The day is here.
June 15, the date for the Trenton municipal runoff election and the day the public gets to decide on the proposed split and sell off of part of the Trenton Water Works.
Trentonians are about to make some of the toughest, most important choices in the past 20 years.
They have to choose between two former Palmer insiders/confidants for Mayor. Tony Mack has some questionable money problems and the endorsement of the outgoing Mayor; Manny Segura is collecting full disability but thinks he can adequately fulfill the duties of a full-time (plus) Mayor.
The electorate must choose three At-Large Council reps from among six individuals. Some are known to the populace; others not. Juan Martinez is the purported head of a mythical community group and currently holds a patronage position with the failing city school system. Missy Balmir is a professional political hack with connections but precious little practical experience and questionable contributions from far afield from Trenton. Darren Green is a member of the Balmir's "slate" of candidates who has raised no visible funds of his own. Obviously not the first choices of candidates to fill the slots.
Of the three left, Phyllis Holly-Ward has some real city hall experience along with some community credentials. Kathy McBride is outspoken and a real street campaigner who may not have a lot of depth when it comes to policy and process but she doesn't lack spirit. Alex Bethea is a school principal who has lead the local NAACP chapter.
In the North Ward the choice comes down to New Black Panther Party member Divine Allah, aka Brian Bethea or career Democratic party person Marge Caldwell-Wilson.
The East Ward contest is between brash anti-Palmer crusader Joe Harrison and Verlina Reynolds-Jackson. Jackson is part of the Balmir triad, a state employee and, by most accounts, a usually MIA member of the city's zoning board.
Quiet man Zac Chester is facing former school board President Joyce Kersey in the West Ward runoff.
And then the big ticket item on the ballot: the proposal to split off the suburban portion of Trenton's water utility to corporate giant NJ American Water. A vote yes approves the administration's plan to cash in the money making part of the system for a one time fix of $80 million.
A no vote leaves the system intact with all of the costs and proceeds accruing to the city and it's water customers.
The choices made on Tuesday will impact the city for decades to come, regardless of the tenure of those elected to office.
Choose wisely, Trentonians. Not just for tomorrow, but for the future of our city.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Monday, June 07, 2010
Common questions/direct answers
Are the entire Trenton Water Works being sold?
NO. The only thing being sold would be water pipes in Ewing, Hamilton, Hopewell and Lawrence Townships along with some water towers and pumping stations.
Is the buyer a foreign company?
NO. New Jersey American Water Company (NJAWC), a subsidiary of American Water Works Company is the proposed buyer. American Water Works Company is the largest public water utility in America. It was at one time a subsidiary of RWE, a German Company, but was spun off in 2008.
Is it true that, as part of the sale, NJAWC will pay 60% of cost for water facility improvements in Trenton that benefit the outside system?
NO. According to the sales agreement between NJAWC and the City of Trenton Exhibit C includes the terms for a Capital Improvements Surcharge calculation.
The section establishes two factors that would be applied to the cost of capital improvements that benefit the townships.
The first factor would be based upon an agreed percentage assigned to the City and to the townships. This could be a 40% allocation for the City and a corresponding 60% allocation for the townships (NJAWC).
The second factor is based upon the amount of water the City customers use and the amount of water that township customers use (Demand Share Factor or DSF). Those percentages could also be 40% for the City and 60% for the townships.
To determine the amount that NJAWC would pay the City, the cost of the project, say $70 million dollars (the cost of the Filtration Plant project), would be multiplied by each factor. Applying the first factor of say 60% would give $42 million. Then applying the second factor would give $25.2 million. The $25.2 million would then be divided into annual payments that would also include the interest that the City is paying on the money it borrowed to finance the project. The annual payment would then be converted to a per thousand gallon surcharge to add to the base water rate. The figures would be recalculated every three years.
What this means is that NJAWC would pay $25.2 million for a benefit that is worth at least $42 million dollars. What that also means is that the City, actually its water customers, would have to make up the difference of $16.8 million over the life of the loan. (The actual amounts would be more over the life of the loan due to the interest charges.)
Applying the provisions of Exhibit C of the pending contract reveals that NJAWC will not pay 60% of the cost but only about 36% of the cost or less depending upon the factors.
NO. The only thing being sold would be water pipes in Ewing, Hamilton, Hopewell and Lawrence Townships along with some water towers and pumping stations.
Is the buyer a foreign company?
NO. New Jersey American Water Company (NJAWC), a subsidiary of American Water Works Company is the proposed buyer. American Water Works Company is the largest public water utility in America. It was at one time a subsidiary of RWE, a German Company, but was spun off in 2008.
