganda.

First, you refer to his tenure as Mayor as a "dynasty."

With all do respect, Ma'am, but a dynasty properly refers to a familial line of succession within a ruling family. And, traditionally, through the male members of said family.

Since Mr. Palmer was elected to office and he has no male heirs holding positions of power, I would hardly refer to his administration as a "dynasty."

He is, to be sure, a despot trying desperately to hold together his imagined empire, but it is not in anyway shape or form dynastic.

Second, you refer to Mr. Palmer's "nice power base within New Jersey's capital city and on the national stage."

Have you been smoking crack? Mr. Palmer's base in the area is of questionable power. What has worked to the Mayor's advantage locally has been his deep pockets. He's been able to raise and spend money on his (and others') campaigns. He has raised that money by virtue of his incumbent status. But to say he has power is a serious over estimation of his position in local, county or state politics.

The fact is he hasn't "delivered" the city voters for some time. And that is where power comes from. In fact, just last Tuesday, the city voted very strongly for Barack Obama...not Palmer's chosen candidate, Hillary Clinton. If he had all that "juice" wouldn't he have worked to deliver the votes to Ms. Clinton?

You seem to share the same delusion as Mr. Palmer does: holding the office of Mayor of Trenton makes him somehow all powerful.

Well you both need to divest yourselves of that hallucination right now.

The almost 18 years of the Palmer administration have coincided with a major decline in the economic health of the city. The population has decreased; the ratio of homeownership to rental has decreased; the school system is a wreck and the crime rate is not "the lowest it has been since the 1960's." All of this decline despite the fact that he's hand picked a majority of the last two sitting city council members as well as appoints the school board.

The administration is at the very least borderline corrupt (but we all know it is worse than that). Palmer and his henchmen have bent or ignored the laws, operated in shaddows rather than openly and has failed to set us on the promised path to revitalization.

You mention, as does the Mayor at every opportunity, his leadership of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. So what? It's more high-profile, image building bull crap! That doesn't make him powerful. That just feeds his ego.

"Shaping policy," and rubbing elbows with other high profile elected officials has yet to translate into anything tangible for the residents of the city of Trenton.

He gets TV time. Meanwhile we suffer.

Yes, rumors abound and there are scenarios aplenty regarding what may happen and who may run for what office in 2010. But your assertion that the City Council's decisions to not approve spending money (which in case you haven't noticed we don't have)to fill positions we don't need is politically motivated sounds strangely like the words of Mr. Palmer himself.

The facts, Ms. Carter, would seem to dispute your position.

We were promised the underlying design of the website we are leasing from the vendor negates the need for a "webmaster" as each department could upload and update the content of it's webpage. And we already have an IT officer for the city (although his expertise has been questioned by some), who should be able to handle to day-to-day oversight of maintaining the city's web presence as part of his regular duties,no?

The situation with Mr. Colicelli and the Council vote to not offer him another consulting contract comes down to questions about the return on investment for the city's money.

Mr. Colicelli gave a broad overview of what programs the city was involved in to help stem the growth of gangs. It was, like his non-detailed invoices, essentially a rehash of the presentations he's given since his services were first retained. There was nothing that explained what made his presence and participation critical to the continuation of these programs. There was no hard evidence of anything "extra" that Mr. Colicelli brought to the table that warranted another expensive annual contract.

The increase in money to be spent (again, remember the city is strapped for cash) was, we were told, to make up for the loss of the city provided car and cell phone in the new contract. This was, one would presume, to silence those on council who had criticized and questioned the provision of these items (plus office and computer) to an independent contractor to begin with.

Does your newspaper hire stringers, Ms. Carter? If so, does it provide them with company vehicles and cell phones and dedicated computers and office space?

You are right that political dealings in City Hall are like a soap opera. But you had best include yourself and any other members of the Pro-Palmer press as part of the cast of characters.

And you had better cast those members of City Council who are doing the right thing by standing up for their constituents as "heros."

Irked?!?!?

IT DIDN'T TAKE LONG FOR THE PREDICTED TANTRUM TO BE THROWN

Doug Palmer and Joe Santiago pitched a fit on Friday, the day after City Council voted 4-2-1 to not approve a contract with On Target Law Enforcement and Security Consultants/Barry Colicelli for services. In true Palmer fashion, charges of “playing politics” were made along with accusations compromising “public safety.”

Way to go. Don’t accept defeat gracefully. Rather stir up a hornet’s nest of controversy (just what Trenton needs more of) rather than dealing with some basic facts.

Fact 1: Mr.Colicelli was retained as a consultant. Normal business practices dictate that consultants provide a thorough accounting of their time and activities in order to be paid. Judging from the invoices we’ve seen and that were published on the Trenton Facts website, Mr. Colicelli did not do this.

Fact 2: As a consultant, Mr. Colicelli may have had a hand in initiating some valid programs. The argument that he must be retained indefinitely for the programs and initiatives to move forward is ridiculous. Part and parcel of his work from the outset should have been for him to get things started and show others what they need to know to keep it going. Councilman Segura said it in Saturday morning’s Times: “If that didn’t happen, then he wasn’t a real good consultant.”

Fact 3: Mr. Colicelli is not irreplaceable. The statements made by Chief of Staff Renee Haynes and echoed by Palmer and Santiago that no one person could do what Colicelli does are patently false. The city of Trenton had a very knowledgeable gang intelligence unit prior to Mr. Colicelli’s arrival. And while Mr. Colicelli may have expanded the database and helped network the personnel and information with other agencies, that doesn’t all have to disappear because the contract wasn’t renewed. (If it does, see the point above.)

Fact 4: To suggest, as Mayor Palmer did, that it would take eight people to do what Mr. Colicelli did is ridiculous. Colicelli went to meetings. There are any number of people who also attended those meetings who have at least as much expertise, more local knowledge and the dedication to their jobs and purpose to pick up any slack. And for those that are city employees, if they aren’t able to incorporate the various initiatives and cooperative programs into their duties, maybe we need to look at their suitability for the positions they hold. (Would be ideal for a Deputy Police Chief, but we don’t have any of those anymore, do we).

Fact 5: Chief of Staff Haynes asserted during the Council conference session that preceded Thursday night’s vote that Mr. Colicelli’s services were needed because Council and the public have demanded that Trenton maximize the number of police on the street. This was an absurd statement in the extreme. Any rational person understands that it would be a member or members of the command staff, not street officers, who would most naturally take over the duties of the former consultant. We have very talented and experienced Captains who are more than capable and knowledgeable enough to do incorporate Mr. Colicelli’s role into their own jobs. This is a management problem, not a need for a consultant.

Fact 6: After three years of lucrative consulting contracts with the City, still doesn’t have a grasp of the geography of and locations in and around town. He spoke the other night of working with the “Boys and Girls Clubs of America over on South Clinton Avenue.”
It’s the Boys and Girls Clubs of Trenton and Mercer County and it’s been located on Centre Street for over 50 years. Later on, when asked by Councilwoman Lartigue if he’d done any work at “Holland Middle School” Colicelli said “No.” He went on to explain that he was working with students at Dunn, and the High School. When it was pointed out that “Holland Middle School” was actually Trenton Central High West, Colicelli had to ask the schools security chief Howard White “if that was where [they] were the other day.” Is it too much to expect from such an involved individual to have a better handle on the places and names of the institutions he’s supposedly working so closely with?

Fact 7: As part of the prior contracts, Mr. Colicelli was to be provided a car, computer, mobile phone and office. The public and various members of City Council questioned this additional expense to the taxpayers considering the financial state of the city.

Fact 8: There are some real and serious questions pertaining to the legalities of Mr. Colicelli’s contracts. The most recent contract with the city ran from December 15, 2006 and expired December 14, 2007. The contract wasn’t signed until March 16, 2007. Yet Mr. Colicelli submitted invoices for both January and February of 2007. This indicates that he did work for two months, presumably still had use of city provided car, cell phone computer and office, even though he was not under contract. Did he know he would be paid; that is was Colicelli somehow “assured” that a contract would be approved?
Fact 9: Mr. Colicelli’s assertion that his services to the city were actually worth $144,000 are interesting. If we divide that figure by the $75 per hour billing rate, it comes out to 1920 hours. That would be the equivalent of a full-time job. A job Mr. Colicelli could not get with the city unless he was a bona fide resident. Could this have been another attempt to skirt the city’s residency requirement for the benefit of a Santiago crony?