Is it true that, as part of the sale, NJAWC will pay 60% of cost for water facility improvements in Trenton that benefit the outside system?
NO. According to the sales agreement between NJAWC and the City of Trenton Exhibit C includes the terms for a Capital Improvements Surcharge calculation.
The section establishes two factors that would be applied to the cost of capital improvements that benefit the townships.
The first factor would be based upon an agreed percentage assigned to the City and to the townships. This could be a 40% allocation for the City and a corresponding 60% allocation for the townships (NJAWC).
The second factor is based upon the amount of water the City customers use and the amount of water that township customers use (Demand Share Factor or DSF). Those percentages could also be 40% for the City and 60% for the townships.
To determine the amount that NJAWC would pay the City, the cost of the project, say $70 million dollars (the cost of the Filtration Plant project), would be multiplied by each factor. Applying the first factor of say 60% would give $42 million. Then applying the second factor would give $25.2 million. The $25.2 million would then be divided into annual payments that would also include the interest that the City is paying on the money it borrowed to finance the project. The annual payment would then be converted to a per thousand gallon surcharge to add to the base water rate. The figures would be recalculated every three years.
What this means is that NJAWC would pay $25.2 million for a benefit that is worth at least $42 million dollars. What that also means is that the City, actually its water customers, would have to make up the difference of $16.8 million over the life of the loan. (The actual amounts would be more over the life of the loan due to the interest charges.)
Applying the provisions of Exhibit C of the pending contract reveals that NJAWC will not pay 60% of the cost but only about 36% of the cost or less depending upon the factors.
VOTE NO on June 15th!
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
They're all wet
General Superintendent for Water and Sewer Joe McIntyre was featured in an ad this morning paid for by Trenton Yes. The ad, the latest in a series aimed at convincing voters to approve the sale of the outlaying water system to New Jersey American Water (NJAW) shows, McIntyre posing at what we presume to be one of the water works facilities.
If you don’t already know it, Trenton YES is completely funded and managed by NJAW. And the photo was quite probably taken during a recent visit to Water Utility facilities by NJAW staff as outlined in this article from the Trentonian.
The headline of the ad is intended to look like a quote from Mr. McIntyre.
The ad continues with another quote.
“We’re selling a bunch of old pipe” is not exactly accurate either. The suburban infrastructure is newer than the system that serves the city of Trenton. We are keeping the “old pipe” and selling off the newer stuff.
And about those water towers…engineering studies have indicated that without those towers, water pressure in certain areas of the city could experience dangerously low water pressures in times of emergency.
To be sure there is a lot to consider when looking at this proposed water deal. But it really comes down to a a couple of basic facts:
The outside water system is a major part of the value of the entire Trenton Water Utility. Without that (growing) customer base the utility will have a hard time remaining solvent based solely on servicing the Trenton customers…even after water rate increases.
IF the deal is so good for Trenton, why has NJAW spent more than $178,000 from May 4 to May 17 (and a whole lot more since judging from the mailings and ads we’ve seen) to convince the voters approve the sale?
IF the deal is so good for Trenton, why did NJAW spend an estimated $175,000 (based upon the legal fees paid by the City of Trenton in the same fight) to prevent the voters from having a say on the sale?
We can not accept or believe anything NJAW/Trenton Yes has to say to us about this deal.
Nor can we accept or believe anything that Mr. McIntyre purports to say in these advertisements. After all, it was Mr. McIntyre who had yet to complete a cost savings analysis on the sell off of the suburban system on January 22, 2009. That was the very day that Mayor Palmer addressed council and told them he had been working on this for nearly a decade. The very day that Mayor Palmer stated that the city had “held out” for the $80 million sale price.*
Neither one of these gentlemen appear to know what they are talking about.
Just vote NO!
*Public records indicate that NJAW was willing to pay $100 million for the outside system but the NJ Board of Public Utilities actually reduced the sale price to $75 million + $5 million for "consultative services" to be provided by Mr. McIntyre and his staff.
If you don’t already know it, Trenton YES is completely funded and managed by NJAW. And the photo was quite probably taken during a recent visit to Water Utility facilities by NJAW staff as outlined in this article from the Trentonian.
The headline of the ad is intended to look like a quote from Mr. McIntyre.
“People think we’re selling Trenton Water Works. That is simply not true. Everything in the city stays the same.”Really? Reducing the utility’s customer base by over 60% is equivalent to staying “the same?” How many businesses do you know that can lose more than half of their customers and stay solvent without raising rates for the remaining clientele?
The ad continues with another quote.