These are the items which needed to be considered before awarding another contract to Mr. Colicelli. And at least four of the City Council members understood that and made up their minds based upon their understanding of these facts, the law and Trenton’s financial status.

As for Mr. Palmer’s tantrum: it’s just more hooey from our city’s part-time, absentee “leader.” He didn’t get his way. He has some egg on his face, and he needs to spin the situation around to “blame” others for his own, ultimate failings. It’s always “a mandate from the people” when things go Palmer’s way, but “it’s politics” when they don’t.

Why isn’t it “politics” when Councilman Pintella, presiding over Thursday’s conference session, offered that Council should give the Mayor anything he wants? Seems to us that is a violation of one of the basic Parliamentary precepts: the chair of the meeting should refrain from offering personal opinions while wielding the gavel. Unfortunately, it is all too apparent that Mr. Pintella serves the Mayor and not the people of Trenton.

Why isn’t it “politics” when, during the portion of the conference session when “the public” was allowed to ask questions directly pertaining to the Colicelli contract that the Council President allowed Mr. Santiago to speak? Mr. Santiago, who stated on the record that he was not “speaking as Police Director” was allowed to go ahead of city resident Rafael Valentin. Mr. Santiago, in case you forgot, is not a resident of Trenton and if he’s not speaking as the Police Director (which he had already done earlier in the proceedings), should have deferred to Mr. Valentin and any other residents.

Why isn’t it “politics” when Chief of Staff Haynes and Council President Pintella improperly interrupted Council’s vote Thursday night. Since it was obvious the vote wasn’t going to go the Administration’s way, Mr. Pintella and Ms. Haynes inserted their personal feelings (along with their duty to their “boss”) into the proceedings. It took a reminder from City Attorney Denise Lyles that there was a vote on a motion in progress to the proceedings back in order.

Mr. Palmer has never been able to accept that people might disagree with him or have a difference of opinion. If you do, you are a “hater,” a “malcontent,” “disgruntled.” It’s “sour grapes” or “political.”

Mr. Palmer, one can take the view that everything that anyone says or does is “political” as it impacts someone else. So what?

You are an elected official. You sought and obtained public office through the “political process.” So what?

People will have a difference of opinion with you. So what?

If you were half of the leader that you purport to be, you would accept that you cannot have your way all of the time. Most of us learn this lesson sooner in life than you have appeared to. Grow up and accept that sometimes, the ideas and positions of others will prevail.

To the four Councilmen who comprehended the situation and acted accordingly, your efforts on behalf of the citizens and what is truly in the city's best interest are applauded and appreciated.

This pork barrel stinks

Media reports in the Times and the Trentonian as well as Councilman Coston are now saying that the "new" Colicelli contract is for one year at a whopping 33% increase!

Of course, who would know since the contracts are not made available for public scrutiny until after they are signed!

This makes the points raised here yesterday and on the Trenton Facts website all that more serious.

The simple facts are this: the city of Trenton is hiring and paying a consultant with questionable credentials a lot of money plus giving him use of taxpayer funded resources with no measurable or demonstrated benefit.

Mr. Colicelli is a retired Police Captain from Newark and known crony of Police Director Joseph Santiago.

Mr. Colicelli himself frequently stated upon his arrival in Trenton that he is "no Gang expert."

Mr. Colicelli is not a Trenton native; does not live here; was not familiar with the City or its residents when he began consulting for the City three years ago, yet we turned to him for consulting services and "knowledge" that is available from within the ranks of our police department.

Mr. Colicelli has not thus far been required to turn in detailed paperwork accounting for the time he has charged to the city.

Mr. Colicelli has not demonstrated to any group or individual that he has provided a benefit to the city.

Mr. Colicelli is rarely seen at City Council meetings or out in the Community.

Mr. Colicelli can travel to conferences, at the City's cost, to give presentations yet he can't be bothered to keep the community that is paying him abreast of the progress of his work.

Mr. Colicelli is blythely ripping off the taxpayers of this city and he's being aided and abetted by the Palmer administration.

We need a consultant who will tell us how to disband the "Gang" that is really holding this city hostage. The "gang" who's OG is Douglas H. Palmer

More on Colicelli's Contract

Yesterday, Trenton City Councilman Jim Coston let it be known that the contract for Barry Colicelli and his On Target Law Enforcement and Security Consulting Company was up for renewal. If the new contract is approved at Thursday's Council meeting, not only will it be for a discounted rate (about 32% less) than the previous contract, but the term will be for two years instead of one.

Sounds like a deal except for one thing, what do we get for our money?

Looking at a copy of the previous contract which actually expired back in December of 2007, we find the following items:

The contract is between the City of Trenton (Client) and On Target Law Enforcement and Security Consulting (contractor).

The services are to be provided by Barry Colicelli personally who will charge a rate of $75 per hour.

The total amount of the contract shall not exceed $91,000 (That is the equivalent of 1213.33333 billed hours)

The client (City of Trenton) will provide the following: an office, computer, mobile phone and loaned vehicle (car). (We're assuming the City owned car--a crown victoria--is fueled with city gas, but it isn't spelled out in the contract. We did see a copy of an expense report where Mr. Colicelli was being reimbursed for gas for a trip to Washington D.C.)

The Client will reimburse the Contractor for travel expenses.

The contract spells out the scope of work for the contractor as "providing direct assistance to the City of Trenton and its departments in the formulation of a comprehensive collaboration of City services to address the at-risk youth and adult gang-involved populations within the City."

Ok. So we hired somebody to help us shape a process to address a problem. We gave him a car to commute 50 miles each way, a cell phone, computers and an office in City Hall. And he attends meetings.

Now, we'll be positive here and state that sometimes you need an outside voice to identify and coordinate new ways of doing things. And along the way, there should be training and preparation of existing personnel to carry those initiatives forward.
The contractor should not be a perpetual rehire for the same scope of work with no measurable progress shown.

We've also had the opportunit to review some of Mr. Colicelli's invoices to the City from 2006 and 2007. Interestingly, the 14 monthly invoices we reviewed were strikingly similar in that they followed a template so closely as to be nearly perfect copies of one another. Some dates were changed, one initiative or task force meeting might be substitued for another from month to month, but they were each one for the same exact amount: $7,583.

Now that's an interesting number: $7,583 each month. No break down of how many hours (at $75 per) spent on each item on the invoice, just a total amount of $7,583.

If you divide that by the hourly rate, you get 101.106667 hours a month. Each and every month. Most professionals I know of that bill by the hour will calculate to the nearest quarter hour. But not Mr. Colicelli. He bills to the exact amount, and it totals precisely 101.106667 hours per month.

And if that isn't odd enough, try this little math exercise. Multiply the $7,583 per month by the 12 months in a calendar year and you get $90,996. That is just four dollars short of the maximum $91,000 allowed under the contract.

Coincidence?

And then there are the travel reimbusements. Mr. Colicelli went to conferences in New Orleans and Washington D.C. last year on the City of Trenton's tab. This cost us another $1,300 plus.

And again the question has to be asked, what benefit has the City received from Mr. Colicelli's services? What benefit that we couldn't have just as easily obtained from a bona fide employee of the City of Trenton without the extra cost?

In a City struggling to make ends meet; where people will often say they are not getting their money's worth from City employees; how can we justify the continued expense of this "consultant?"

And if his work is so good and he has been so effective, why are we looking to grant him a fourth contract?

If we have benefited so much from hiring this consultant, why are we suddenly able to get him for two years and two thirds the cost?

Oh, and does it mean anything that Mr. Colicelli donated at least $1,300.00 to Mayor Palmer's re-election campaign in 2006?

It adds up to one thing and one thing only, patronage of the worst kind.

More bad deals

South Ward Councilman Jim Coston has reported in today's blog entry that the Administriation is proposing a two year renewal of consultant Barry Colicelli's contract for a modest 32% increase over the cost of the previous one year deal.

WHAT!?!?!?!

That's right, the "Special Assistant" to Mayor Palmer would be paid $119,000 for two more year's of work for the city of Trenton.

Interesting.

Coincidentally, the current term for Council and Mayor lasts until June 30, 2010. That's just over two years from now.

With the rampant rumours and whispers that Doug Palmer will be jumping ship sometime between now and the end of his term (after his term as President of the Conference of Mayors ends this year, if/when Hillary Clinton takes him to Washington, or if he should get the nod for NJ's Lt. Governorship---take your pick), this is an obvious ploy to safeguard Mr. Colicelli's contract regardless of what the Mayor does in the next couple of years.

Mr. Coston raises good points about the economics of this deal. And the Administration will no doubt spin it that the city will be receiving two years of work for two thirds of the cost.

If we're not mistaken the contract renewal was previously withdrawn from the Council's docket amidst grumblings and questions about what benefit the city was receiving from the arrangement. No doubt this new "deal" is being proposed as a way to demonstrate that the Administration is responding to concerns and therefore has negotiated a "better deal for the City."

Prove it!

Really, what has Mr. Colicelli provided to the city that couldn't be obtained from current employees of the Police and/or other departments?

Do a few powerpoint presentations warrant this kind of expense? Does it take an outside consultant to bring together representatives of various agencies and convene the fabled "youthstat" meetings? (are they still being held? has anyone been given a progress report?)

And generally, aren't consultants hired for a fixed time and purpose, with some sort of end product provided? When did Trenton become finanicially secure enough to hire consultants on an on-going, open-ended basis?

And what about the costs of maintaining this consultant's office in City Hall? The car he commutes to and from Brielle in? The gas for that car? How many consultants do you know that get that kind of deal?

Remember, he's a consultant and as such does not work exclusively for the city of Trenton.

No. This contract should not be renewed. Not for one year or two. There is no tangible, measurable benefit the taxpayers have received from Mr. Colicelli's services. It's time to cut him loose, kick him out of his City Hall office, get the keys back to the Crown Vic and put those resources to better use here in Trenton.

Let your Council representatives know how you feel about this incredible waste of your money.

Light the way

Oh joy!

If all goes right, tomorrow evening a ruddy glow will illuminate Perry Street as the ill-conceived giant fire helmet will once again be turned on over the front of Trenton Fire Headquarters.

There will no doubt be handshakes, back slaps and photo ops abounding as our City Leader’s bask in the neo-neon glare of a job well-done. Another $78,000 well spent on a half-million dollar boondoggle in this cash-strapped and common-sense depleted city.

We’ve said it before: It is obscene that this city can’t find the ways and means to maintain it’s important and historic structures and facilities, but we can squeeze the municipal budget to light the sky over the otherwise deserted block of Perry Street adjacent to the Route 1 Freeway.

The sign does nothing for the city. It doesn’t really direct attention to the building and the Fire Museum inside because it can’t be seen from anywhere but on that block. The beacon is as useless as a flashlight to a blind man.

But it’s common; in fact it appears to be policy, of the Palmer administration to work in large and empty gestures.

We hear talk about the city going “green” and the creation of “green collar” jobs to spur the local economy. But we have to contrast that with the fact that we allow highly paid consultants and non-resident directors to commute to and from Trenton in city owned vehicles that are not the most economical consumers of city provided gasoline.

The state is vilified for not paying it’s fair share of money for all of the land it holds title to, but the city does nothing to force the private owners of vacant buildings to optimize their value by maintaining them and seeing that they are utilized to their fullest potential.

The power of the various boards and commissions (and some might say the City Council itself) has been usurped by the authority to appoint (or endorse/financially support) those he chooses to serve; to serve, not the greater public good, but his political needs and whims.

The arbitrary application of the city’s residency requirements has been a hot topic of late. The apparently illegal granting of waivers and allowances for families to be domiciled in locales other than Trenton are examples of Palmer deceit and subterfuge.

Even the recent announcement of taking paired-down, localized, and sanitized versions of the weekly police ComStat meetings out to the Citizen Police Advisory Council meetings is just another attempt to provide an image makeover for the Police Director. Why has it taken five years into his tenure, only after his performance and residency have been called into question, has the Director decided to “take the show on the road?” Wasn’t the public promised this at the time of the big ComStat demo held in the NJN studios several years ago?

And what about the recent panhandling and curfew sweeps that have occurred in the city? These actions were undertaken, we are told, after numerous complaints from residents about these quality of life issues.

Well, folks, the residents have been complaining regularly and consistently about these issues for years. Why the action now? Because Mr. Santiago and Mr. Palmer need some good PR as they head into a showdown on the issue of residency and the director’s effectiveness?

Is there a better icon, really, of the Palmer legacy than an over-budget, faulty, outsized, useless sign? It speaks volumes about the way this city has been mismanaged since 1990. Whether Douglas H. Palmer abdicates in six months, 18 months or sticks around to 30 months and completes his term, we’ll always think of him when we see that stupid fire helmet.

Another wasteful example of an empty gesture.

Technology fails again

GPS gadgets are all the rage and we must admit we're as enamored of them as much as the next fellow.

But as with all technology, the information one gets out of the system is only as good as what goes into it.

Recently two examples of GPS failure have presented themselves they are shared here for your amusement and caution.

One morning a couple of weeks ago a large tractor trailer edged it's way down the 100 block of Jackson Street. It stopped at Livingston as the driver contemplated making the turn. A resident approached the driver to advise him that, even if he could make the turn onto Livingston, he'd most likely not be able to negotiate the turn from Livingston onto Mercer.

The driver appeared perplexed. As he gazed at his handheld GPS unit, he asked where "Heavenly Ham" was.

Heavenly Ham is in Mercer Mall, not on Mercer Street.

After being redirected, counter to whatever his handheld gadget was telling him, the driver had to back his rig up and out onto Market Street during morning rush time.

This morning, a car was slowly creeping along Market Street, the driver obviously lost. After turning around it pulled up to the curb and the woman in the passenger seat lowered her window to ask where Saul's Funeral Home on Greenwood Avenue is?

Directions were given while the driver continued staring at his GPS. He smiled and offered thanks for the course correction while shaking his head at the unit in his hand.

"Worthless," he said.

So much for technology.

Two good things happened in Trenton last week.

Sort of.

On Saturday afternoon The Trenton City Museum in Ellarslie Mansion hosted the opening reception for the student art show. This exhibit, held every other year, displays works by students in Trenton schools. The show was juried this year and the winner were rewarded with an escorted trip to New York City.

By all accounts the reception was a wonderful event. Except for the fact that not one elected official from the City of Trenton was reported as being present. Not the Mayor, not any of the Councilpersons...and Councilwoman Staton is a community liaison person for the school system! Apparently, even the Schools Superintendent was MIA.

That evening, the Jersey Street Community Association held it's 10th recognition dinner. Always a good time, attendance was up and the evening's proceeds were shared with Anchor House.

South Ward Councilman Jim Coston was the only elected city official in attendance. Seems as though the last time an At-Large Councilperson was present was in 2005 when Manny Segura was an honoree.

These are just two instances of positive things that happen around town that go unrecognized (via participation) by our elected officials.

Ok Kids. Recess is over let’s get back to work.

Apparently the death announcement of the K. Hovnanian project proposed for the former Champale site in South Trenton has brought out the worst playground behavior from some members of City Council.

Council President Paul Pintella has indicated that delays caused by “extending courtesies” to South Ward Councilman Jim Coston led to the projects downfall.

Is Mr. Pintella stating that the deal collapsed from working with rather than strong arming the elected representative of the South Ward to achieve a deal that was satisfactory to all?

Perhaps more interesting, is Councilwoman Cordelia Staton’s assertion that it was delays stemming from negotiations over “property values and assessments” that killed the deal. Trentonian reporter L.A. Parker characterized the Councilwoman’s stance as blaming “homeowners for challenging eminent domain procedures.”

Is she really suggesting that it was the residents who were against the government land grab of their private property who killed the deal?

For his part, Councilman Coston has reported that it has been his feeling for some time that the Administration desired to have a project done in Trenton by a nationally recognized developer such as K. Hovnanian and would do what was necessary to achieve that goal. Coston asserts that a remark from a high ranking administration official indicated that if this project did not get done, the land would remain undeveloped for the duration of Doug Palmer’s tenure as Mayor.