“We’re just selling township assets. We’re selling a bunch of old pipe. We’re selling some water towers…and two small booster stations. That’s it.”Since the Trenton YES people like to play semantics police, what would be sold if the plan is approved is not “township assets.” It is, in fact, assets belonging to the people of Trenton that are located in the neighboring townships that would be sold. So Trenton assets, not township assets, would be sold. Mr. McIntyre…if he actually made these statements, should know better.
“We’re selling a bunch of old pipe” is not exactly accurate either. The suburban infrastructure is newer than the system that serves the city of Trenton. We are keeping the “old pipe” and selling off the newer stuff.
And about those water towers…engineering studies have indicated that without those towers, water pressure in certain areas of the city could experience dangerously low water pressures in times of emergency.
To be sure there is a lot to consider when looking at this proposed water deal. But it really comes down to a a couple of basic facts:
The outside water system is a major part of the value of the entire Trenton Water Utility. Without that (growing) customer base the utility will have a hard time remaining solvent based solely on servicing the Trenton customers…even after water rate increases.
IF the deal is so good for Trenton, why has NJAW spent more than $178,000 from May 4 to May 17 (and a whole lot more since judging from the mailings and ads we’ve seen) to convince the voters approve the sale?
IF the deal is so good for Trenton, why did NJAW spend an estimated $175,000 (based upon the legal fees paid by the City of Trenton in the same fight) to prevent the voters from having a say on the sale?
We can not accept or believe anything NJAW/Trenton Yes has to say to us about this deal.
Nor can we accept or believe anything that Mr. McIntyre purports to say in these advertisements. After all, it was Mr. McIntyre who had yet to complete a cost savings analysis on the sell off of the suburban system on January 22, 2009. That was the very day that Mayor Palmer addressed council and told them he had been working on this for nearly a decade. The very day that Mayor Palmer stated that the city had “held out” for the $80 million sale price.*
Neither one of these gentlemen appear to know what they are talking about.
Just vote NO!
*Public records indicate that NJAW was willing to pay $100 million for the outside system but the NJ Board of Public Utilities actually reduced the sale price to $75 million + $5 million for "consultative services" to be provided by Mr. McIntyre and his staff.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Pay attention
Are special interests funding campaigns of Trenton candidates?
While Trenton citizens collect their breath between last week’s municipal elections and the June 15 runoff for Mayor, Council At Large and three of the city’s four Ward council seats, it’s time to catch up on some homework that we should have been doing all along.
In the final hours before last Tuesday’s elections, there was a lot of hand wringing and expressions of shock and dismay as revelations were made about the funding of Tony Mack’s Mayoral campaign.
At issue is this: Mr. Joseph Giorgianni contributed the $2,600 maximum allowable amount for an individual to a candidate committee. Mr.Giorgianni is a long-time Mack supporter. The concern that has been raised is that Mr.Giorgianni has had some legal problems of his own in the past.
This doesn’t sit well with Tony Mack’s detractors. Many question the candidate’s judgment in taking money from a convicted felon. Others are wondering half out loud where the money Mack loaned his campaign ($20,000 according to ELEC reports) really came from. Mack has been essentially unemployed for the past couple of years and is in arrears on his property taxes.
While this is all quiet titillating and sensational, what about the financing of other candidates?
No one has made quite as much fuss about apparent runner up Manny Segura’s campaign funding.
Isn’t it odd that the candidate who used to use the slogan “Segura Para Trenton” (Segura for Trenton) has received the bulk of his campaign donations from politicians and businesses from North Jersey? Sounds to us like Senor Segura is more for himself and his cronies than for Trenton. In his 2006 run for City Council, Segura received 45% of his $53,625 war chest from individuals and entities with addresses in North Jersey. Assemblyman and Union City Mayor Brian Stack alone gave Segura $10,000. Another 7% ($4000.00) of Manny’s money came from unions or union officials. And let’s not forget the $2500 that found its way from former Sen. Torricelli’s wife to the joint candidate’s committee for Segura, Paul Pintella and Cordelia Staton.
All for a city council at large candidate in poor little old Trenton.
In this year’s campaign, Manny again has tapped his “friends” beyond Trenton. He raised some $19,200 in contributions from individuals and businesses in North Jersey. Included in his contributor list are elected officials from Passaic and Newark. One might be able to understand why they might be interested in helping Segura out. But what about the employees of TY Lin International; one who lives in Hackettstown and the other in Oxford, an engineer and a surveyor respectively. What interest might they have in who becomes Mayor of Trenton? Or is this all party money being channeled into Segura’s accounts? How much will he be “for Trenton” if elected and the donors behind these contributions start calling in favors?
Contrast the above with the fact that apparent third place finisher Eric Jackson raised all of his money through modest contributions from local individuals.