In other words, he was threatened to do it the administration’s way or suffer the consequences.

While not prone to accept all the rampant conspiracy theories that fly up and down the local grapevine, there is some history here that may just support Coston’s hypothesis.

In what may be a coincidence but is still interesting to note, Mr. Pintella mentioned at a TCCA meeting six or seven years ago that Trenton needed to attract developers like K. Hovnanian and/or Toll Brothers to town.

Since he is kept in Mr. Palmer’s expensive suit pocket, could it be possible that this was one of Pintella’s frequent bouts of verbal diarrhea where he let slip a little hint about something that might have been in the earliest discussion stages?

A little foreshadowing to indicate just how prescient an elected official he is?

And when the project was first proposed, it fit the footprint of the existing redevelopment site. It wasn’t until after the initial public approvals came in and some community meetings were held that the plans started to change and more land “might be needed.” At the builder’s request, the redevelopment area was increased to include privately held properties, thus paving the way for the use of eminent domain, “if needed.”

The city was so anxious to amend the redevelopment plan to comply with Hovnanian’s wishes that it was later determined by a judge that procedural errors were made which necessitated a “do over” and delayed the process further.

Of course, neither Mr. Pintella nor Ms. Staton mentioned that when they sought to blame someone for the failed project.

Hovnanian’s own fiscal troubles started to mount as the housing industry slowed. Was anyone really surprised that the company would give second thoughts to building in Trenton?

And is it equally unexpected that the Palmer administration, faced with losing yet another “high profile” project might try to quietly work toward a resolution…like a last minute request to extend the Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) payments?

It is completely plausible. This administration has proven so inept and challenged that it is desperate to have a name brand project as part of its legacy. To this end, the blame game will be utilized to deflect the harsh light of public disapproval from shining on the inadequacies of Mr. Palmer and his chosen few.

While others may have wished Councilman Coston had held a harder line against the expansion of the Hovnanian project from the get go, he at least tried very hard to serve and work with his constituents.

Mr. Pintella and Ms. Staton would do better to serve the people who ostensibly elected them to office than to the puppet master who continues to control their actions and words.

They need to stop these childish games of “I didn’t do it. He/she/they did it,” and get back to the business at hand.

This is not news...

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

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

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

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

+++

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

Another shining example of the quality of leadership in Trenton.

+++

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

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

+++

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

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

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

So early in the new year for so much cynicism

Tonight the battle lines will be drawn in the fight to save Trenton Central High School. On the one side, the cash strapped State of NJ who is bullying the equally cash strapped City of Trenton and it's School Board into accepting a "new school or nothing" approach to updating the facilities. On the the other side are the preservationists, alumni, and common sense advocates struggling to hold onto this beautiful old edifice.

Certainly, if Trenton's City and Schools Administration actually knew what they were doing and had treated the existing TCHS building as the treasure it is, we wouldn't be in this bind.

And if the State hadn't thrown away all of the school funding through the badly managed SCC and just gone with the plan that was prepped and ready to go three or four years ago, we wouldn't be having this discussion.

But the fact remains, our government entities have failed us once again. And now the community is left holding the bag of crap our "leaders" have dealt us.

It is time for the State to get off of its high horse and release the money for the renovation of TCHS. Period.

And we, as a community, need to stand tall and demand our school board, Superintendent Lofton, and the City Administration meet their collective and individual responsibilities to see that this gets done and gets done right.

And along the way, school board member Lucy Guzman should reimburse the district the $300 for the on-line course her daughter is taking for free.

We're in this mess because too many people have fed too long and too well at the public trough while our facilities go wanting.

Stop. Now.

The three "R's"

Read this, do the arithmetic and write to the appropriate parties.

A group of concerned citizens has provided the following information supporting the the saving and renovation of Trenton Central High School.



What you can do . . .

• Attend the Special Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 at 5:30pm. Formal action may be taken at this meeting.

• Attend the Regular Board of Education meeting on Monday, January 28, 2008 at 7:00pm. Arrive between 6:00-6:15 to sign up to speak.

Both meetings are at the Board of Education building at 108 N. Clinton Avenue

• Send this information to others so that they can also speak up.

• Contact the following people and tell them we need to follow-through on renovation plans for Trenton High School now.

Trenton Board of Education. Send emails to the Board Secretary prhoden@trenton.k12.nj.us and let her know you want your comments distributed to all the Board members: Joyce M. Kersey, Diane Campbell, Alexander Brown, Lucy Guzman, Lisa Kasabach, Harry Luna, Marcellus Smith, Donald Shelton, and Nicola Tatum.

Trenton City Council. City Council passed a resolution in support of saving Trenton High School on January 17th. Let them know we need their continued support. The resolution was introduced by Councilwoman Annette Lartigue westwardcouncil@aol.com other council contact information can be found at www.trentonnj.org (Contact Information – scroll to City Council)

Mayor Douglas Palmer. We need his help with the state to ensure Trenton gets what it deserves – now that all the suburbs have their new schools mayorsoffice@trentonnj.org

State School Development Authority (SDA). They oversee the design and construction of schools. Scott Weiner, Chief Executive Officer sweiner@njsda.gov or 609-943-5955

State Department of Education (DOE). Along with the SDA, they determine which projects will get funding. Lucille Davy, Commissioner (609) 292-4450

State Legislators. They represent our interests at the state level. Senator Shirley Turner (609)-530-3277, Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman (609) 292-0500, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora (609)-292-0500. For emails go through steps at www.njleg.state.nj.us

Write an op-ed for the local newspaper and tell them why Trenton High must be saved. Trenton Times letters@njtimes.com; Trentonian letters@trentonian.com or contribute anonymously to “BackTalk” by calling 609-396-7030

Sign up your organization, civic group or yourself as an official “Save Trenton High” supporter. To sign up as a supporter please email SaveTrentonHigh@hotmail.com with your name and contact information.

For more information, go to www.TrentonHistory.org . This effort is being organized by the Trenton Historical Society, the Trenton Preservation Committee, the Trenton High School Alumni Association and dozens of individual Trenton residents and tax payers just like you.

And it bears keeping in mind that if the renovation plan had been executed three years ago, the project would be at least near completion and the costs would have been lower. The state has been dragging its feet on this and now wants to force Trenton to do the wrong thing.

Under the clock tower

A few thoughts regarding the debate over renovating or demolishing the Trenton Central High School building.

Let’s start right at the top with the money.

We all know that the city only pays 10 percent or less of the school district’s budget as it is. The rest comes from the state. And that includes construction funding…regardless of whether it for building new or renovating existing structures.

So yes, on the surface, it looks like a no-brainer cost saving measure for the state to spend $90-$100 million on building a new school than an “estimated” $250 million on renovations to the old school.

The problem is the “savings” are only superficial. In fact, there may not be any actual savings at all.

In a letter to South Ward Councilman Jim Coston that was posted to his blog, a local professional with some knowledge of these kinds of projects raised some questions about the cost figures the state is providing.

Stephen Doyle is a project manager at KSS Architects, city resident and member of the Trenton Planning Board. His comparison of cost figures quoted in the press with what he knows from his work is somewhat enlightening.

Mr. Doyle questions whether the $250 million price tag quoted for “renovating” the existing high school doesn’t also include some new construction costs. Apparently the project was originally to include about 400,000 square feet of renovation and 100,000 square feet of additions to the existing building (new construction). This calculates to what Doyle terms an “insanely high” cost of about $500 per square foot.

At the same time, assuming new construction of an equal amount of square footage, the estimated costs of $90 - $100 million yields a cost of between $180 and $200 per square foot. This, Mr. Doyle asserts, is below the average for school construction projects in New Jersey. He goes on to quote his firms school projects coming at $250 to $325 per square foot.

And are the costs quoted for new construction taking into consideration the acquisition of land for new buildings? Planning and permits?

Let’s not discount the aesthetic qualities of the craftsmanship and materials that went into constructing the current TCHS building. There is simply no way new construction will come close to matching that level of workmanship. The simple fact that the building is still standing 75 years later is a testament to that quality. We’d be hard pressed to say the same for anything built totally new today…especially at the apparently low price point the state quotes are indicating.

Many people have pointed out that there has been no talk about the dollar cost of demolition of the building. We’ve not addressed the environmental impact of disposing of the material once the building is torn down. And then there are the energy costs to carry out the above. (What happened to Trenton going green?)

This situation is not unique to Trenton, and there are rational precedents for saving the beloved TCHS.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has a document that addresses the renovation vs. demolition question. The document suggests that you look at all the factors and solicit community input.

Facilities.net has a similar article comparing renovation with new construction. The article notes that renovation is not without its difficulties and pitfalls, but comes down in favor of it over new construction.

One of the main things not being discussed in the current reporting of this story is the planning and scheduling of the project.

Certainly, renovating the existing building while students are in attendance will be an issue. But since the students are currently spread over a handful of “campuses” throughout the city, it would seem that accommodations could be made fairly easily. This is especially true if the work is scheduled and phased in a sensible fashion.

A little more difficult to deal with would be providing for the students during wholesale demolition of the main (existing) building on Chambers Street. Where will they go to school in the interim? How much will the additional transportation cost?

And, as Mr. Doyle pointed out in his letter to Councilman Coston, what about the cost of maintaining the existing building while new construction is occurring, only to then tear down the 75 year old edifice. Seems rather wasteful, doesn’t it?

We may need to get creative and seek ways to mitigate some of the costs of renovating the existing structure, but it will be worth it. The sense of pride and accomplishment might just help bring the fractured community that is Trenton back together.

To be sure, it is an emotional as well as a fiscal issue. But when you look at all the costs, cash and other, it seems to make sense to save and renovate that grand lady on Chambers Street.

One turkey sandwich, please

Make mine to go.

In his Trentonian column on Wednesday, January 16, local scribe L. A. Parker compared City Council’s long-awaited action on the residency waiver to their inability to construct a decent turkey sandwich with the ingredients set out before them.

Parker, who is not known for his objectivity when it comes to the actions of the Doug Palmer administration, admonished the six members of Council who voted to give the Mayor seven days to rescind his action regarding Police Director Joe Santiago’s residency.

L. A. decried the hours spent discussing and avoiding action on this one issue when so many other items need to be addressed. And Parker is right on that, there are a lot of other issues to be dealt with.

a) the City’s infrastructure is not in good shape
b) housing enforcement (indeed, enforcement of all laws in general) is more lax than it should be
c) Our schools are physically falling apart and the school administration is failing our children, despite the millions of dollars poured into the system by the state (this is not a Council problem per se, but it still needs to be dealt with).
d) No matter what the Mayor, Director Santiago, or their respective spin doctors say, public safety in Trenton is not better now than it was 40 years ago. It is not even better now than it was 40 months ago.
e) We still have no economic opportunities for unskilled city residents and no prospects of attracting a major employer to the area in at least part because of points c and d above

What Mr. Parker fails to acknowledge is that after 17+ years of the same bullying, arrogant, administration the state of the city of Trenton is not totally Council’s fault. Indeed, if you follow the money and support that Mr. Palmer has given to “his team” of council people, logic tells you that implicit in that funding and endorsement was that they would support his agenda and personal whims.

Of course, Mr. Palmer and Mr. Parker would, along with the council people who received the Mayor’s largesse, deny that there was ever any intent to co-opt the legislative branch of city government to do the executive branch’s bidding.

If that were truly the case, why would Mr. Parker make snarky remarks about a council majority that found its voice?

So what, it took them awhile. But they made a turkey sandwich and it tastes pretty good. Maybe they’ll get comfortable in the kitchen and start making more.
If Mr. Palmer continues to ignore the law for his own selfish and egotistical reasons, maybe Council can cook up another sandwich and send him packing as well.

It is obvious Doug doesn’t want to be here anymore and we certainly can’t afford his poor leadership any longer.

As columnist, Mea Kaemmerlen of the Times wrote this morning, “Trenton -- beleaguered and beloved -- deserves an energetic, intelligent, inspired, workaholic leader.”

Let’s order up a triple-decker turkey club, to go.

Council takes a stand on residency

Mayor Palmer throws a hissy fit

With a vote of 6-0 and one abstention (Council President Paul Pintella), Trenton's City Council voted last night to have the Mayor enforce the city's residency ordinance as it pertains to Police Director Joseph Santiago. The Mayor was given seven days to notify Council of his compliance with their "respectful" request.

For his part, Mayor Palmer reacted in his typically child-like manner.

Times reporter Eva Loayza quoted the Mayor in an article in this morning's edition:

"Respectfully, that resolution is not going to carry weight with me nor will I fire him because he has legal standing, he has a waiver," said Palmer, who has repeatedly said he had the right under the ordinance to grant Santiago a waiver.

"I am not going to do their dirty work. If they want to fire him, let them do it," said Palmer.

What happened to the Doug Palmer who dismissed charges that city council was his personal rubber stamp? Now that a majority voted and voted against him, their opinions no longer "carry weight" with him?

What happened to wanting a council and administration that showed they could work together to get things done? Now that he isn't getting his way, he's saying "let them do it."

There are a lot of facets to this Santiago/residency issue. Many hours have been spent discussing and debating the situation...on the front stoop and elsewhere.

The simple fact of the matter is, there is a law currently on the books and in effect. That law has been applied against employees from time to time in a very inconsistent (and some might say selective/vindictive) manner. To many, ourselves included, the current reading of the ordinance does not allow for the granting of any waivers once an individual accepts a position with the city.

And since the Mayor steadfastly disagrees, it will be up to the courts to decide who's right. And unfortunately, it is going to cost the city and us taxpayers money to prove or disprove the Mayor's "belief." Money, that we obviously don't have.

As a city, maybe we should continue to discuss the merits of residency requirements for city employees. But in the meantime, there are many other concerns we need to deal with. For now, the residency ordinance is what it is; the law is the law.

Contrary to what Mr. Palmer may think, the City of Trenton is not his personal kingdom. He is not an emperor. He is not above the law (and neither is Mr. Santiago).

The thinking members of city council get it.

It's about time the Mayor does too.

The price is not right.

Back in October, a topic of discussion was the bad choices our city leaders make when it comes to handling our tax dollars. In a posting it was noted that we were throwing another $78,000 at the stupid neon fire helmet on the Trenton Fire HQ building while our central high school building was falling apart.

This week we are treated to the news that the fate of the grand old lady on Chambers Street is all but sealed. A recommendation has been set before the Board of Education to vote to build a new high school and demolish the existing one. It's all about costs, we're told.

Estimates to renovate the 75 year old high school run more than $250 million dollars. Money that the city certainly doesn't have and that the fiscally irresponsible Schools Development Authority (SDA)--formerly the corrupt and mismanaged Schools Construction Corps (SCC) frittered away. So the SDA is offering to fund an estimated $90 - $100 million for new construction.

While many in the community want to see the building saved and returned to its former glory, a majority on the school board and Superintendent Rodney Lofton seem inclined to give in to the State's demand to build a new school.

A special meeting has been called for 5:30 pm January 22 a the Schools Administration building on North Clinton Avenue. The meeting appears to be more of a concession to those pushing for preservation than any real attempt to discuss alternatives to demolition.

"I think the conversation is over," Lofton is reported to have said.

So, if a new school is built, does anyone think it will last 75 years or more? Will a new school be constructed as well as the existing one was? Will it be maintained better than the current one is?

And how environmentally sound is it for this allegedly "green thinking" city to tear down and haul off a huge building? What about the price of demolition and disposal of the material from the current school site? Has that been calculated into the cost estimates for abandoning the existing school and building a new one?

This is just another prime example of the inability of Trenton's leadership to deal with problems in a reasonable and realistic way. We repeatedly mismanage things until they are beyond repair and then throw good money after bad building new.

We let our water department infrastructure deteriorate to the point where it is "more cost effective" to sell it off to the highest bidder than to make the necessary investments in maintaining a first class system that can help generate income for our cash strapped city.

We run up huge amounts of police overtime expenses instead of hiring and retaining the adequate number of officers needed to make a real and lasting impact on public safety.