The special interest funding is not only going to the Mayoral candidates. Looking at the At-Large race (also in a runoff), we found some interesting items.
Where front runners Kathy McBride, Alex Bethea and Phyllis Holly-Ward all show modest (if any) campaign contributions from locals; T. Missy Balmir shows $2900 in contributions from employees of Washington DC based political consultants Field Strategies, Inc.
Field Strategies is a company used by politicians to design and execute effective campaigns. And who are some of their clients? How about everyone from Senators Lautenberg and Menendez, the New Jersey Democratic Party, and various labor unions.
So tell us, Ms. Balmir, why are five employees of this consulting firm so interested in seeing you get elected in Trenton, NJ when they all live in the D.C. area?
And while you are at it, how about explaining how it is that Mr. Green (Darren “Freedom” Green) appears on so much of your campaign literature and such and yet shows no major fundraising on his part? And you might as well extend your answer to Ms. Reynolds-Jackson who is in the run-off for the East Ward Council seat.
Come clean: are you a slate put up by party bosses to wrest control of poor old Trenton?
Juan Martinez, the 4th place finisher in the At Large race has raised money but we are not sure where it came from as the reports seem a tad incomplete.
At the Ward level, we have the aforementioned Verlina Reynolds-Jackson going up against Joe Harrison in the East Ward runoff. Reynolds-Jackson hasn’t reported any major contributions but did roll over slightly more than $1000 to Missy Balmir’s campaign. Presumably this was for some joint advertising, but wouldn’t that then necessitate the formation of a Joint Candidate’s committee?
Harrison has filed papers stating he will not raise nor spend more than $4000 in his campaign and not more than $300 will come from any one contributor.
In the West Ward, former school board head Joyce Kersey has raised about $8500. Most came from a $6000 loan she made to her campaign and the rest appears to have come from local supporters. Her opponent in the runoff, Capital Health employee Zachary Chester, has had his own issues with fundraising but seems to have built a treasury of over $31,000 from a mix of local friends and distant contributors.
In the North Ward, surprise 2nd place finisher Divine Allah has no reports posted on contributions or expenses, not even a declaration that he would spend less than $4000.00 on his campaign. Contrast that with Marge Caldwell-Wilson’s nearly $19,000 in money raised…more than 35% of which came from union political action committees around the state.
An informed voter is a better voter. Do your homework before you go into the booth and cast your ballot.
While Trenton citizens collect their breath between last week’s municipal elections and the June 15 runoff for Mayor, Council At Large and three of the city’s four Ward council seats, it’s time to catch up on some homework that we should have been doing all along.
In the final hours before last Tuesday’s elections, there was a lot of hand wringing and expressions of shock and dismay as revelations were made about the funding of Tony Mack’s Mayoral campaign.
At issue is this: Mr. Joseph Giorgianni contributed the $2,600 maximum allowable amount for an individual to a candidate committee. Mr.Giorgianni is a long-time Mack supporter. The concern that has been raised is that Mr.Giorgianni has had some legal problems of his own in the past.
This doesn’t sit well with Tony Mack’s detractors. Many question the candidate’s judgment in taking money from a convicted felon. Others are wondering half out loud where the money Mack loaned his campaign ($20,000 according to ELEC reports) really came from. Mack has been essentially unemployed for the past couple of years and is in arrears on his property taxes.
While this is all quiet titillating and sensational, what about the financing of other candidates?
No one has made quite as much fuss about apparent runner up Manny Segura’s campaign funding.
Isn’t it odd that the candidate who used to use the slogan “Segura Para Trenton” (Segura for Trenton) has received the bulk of his campaign donations from politicians and businesses from North Jersey? Sounds to us like Senor Segura is more for himself and his cronies than for Trenton. In his 2006 run for City Council, Segura received 45% of his $53,625 war chest from individuals and entities with addresses in North Jersey. Assemblyman and Union City Mayor Brian Stack alone gave Segura $10,000. Another 7% ($4000.00) of Manny’s money came from unions or union officials. And let’s not forget the $2500 that found its way from former Sen. Torricelli’s wife to the joint candidate’s committee for Segura, Paul Pintella and Cordelia Staton.
All for a city council at large candidate in poor little old Trenton.
In this year’s campaign, Manny again has tapped his “friends” beyond Trenton. He raised some $19,200 in contributions from individuals and businesses in North Jersey. Included in his contributor list are elected officials from Passaic and Newark. One might be able to understand why they might be interested in helping Segura out. But what about the employees of TY Lin International; one who lives in Hackettstown and the other in Oxford, an engineer and a surveyor respectively. What interest might they have in who becomes Mayor of Trenton? Or is this all party money being channeled into Segura’s accounts? How much will he be “for Trenton” if elected and the donors behind these contributions start calling in favors?