Sooner or later, we are going to have to pay the price of all this neglect and mismanagement. It is time to pay up and stop making the same stupid management decisions over and over again.

Deferred maintenance is not a productive or effective way to manage our assets.

Whether it is a police department, water utility or the public high school, they were all looked upon as investments in the city's future. We need to rededicate ourselves to preserving and maintaining those assets because we cannot continue to build anew.

The cost is just too high.

Council kudos

A wave and a nod from the front stoop to Councilpersons Bethea, Coston, Lartigue and Melone. These elected representatives of the city's four wards (North, South, West and East, respectively) are coming together on a couple of key issues facing Trenton residents.

First, they are in agreement that as it stands now, the city's residency ordinance does not make any provision for the Mayor granting a waiver to Police Director Santiago or anyone else. It's a start. And we won't belabor the point.

More importantly, the four Ward Councilmen and Councilwoman have decided to take the budget to the people by scheduling a round of workshops where the public can review and ask questions about just how the City spend our money.

The first of these workshops is scheduled for Wednesday, January 16, 7:00 - 8:30 pm at the St. Mary's Parish Center on Adeline and Beatty Streets.

The object of this, and the subsequent sessions (one each in the other three wards) is to comb through the budget to try and find ways of reallocating funds to improve services and/or reduce the proposed tax increase.

Our representatives are making a concerted effort to open up the process to their constituents. It's up to us to accept their invitation to participate.

As Councilman Coston is fond of saying, the budget now belongs to Council. They can approve it as is or modify it (within reason). Our four Ward representatives are asking for our input.

With all of the woes our broken, down-trodden, (dare I say "corrupt?") city faces, it is going to take greater effort on all of us to pull together and turn things around.

Let's find out if we're really spending our money wisely and effectively. At the very least, maybe we can realign some of the Administration's priorities to more clearly reflect those of the people they work for.

It may be wrong to look backwards, but if we were given this kind of opportunity in the past maybe we could have redirected spending so that the water utility was an efficient asset rather than something to sell off in parts for cash.

Maybe we would have redirected Police spending on appropriate staffing, technology and vehicles rather than redesigning badges or repainting and re-lettering the fleet.

Certainly we might have determined the need, ala new Hamilton Mayor Bencivengo, for a sensible City Vehicle policy to save costs and discourage those 50 mile commutes!

Maybe the public would written off the idiotic neon fire helmet rather than continually pumping money into trying to keep it lit.

We're not going to solve all of the city's fiscal woes in a couple of budget review sessions over the next couple of weeks. Still, one can't help but think that if we'd had a more "hands on" approach in the past we wouldn't be at the point where civic associations have to consider taking responsibility for maintaining landscaping in neighboring parks and traffic islands.

Residents in permit parking areas might not be faced with having to pay for the privilege of parking in their own neighborhoods (it's coming folks, yes indeed, its coming).

Maybe at least this budget review will show that we really can't afford to award the $90,000+ contract, plus car and gas, plus office to our part-time gang consultant.

Or you can stay home and watch Dancing with American Idol and complain later about the property tax increase.

Ok. Maybe we're not so bad off after all

Looks like Trenton isn't the only city with a Mayor who makes questionable statements or avoids city hall. These two items were gleaned from the Trentonian this morning:

1) Mayor Ken Williams resigned in Centerton, Arkansas (pop. 2,146) in November and revealed that he is actually Don LaRose, an Indiana preacher who abruptly abandoned his family in 1980 because, he said, satanists had abducted and threatened him, and brainwashed him to rub out details of a murder he supposedly knew about. He said his memory returned only recently, thanks to truth serum.

2) Mayor Lino Donato of Poteet, Texas (pop. 3,500), said in November that he would remain in office despite his inability to set foot in city hall. That building is less than 1,000 feet from a youth recreation center and therefore off-limits to Donato, who was adjudicated a sex offender in October.

Well, we're pretty sure there isn't a court order keeping Doug Palmer out of City Hall (or the City, for that matter). Same goes for Joe Santiago and Police Headquarters.

But it would be interesting to see what would happen if doses of that "truth serum" could be administered to Palmer and Santiago.

Here's a toast to an interesting year in Trenton. May you all have the best in health and wealth in 2008!

At least he's trying

Newark's Mayor Booker is on the job and in town!

The venerable New York Times ran an interesting story this morning about Newark Mayor Cory Booker's hands on approach to improving public safety in New Jersey's largest city.

The story relates how Mayor Booker and his Police Director Garry McCarthy have been making surprise visits to the city's four precinct houses and touring Newark's streets during the overnight hours to observe first hand how the Newark Police Department carries out its duties. Mayor Booker commends the Police for the job they are doing and challenges them to keep up the pressure on the criminal element in between answering calls for service.

Mayor Booker also visits the communications center to observe the volume of calls for service and how the recently installed camera system is monitored.

The article is a good read and makes one wonder why we aren't seeing a similar "hands on" approach to policing here in Trenton. While some here may find fault with an elected official and his appointed director being so involved, one has to think it can't be any worse than the absentee management we get from our missing mayor and non-resident police director.

One gets the sense that Mayor Booker understands the importance of improving Newark's Public Safety image and that he needs the cooperation and buy in of the entire Police Department to accomplish this. And it is apparent that he is willing to put in the time and effort, in person, to impress this upon the members of the department.

Contrast this with the completely adversarial attitude Trenton Mayor Doug Palmer takes towards the members of the Trenton Police Department. His complaints about disgruntled cops and union leaders might carry more weight if Mr. Palmer was actually around to observe just how the police department operates. Similarly, a police director who didn't believe he was above the law might go further towards making a real improvement in Trenton's public safety.

Instead we get excuses, public relations spin and "taillights driving off into the sunset."

Almost makes you wish you lived in Newark.

A quick nod to Trenton's Time for discovering the NY Times article and posting about it on Saturday.

These are the times that try men's souls

Thomas Paine wrote those words in December of 1776 just prior to the battle of Trenton and the battle of the Assunpink (2nd Battle of Trenton). They were part of his pamphlet, "The Crisis."

As we watched today's battle reenactments in Mill Hill Park, we were reminded that the war for independence was fought so that the "free" colonies of the fledgling republic could self govern and not be subservient to the tyrannical whims of King George the III of England.

Two hundred and thirty one years later, Trentonians are again subject to the whims of a wanton despot who has totally lost touch with those he was elected "to serve." Douglas H. Palmer, in his fifth term as Mayor of the City of Trenton has ceased to care about what is best for the City and more about what is best for him.

The most recent, high profile example is the Mayor's controversial waiving of the City's residency ordinance in order to hold onto equally controversial Police Director Joe Santiago. At first, Palmer insisted that it was well within his power to grant such a waiver (even though other City Employees have been terminated for not adhering to it, raising claims of selective enforcement). More recently, the Mayor has suggested that City Council pass an amendment to the ordinance that would allow for the exception for Mr. Santiago.

Some have pointed out that this is a non-issue as the Mayor is not intending to run for office again in 2010 and so Mr. Santiago will most probably not continue on as Police Director under the next Mayor. Other have claimed that Director Santiago has done more good than harm as Police Director and it is just "disgruntled cops" and/or members of the public who don't like the fact that Mr. Santiago is a "person of color" serving as the head of the Trenton Police Department.

Still others think the residency issue/Director Santiago are "irrelevant". In a recent editorial in the Trenton Downtowner, Joe Emanski expressed the belief that there are other, more substantial issues facing Trenton that deserve the attention and outcry from the public.

To a certain degree, Mr. Emanski is correct.

Trenton's school system continues to fail the children (and citizens in general) of our city.

The city is for all intents and purposes "broke" as evidenced by the recent grant given from the state of New Jersey's "Distressed Cities" program to close a multi-million dollar budget gap. Of course the Mayor denies that Trenton is "distressed" but yet he's got his hand out to the State for financial aid.

As has been noted before, the City seems incapable or unwilling to take care if its properties and infrastructure. This results in the need for major funding to bring buildings, streets and the water and sewage utilities up to snuff...or to sell them off for a one-time cash infusion.

Still, we can find money to grant to developers (who are also campaign contributors), fix ridiculous neon fire helmets, fund increasingly expensive and ineffective horse patrols, purchase city SUV's, etc. All of which can be spun by the administration to seem better than we and many others believe.