Contrast the above with the fact that apparent third place finisher Eric Jackson raised all of his money through modest contributions from local individuals.
The special interest funding is not only going to the Mayoral candidates. Looking at the At-Large race (also in a runoff), we found some interesting items.
Where front runners Kathy McBride, Alex Bethea and Phyllis Holly-Ward all show modest (if any) campaign contributions from locals; T. Missy Balmir shows $2900 in contributions from employees of Washington DC based political consultants Field Strategies, Inc.
Field Strategies is a company used by politicians to design and execute effective campaigns. And who are some of their clients? How about everyone from Senators Lautenberg and Menendez, the New Jersey Democratic Party, and various labor unions.
So tell us, Ms. Balmir, why are five employees of this consulting firm so interested in seeing you get elected in Trenton, NJ when they all live in the D.C. area?
And while you are at it, how about explaining how it is that Mr. Green (Darren “Freedom” Green) appears on so much of your campaign literature and such and yet shows no major fundraising on his part? And you might as well extend your answer to Ms. Reynolds-Jackson who is in the run-off for the East Ward Council seat.
Come clean: are you a slate put up by party bosses to wrest control of poor old Trenton?
Juan Martinez, the 4th place finisher in the At Large race has raised money but we are not sure where it came from as the reports seem a tad incomplete.
At the Ward level, we have the aforementioned Verlina Reynolds-Jackson going up against Joe Harrison in the East Ward runoff. Reynolds-Jackson hasn’t reported any major contributions but did roll over slightly more than $1000 to Missy Balmir’s campaign. Presumably this was for some joint advertising, but wouldn’t that then necessitate the formation of a Joint Candidate’s committee?
Harrison has filed papers stating he will not raise nor spend more than $4000 in his campaign and not more than $300 will come from any one contributor.
In the West Ward, former school board head Joyce Kersey has raised about $8500. Most came from a $6000 loan she made to her campaign and the rest appears to have come from local supporters. Her opponent in the runoff, Capital Health employee Zachary Chester, has had his own issues with fundraising but seems to have built a treasury of over $31,000 from a mix of local friends and distant contributors.
In the North Ward, surprise 2nd place finisher Divine Allah has no reports posted on contributions or expenses, not even a declaration that he would spend less than $4000.00 on his campaign. Contrast that with Marge Caldwell-Wilson’s nearly $19,000 in money raised…more than 35% of which came from union political action committees around the state.
An informed voter is a better voter. Do your homework before you go into the booth and cast your ballot.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The morning after
We've pretty much all been there at one time or another.
The pounding head, the ringing ears, the raspy throat, the very unsettled feeling in the stomach. All the result of overindulgence.
We think a majority of Trenton's voters...or a majority of the nearly 11,000 who actually voted in yesterday's municipal elections are experiencing some of the same symptoms this morning.
With a pitiful, less than 28% voter turnout, all but one of the contests to fill the Mayor and City Council seats appear to be headed for a runoff.
Only incumbent South Ward Councilman George Muschal has handed his challengers a solid defeat. The rest, Mayor, three Council At Large*, and the North, East, and West Council seats are headed into a June 15 runoff.
As we called it back in January. Top three vote getters in the Mayoral race are Tony Mack, Eric Jackson and Manny Segura. There are only three votes separating Segura from second place finisher Jackson. No doubt there will be challenges and a very close examination of the provisional ballots, etc. before the results are certified by the city clerk.
In the At-Large race, it appears as though Trenton has chosen an interesting trio as the primary vote getters: Kathy McBride, Alex Bethea and Phyllis Holly Ward. McBride is an outspoken anti-violence activist who ran for At-Large in 2002 and again in 2006 where she nearly upset Palmer's plans to keep his slate in office by squeaking out ahead of Cordelia "Dee Dee" Staton in the May election.
Bethea is a vice principal in one of the city schools, has also run before, and made the 2006 runoff with McBride and Mill Hill resident Jim Carlucci.
Holly-Ward is a city employee and former head of the Trenton Council of Civic Associations (TCCA). Her stint as TCCA president launched a monthly column in the Times where she wrote about building community and personal responsibility. Of the three, Holly-Ward is probably the best qualified candidate.
Should the At-Large race go to a runoff, Juan Martinez, T. "Missy" Balmir, and Darren "Freedom" Green will go up against McBride, Bethea and Holly-Ward. This is truly sad.
Martinez is a well-known opportunist working in the guise of Community Activist. He purports to belong to/head up the mythical, all encompassing People for the Revitalization of the South Ward (PROS) organization. The problem is, no one has ever been able to demonstrate when and where PROS meets; who the membership is other than Juan; provide copies of it's mission statement and/or by-laws, etc. Juan is probably most remembered for supporting the idiotic "Leewood" plan that would have wiped out some 6 square blocks of Trenton's South Ward through the use of eminent domain in order for Palmer friendly developer could then build new homes to sell back to the very people that had been displaced. Martinez's reward for his efforts on behalf of Leewood...a cushy $62,000 a year gig with the City School System as a community liaison. Not a good choice for any elected office in our estimation.
Missy Balmir is a former aide to Governor Corzine, a former aide to Rep. Rush Holt, a former aide to Mayor Doug Palmer and a former member of the Trenton School Board (appointed by Doug Palmer). In short, she has spent her adult life working with and for the same people who have led Trenton to the mess it is currently in and thinks she can change it for the better. Doubtful. And when you look at her campaign finance reports it becomes clear that Balmir is but another party hack put into play by a machine hoping to keep Trenton under it's thumb. Bad choice. Really bad choice.
Darren "Freedom" Green seems like an earnest enough fellow. But where has he been and what has he done prior to running for Council At Large? Why voters would choose him over obviously more experienced and and qualified candidates this time around is not only puzzling, it is actually disturbing.
In the three ward races going to a runoff things are just as confusing.
In the North Ward, party insider Marge Caldwell-Wilson will face New Black Panther Party member Divine Allah in the June contest. Ms. Caldwell-Wilson was removed from the South Ward** council seat in 1998 after some irregularities in absentee ballots were discovered. Her reward...she was appointed to the County Board of Elections (hire a crook to catch a crook?). She's flaunted her party connections as if they give her real qualifications to represent the people of the North Ward. In fact, she has been rather detached from real involvement in the community...including her own neighborhood association, until she decided to run for council. Note to Marge...union endorsements and glad handing with the former-gov might get you money, but it won't buy you friends.
Mr. Allah, on the other hand is waging a grass roots campaign that includes the retro-act of driving through the neighborhoods shouting through a bullhorn to entice voters to turn out.
This would be a fun contest to watch if we didn't have to make the choice ourselves.
In the East Ward, Joe Harrison and Verlina Reynolds-Jackson will battle for the hearts and minds of the electorate. Harrison has been an outspoken critic of Doug Palmer's troop of players and the administration's antics.
Ms. Reynolds-Jackson is a zoning board member and....
That is to say, she is a bit of an enigma and there is little information to be found from culling through her NJ ELEC reports. Come to think of it, the same is true from At-Large candidate Mr. Green.
And both Ms. Reynolds-Jackson and Mr. Green appear in campaign literature with Ms. Balmir...as well as on her website.
Hmmm...we smell a slate with some strange connections.
And then there is the West Ward. Zachary Chester is running up against Joyce Kersey. Ms. Kersey, you may remembered, stepped down from her post on the school board where she was an ineffective leader and member.
Mr. Chester waged a quiet, well-funded campaign with all the trappings of a city wide machine: communications director, volunteer coordinator, etc. He did have that little glitch where he ran afoul of the city's strict Pay-to-Play ordinance (which he and his wife helped pass by referendum in 2006).
To add interest to the run-off election will be the question of whether or not the proposed sale of part of the Trenton Water Works to NJ American Water should go through or not. (We think not). Leading up to yesterday's election, most of the candidates above took strong positions against the sale. A couple (Jackson and Chester specifically) have not been as forthcoming on the issue. NJ American Water is already pouring (pun intended) resources into the fight to have the sale approved. Watch closely and see where some of that money lands and how it impacts the candidate's positions in the next four weeks.
And buy some alka seltzer, pepto bismol or maloxx.
*there are some provisional ballots to be looked at and the scrutiny due to come to determine whether Eric Jackson or Manny Segura face Tony Mack in the Mayoral Runoff could actually change the outcome of the At-Large race and make a runoff unnecessary.
**Mill Hill and other areas traditionally part of the South Ward were redistricted into the North Ward in the spring of 2001. To this day, some feel it was a blatant effort to prevent Ms. Caldwell-Wilson from again challenging then Councilman John Ungrady for the South Ward seat.
-------
Editor's note: Comments made in the above posting have not set well with some readers. This has been brought to the attention of this site's management and is duly noted.
That said, for those objecting to anything contained above, we submit this snippet from an article written by Tom Hester, Jr. and published in the Times of Trenton on October 3, 1998:
Regarding the New Black Panther Party, our assumption was that everyone understands that group espouses black separatism, something we do not condone, and thus didn't need to comment further.