So while Mr. Emanski may have a point about there being other issues that deserve attention, the fact is that the residency is one clear cut case of Mayor Palmer's abuse of office. And while it may seem irrelevant to some, if this battle is joined and the "people" win, it will crack the seeming Teflon veneer that Doug Palmer has wrapped himself in. And from there, last term or not, the people can start righting the many wrongs that exist in the way the mayor governs.

Just as the 10 Crucial days between Christmas 1776 and January 3 1777 proved to be the turning point of the American Revolution, challenging the Mayor on the Santiago residency may prove to be just as crucial to Trenton's history going forward.

Now is the time for everyone to join together and demand accountability from the Mayor and his appointees.

The future of New Jersey's capital city depends upon it.

--PS: Speaking of Patriot's Week and the Battle Reenactments, it needs to be noted for the record that reports indicate only one of Trenton's eight elected officials was seen enjoying the celebration of Trenton's significance in American History. Huzzah! to the Coston family for understanding that participation in civic life doesn't begin in and end with the striking of a gavel on Tuesdays and Thursdays and that truly living in Trenton means being a part of all it has to offer. Keep up the good work!

Something doesn't add up

The city of Trenton is facing a $25 million budget shortfall.

The state of New Jersey will give Trenton $21 million (above and beyond the $16.5 million already being paid to Trenton "in lieu of taxes" on the state properties within the city limits).

The money comes with "strings attached" and the Mayor doesn't like it.

He doesn't like the fact that he's at the Governor's doorstep, hat in hand, asking for help, but might have to rein in his profligate spending practices and file monthly reports with the state in order to keep the city solvent.

Hmm.

Mayor Palmer was quoted as saying "For them to ask us to sign this is laughable and unfair."

The Mayor went on to say that the conditions attached to the money are usually reserved for municipalities who have mismanaged their finances but implied that wasn't the situation in Trenton. Rather, it is the state's fault for not paying it's fair share of property taxes to the city and for having no other mechanism in place to hand over $21 million dollars to a city that...has what? Mishandled its finances?

Now, let's recognize right off that the problem of the state paying its fair share of property taxes has been an issue as long as Doug has held office (and before). He's known about it, talked about it and made noise about how it needs to be changed. At the same time, his financial people have known about it and had to deal with it. Yet the spending continued as if "the money were there."

So what does our city's chief executive do? He cries poor and throws good money after bad on neon fire helmets; out of town gang consultants; and stipends for non-resident cabinet level directors.

Four years ago he tried to sneak raises for himself, his directors and city council after having frozen department budgets and asking for cutbacks. When the public found out, a fuss was made, but the raises stayed.

While the Mayor (and his pet, the Police Director) have demonized the Police Unions and cursed the four-on/four-off police schedule, the number of cops on the force has decreased, homicide's have increased and overtime spiraled out of control.

They installed, touted and then cursed a video surveillance system that has failed to perform the promised crime fighting miracles (although it is reported that video footage from one camera did help in the recent solving of the Eure homicide, how many other crimes occurred under the blind eye of the faulty system?). For what purpose all this spending?

So Mr. Palmer and Mr. Santiago can point and say they are doing something. But it is just throwing money at a problem, not solving anything.

The city is losing businesses every day: restaurants, cheesecake bakeries, hardware stores, auto body repair shops. In large part this is due to the reluctance of people to shop or dine in the city out of a sense of discomfort with the less than clean streets; frequent panhandling; lack of suburban style parking convenience and increasing number of abandoned or poorly maintained buildings (including city owned ones).

The administration, through an act of city council, gives hundreds of thousands of dollars to one "connected" developer out of the Urban Enterprise Zone monies that could be better spent bolstering the small business that exist here and need help to survive.

Our hotel, financed with bonds backed by the taxpayers of the city of Trenton, was to be sold. And as part of the deal, the financing burden was going to be shifted from the wallets of Trentonians and spread to New Jersey's taxpayers as the state agreed to substitute its bonds for the city's. Sale or no sale, we're all still on the hook for the financing of the hotel.

Most recently, the Mayor proposes to sell off the part of our water distribution system that serves non-Trenton customers. It's a relatively short term financial fix at the cost of losing one of the city's greatest financial assets (or at least one with great financial potential in the coming years...if managed and maintained properly).

At the same time, the City of Trenton is cashing in it's limited financial stake in the TriGen co-generation system downtown. Again, a one shot financial fix from the sell-off of a potential future revenue source for the city.

The list goes on.

The City of Trenton is not only poorly managing it's finances, it is poorly managed.

To belittle some common sense conditions placed on the state money is irresponsible of the Mayor.

That is to say, "It is laughable and unfair."

Show me the money

While the City of Trenton is cleaved in two over the residency (not "the Santiago") flap, another insidious plan is afoot in the state capital.

Seems a late addition to Thursday night's Council docket includes an item asking for the body to approve over $200,000.00 in Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) funding for the restoration work on the "Golden Swan" building(s) at Front and Warren Streets in downtown Trenton.

Now no one is happier to see this historic edifice be spruced up and put back into practical use than the denizens of the Front Stoop. But...and you knew there was a "but"...at what cost?

Let's do a quick review:

The City purchased the "Caola Building" (aka "the Golden Swan)several years ago for $164,000. In 2005, it was sold for $1 (that's right, a buck) to Woodrose Properties whose principle partner is none other than former Senator Robert Torricelli. The project has required a vast infusion of money...some of which reportedly has already come from the City in the way of aid for the demolition of a 20th century addition and some site remediation. And, of course, there was the standard agreement for a Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) granted the developer.
(click here to jump back to a previous rant on this subject)

Besides the "Golden Swan" project, Woodrose purchased the former Townhouse Restaurant on W. State Street and the building next door to combine the two into an office building. In 2006, Woodrose asked for and received $89,000 in UEZ money to "install an elevator" in the State Street project to make it fully handicap accessible. And at the time, Council was told the building was "fully leased."

Last time we checked, the building was unoccupied.

Back to tonight...Mr. Torricelli and his cohorts are coming to City Council with their hands out once again. Asking for another $200,000+ to help complete what has been an expensive and extensive restoration process.

Oh, and by the way, this is the same Robert Torricelli who managed to funnel over $10,000 in campaign contributions to Mayor Palmer and the joint campaign committee for Paul Pintella, Manny Segura and Cordelia Staton.

So when you add it all up, the former Senator has invested a little over $10,000 in Trenton by the way of campaign contributions and has received over a quarter of a million dollars in property and funding in return. Plus, he's gotten tax abatements on his projects. And now he's asking for another $200,000 plus in UEZ money.

Wanna bet he gets it?

Smart man that Torricelli. Rich too. And he's not risked hardly a dime of his own money.

While we're worried about where the Police Director lives, our treasury is being pillaged by another crooked Jersey politician and his cronies.

Including a former Senator.

It's Cryin' Time Again

So, Mayor Palmer pitched a fit in front of City Council Tuesday evening, daring them to vote to terminate Police Director Joe Santiago for non-residency and vowing to "keep him" anyway.

The Mayor seems to think that the fact that the Santiago family was threatened, received "pornography" in the mail and may have had someone trespass on their property is reason enough to allow this questionable, if not illegal, "waiver."

Besides the amnesia over his own words of several years ago, the Mayor seems to be overlooking a couple of very simple facts.

Mr. Santiago is a career law enforcement professional. If he doesn't know and accept the risks that come with the job, he should retire. And, frankly, the Police Director has been quoted as saying that his family comes above all and everyone else.

Fine. Admirable.

So, if the Director's family is "first, second and third" on his list of priorities, that makes Trenton number four on his list at best! Can he really be the best choice to lead our Police Department then?

Additionally, Mr. Santiago and Mayor Palmer were fully cognizant of the residency requirements of the job when the appointment was made and accepted.

Mr. Santiago made frequent comments about seeking a suitable home here, resided at the Trenton Marriott for awhile (and do we know who actually paid for that choice?) and then allegedly had residences at the Grand Court Villas (aka Cigar Factory) and later with his then assistant, Abe Hemsey. Suddenly, it became important and acceptable for Mr. Santiago to reside elsewhere other than Trenton?