The pounding head, the ringing ears, the raspy throat, the very unsettled feeling in the stomach. All the result of overindulgence.
We think a majority of Trenton's voters...or a majority of the nearly 11,000 who actually voted in yesterday's municipal elections are experiencing some of the same symptoms this morning.
With a pitiful, less than 28% voter turnout, all but one of the contests to fill the Mayor and City Council seats appear to be headed for a runoff.
Only incumbent South Ward Councilman George Muschal has handed his challengers a solid defeat. The rest, Mayor, three Council At Large*, and the North, East, and West Council seats are headed into a June 15 runoff.
As we called it back in January. Top three vote getters in the Mayoral race are Tony Mack, Eric Jackson and Manny Segura. There are only three votes separating Segura from second place finisher Jackson. No doubt there will be challenges and a very close examination of the provisional ballots, etc. before the results are certified by the city clerk.
In the At-Large race, it appears as though Trenton has chosen an interesting trio as the primary vote getters: Kathy McBride, Alex Bethea and Phyllis Holly Ward. McBride is an outspoken anti-violence activist who ran for At-Large in 2002 and again in 2006 where she nearly upset Palmer's plans to keep his slate in office by squeaking out ahead of Cordelia "Dee Dee" Staton in the May election.
Bethea is a vice principal in one of the city schools, has also run before, and made the 2006 runoff with McBride and Mill Hill resident Jim Carlucci.
Holly-Ward is a city employee and former head of the Trenton Council of Civic Associations (TCCA). Her stint as TCCA president launched a monthly column in the Times where she wrote about building community and personal responsibility. Of the three, Holly-Ward is probably the best qualified candidate.
Should the At-Large race go to a runoff, Juan Martinez, T. "Missy" Balmir, and Darren "Freedom" Green will go up against McBride, Bethea and Holly-Ward. This is truly sad.
Martinez is a well-known opportunist working in the guise of Community Activist. He purports to belong to/head up the mythical, all encompassing People for the Revitalization of the South Ward (PROS) organization. The problem is, no one has ever been able to demonstrate when and where PROS meets; who the membership is other than Juan; provide copies of it's mission statement and/or by-laws, etc. Juan is probably most remembered for supporting the idiotic "Leewood" plan that would have wiped out some 6 square blocks of Trenton's South Ward through the use of eminent domain in order for Palmer friendly developer could then build new homes to sell back to the very people that had been displaced. Martinez's reward for his efforts on behalf of Leewood...a cushy $62,000 a year gig with the City School System as a community liaison. Not a good choice for any elected office in our estimation.
Missy Balmir is a former aide to Governor Corzine, a former aide to Rep. Rush Holt, a former aide to Mayor Doug Palmer and a former member of the Trenton School Board (appointed by Doug Palmer). In short, she has spent her adult life working with and for the same people who have led Trenton to the mess it is currently in and thinks she can change it for the better. Doubtful. And when you look at her campaign finance reports it becomes clear that Balmir is but another party hack put into play by a machine hoping to keep Trenton under it's thumb. Bad choice. Really bad choice.
Darren "Freedom" Green seems like an earnest enough fellow. But where has he been and what has he done prior to running for Council At Large? Why voters would choose him over obviously more experienced and and qualified candidates this time around is not only puzzling, it is actually disturbing.
In the three ward races going to a runoff things are just as confusing.
In the North Ward, party insider Marge Caldwell-Wilson will face New Black Panther Party member Divine Allah in the June contest. Ms. Caldwell-Wilson was removed from the South Ward** council seat in 1998 after some irregularities in absentee ballots were discovered. Her reward...she was appointed to the County Board of Elections (hire a crook to catch a crook?). She's flaunted her party connections as if they give her real qualifications to represent the people of the North Ward. In fact, she has been rather detached from real involvement in the community...including her own neighborhood association, until she decided to run for council. Note to Marge...union endorsements and glad handing with the former-gov might get you money, but it won't buy you friends.
Mr. Allah, on the other hand is waging a grass roots campaign that includes the retro-act of driving through the neighborhoods shouting through a bullhorn to entice voters to turn out.
This would be a fun contest to watch if we didn't have to make the choice ourselves.
In the East Ward, Joe Harrison and Verlina Reynolds-Jackson will battle for the hearts and minds of the electorate. Harrison has been an outspoken critic of Doug Palmer's troop of players and the administration's antics.
Ms. Reynolds-Jackson is a zoning board member and....
That is to say, she is a bit of an enigma and there is little information to be found from culling through her NJ ELEC reports. Come to think of it, the same is true from At-Large candidate Mr. Green.