The contradictions and deceits abound.

Santiago was going to move here, but the market changed and he could "no longer afford" to buy a house in town? Well, maybe not if it was only going to be a "second home" to hold off the critics. Certainly he could have afforded Trenton by disinvest himself of his Morris County property.

And while we're crying "poor" let us not forget that this is a man being paid over $100,000 per year by the City (not counting a $25,000 stipend, free cars, gas, etc.) and collecting a full pension from 30 years as a cop.

If he can't afford to live in Trenton, maybe he should have applied for some of the subsidized housing opportunities the Palmer administration has been so fond of creating!

As for the Mayor, it is painfully obvious that he does not accept or uphold the very laws of the City he was elected to serve. Otherwise he wouldn't so readily make these arbitrary (and possibly illegal) decisions to circumvent City Ordinances when and for whom it pleases him.

The residency issue is not just about Joe Santiago.

It is not about whether the Police Unions are happy with the administration and it's appointed leadership of the department.

The residency issue is about a Mayor who has gotten so mad with power and position that he has forgotten all about the reasons for civil service rules; integrity; accountability and fair play. It's about circumventing those rules and regulations for political expediency (as in the case about the newly appointed Communications Director, Irv Bradley who not only has a police record, but is also a non-city resident). It's about violating the very Civil Service rules intended to remove the politics from Government jobs and provide equal opportunities to all qualified candidates, not just friends and friends of friends.

Mayor Palmer is worried about how Trenton will be perceived if Joe Santiago is forced out (remember, he was forced out of the State Police before he came to Trenton). Just how does Mayor Palmer, the self-important President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and admitted campaign co-chair for a high-profile Presidential Candidate, think our city is perceived now?

Trenton is a broke and broken, dysfunctional and dyspeptic example of a once great city. We continue to suffer under the despotic rule of a Mayor who lacks the integrity and enlightenment to admit when he is wrong.

Instead of making this personal, the Mayor should admit that mistakes have been made and policies have been broken and/or ignored. Only then can he hope to engage his detractors in a meaningful and positive way.

Until he admits that he is wrong in this matter, Mayor Palmer will never be perceived as more than another "first" that dragged his city into last place.

Now that is something to cry about.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

This morning's entry comes from none other than Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer (courtesy of the Times of Trenton Archive) who wrote the following as an Op-Ed piece in the Monday, March 15, 1999 edition of the The Times (the emphasis is ours):


CHANGES WILL BRING ACCOUNTABILITY

By DOUGLAS H. PALMER

One of the biggest issues of concern that our community and my administration are facing is how to effectively deal with neighborhood crime and public safety in Trenton. While we have made significant progress reducing the number of major crimes that occur in our city, like murder and armed robbery, we have not been able to adequately deal with the biggest problem in our communities _ nuisance crimes, such as drug dealing, prostitution and illegal street gambling. These are the crimes that literally destroy the fabric of our communities and our residents' quality of life.

As a result, our communities have increasingly, and rightly, demanded greater police presence and responsiveness. They have made these demands for relief, most particularly, to me. When they have made them even to city council, the council has then turned to me and my administration for relief.

The problem

Under the current system, with the police department headed by a police chief, my ability as mayor to hold the head of the police force completely and immediately accountable for providing this relief is greatly limited. There are stipulations concerning when, if, how, and for what reason a police chief can be disciplined or terminated.

Perhaps the greatest limitation, however, is job tenure. As it exists, the police chief serves from date of appointment until mandatory retirement at age 65. Even residency is a complicating factor. The mayor cannot even require that the police chief live in our city. I personally believe, and have heard from enough residents to know that they too believe, when it comes to the safety of our city, nothing is more important, symbolically, than for the head of the police force to live in the city that he or she is in control of protecting and serving. I cannot be persuaded that it is OK for our police chief to be isolated from our communities.

Not `who' but `what'

Many people are asking, and many more are speculating, ``Who does the mayor want?'' I have not made a decision on ``who'' I want for the job; but, I do know what I want. I want the authority to appoint the best person for the job, the authority to hold that person immediately accountable, and the authority to take action at the point when these factors are no longer the case. Simply put, I want someone who is just as accountable to me as I am to the people who elected me.

I want someone who will work with this administration, city council and our community as a team, with one goal in mind _ better policing, for a safer community. I want someone who will live with us and work with us, without the shield of tenure for job protection _ a luxury that neither I nor city council have. We cannot sit in our positions and know that, barring the most extreme circumstances, our jobs are guaranteed until age 65, as a police chief can. There simply is too much at stake in our communities to provide that much of a disincentive for a police chief to make the difficult decisions or major changes that are required in such a tough job.

As we continue working toward our goal of neighborhood revitalization, we must be assured that the person responsible for police operations feels a strong sense of obligation to work as a member of the team to help reach a common goal. We have an opportunity not to subject ourselves to the whims of a police chief who may or may not have the same goals in mind.

Take, for example, the current crisis the governor and state police are facing. If Gov. Whitman's state police superintendent had had the protection of tenure, the governor would not have been able to immediately hold the head of the police force accountable for his actions, which were, as she put it, ``inconsistent'' with what she is trying to accomplish. Her ability to respond swiftly was key in extinguishing this issue before statewide discord occurred. Without a doubt, the public would hold the governor accountable for taking action, whether she could have or not.

As mayor, I am held responsible and accountable to our residents for the actions or inactions of the city's police force. And, like our governor, I want the authority to hold that individual just as accountable as I am to the people who elected me _ someone who has as much to lose as I do if they don't perform. As the current chief will soon retire, we now have a short window of opportunity, one we will not have again for a long time, to explore the best way to make that happen.

A new system

Because of the critical importance of this issue and because of this timely opportunity, in the coming days I will formally propose to city council that we abolish three positions _ those of both police and fire chief, as well as public safety director. I will request that we form two separate departments in police and fire with individual department directors who report directly to the mayor. The deputy chiefs in both departments would report to their respective department directors.

This issue is so important to me that I believe we must take this opportunity to elevate these critical entities to the cabinet level and bring them to the table to be a closer and more involved part of city management.

No other services that the city provides to our residents are more important than police and fire protection and safety. I believe with separate directors who can concentrate specifically on the two separate departments, we would improve both fiscal and staff accountability. Now is our window of opportunity to make changes that, in time, can have dramatic impact on our community and in our neighborhoods. Now is our opportunity, as we are redeveloping our city at rapid pace, to ensure that we have police and fire departments that are a part of making Trenton the great place, the fantastic city, that it is becoming. We already know it is difficult to do this without them at the table as part of our team.

Timetable

After the current police chief's April 1 retirement, Public Safety Director Dennis Keenan will be in charge of daily police operations until a decision has been made by city council and I have appointed a person to fill the position.

Accountability

During my last State of the City Address, I said I would raise the bar of accountability to get to the next level of difficult but necessary changes and improvements that our city and its residents must have. Unlike what some people have suggested, this is not a political issue. It is not a racial issue. It is not even an issue about individuals. This issue is about choosing a method of leadership that is best for police operations and accountable to the community.

I already know that changing the status quo will not be a welcome idea for everyone. On an individual basis, I can appreciate that. But I must make the choices that are best for communities, not individuals. However, I can't do it alone. Now it is up to city council to decide. Will we move forward, as many other progressive cities have, and take this opportunity to have more accountability from the leadership of our police department? Or, will we simply accept the status quo?

Once this proposal has been presented, it will be up to the council to decide whether we continue business as usual, or whether we take this rare opportunity to make the best selection of individuals to ensure that the safety and well- being of our residents, the trust between our community and police force, and the quality of life in our neighborhoods are the number one priorities in public safety. They are to me, and they should be to city council because our residents deserve no less.

Reforming government when necessary to meet the needs of the people is not just a good thing to do, it is what we are obligated to do. It is my sincerest hope that our city council will look at the strong merits of our proposal and judge it, as I have, with all of the people they serve in mind.

Douglas H. Palmer is mayor of Trenton.

Now we must ask ourselves this: did the Mayor mean what he said back in 1999 or was he just selling what he thought the people wanted to hear?