And both Ms. Reynolds-Jackson and Mr. Green appear in campaign literature with Ms. Balmir...as well as on her website.
Hmmm...we smell a slate with some strange connections.
And then there is the West Ward. Zachary Chester is running up against Joyce Kersey. Ms. Kersey, you may remembered, stepped down from her post on the school board where she was an ineffective leader and member.
Mr. Chester waged a quiet, well-funded campaign with all the trappings of a city wide machine: communications director, volunteer coordinator, etc. He did have that little glitch where he ran afoul of the city's strict Pay-to-Play ordinance (which he and his wife helped pass by referendum in 2006).
To add interest to the run-off election will be the question of whether or not the proposed sale of part of the Trenton Water Works to NJ American Water should go through or not. (We think not). Leading up to yesterday's election, most of the candidates above took strong positions against the sale. A couple (Jackson and Chester specifically) have not been as forthcoming on the issue. NJ American Water is already pouring (pun intended) resources into the fight to have the sale approved. Watch closely and see where some of that money lands and how it impacts the candidate's positions in the next four weeks.
And buy some alka seltzer, pepto bismol or maloxx.
*there are some provisional ballots to be looked at and the scrutiny due to come to determine whether Eric Jackson or Manny Segura face Tony Mack in the Mayoral Runoff could actually change the outcome of the At-Large race and make a runoff unnecessary.
**Mill Hill and other areas traditionally part of the South Ward were redistricted into the North Ward in the spring of 2001. To this day, some feel it was a blatant effort to prevent Ms. Caldwell-Wilson from again challenging then Councilman John Ungrady for the South Ward seat.
-------
Editor's note: Comments made in the above posting have not set well with some readers. This has been brought to the attention of this site's management and is duly noted.
That said, for those objecting to anything contained above, we submit this snippet from an article written by Tom Hester, Jr. and published in the Times of Trenton on October 3, 1998:
In June, it seemed as though Marge Caldwell-Wilson _ courtesy of her five-vote victory over incumbent John Ungrady in the June runoff election, a victory made possible by a 36-7 absentee ballot advantage _ had become the South Ward's first woman representative. But when Allen Lee, Caldwell-Wilson's former campaign manager, visited the Millhouse Nursing Home just four days before the runoff, he was setting the stage for this Tuesday's unprecedented special election between Caldwell-Wilson and Ungrady for the South Ward council seat.In short, absentee ballots thrown out; an individual removed from office and a special election held. That was all we said on the matter.
DURING THAT VISIT, Lee went room-to-room delivering absentee ballots to the nursing home residents.
Two months later, testimony from the residents would help force his candidate from office, marking the first time in city history a judge removed someone from the council and called a special election, which will cost the taxpayers at least $40,000, according to city clerk Anthony Conti.
Regarding the New Black Panther Party, our assumption was that everyone understands that group espouses black separatism, something we do not condone, and thus didn't need to comment further.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Just too much to consider...
Ok. We admit it.
We have been somewhat “AWOL” the past few weeks.
Here’s the deal.
We have been nearly paralyzed with a “Municipal Election Migraine.” Considering the individuals running for public office in Trenton and the seeming lack of a grasp on the situation here in the Capital City, it is no small wonder that we are not collectively comatose!
Look at the facts: 10 individuals on the ballot as candidates for mayor. And not one of them comes close to the “whole package.”
Council At-Large…same thing.
And, just to make things interesting, there are documented, press-covered write-in candidates for each of those jobs. (At least with the Council At Large a voter has three choices).
At the ward level (Trenton elects four “Ward” council members.) there are choices between anywhere from three to five candidates.
Is it any wonder that we are in an “overload” situation?
What we need/should want in our next batch of Elected Officials is a group that will optimize all that our residents have to say on the subject of our new council and mayor. We need elected officials that are in touch with their constituents and who are ready to do the best and most they can to move Trenton forward.
We need officials who are not elected by virtue of their ethnicity, affiliations, or money raised/spent on campaigns. We need representation from people who know how to get things done and will do the same regardless of what it might mean personally or politically down the road.
That said, any candidate who has held office in the past 8, 12 or 16 years; any candidate who has held a position in city hall or been appointed to a position by the current/outgoing mayor; or any person who has otherwise flaunted ties to the about to depart junta should automatically disqualify themselves from consideration.
Trenton does not need “more of the same.” Trenton needs to hear from people outside of the current ruling clique.
Don’t believe us? Check out the various information and opinion offered by our fellow bloggers at Bald, Fat and Angry, Trenton Mayor 2010, or Trenton Kat.
Good luck and good night, Mr. and Mrs. And Ms. Trenton. We are going to need it!
We have been somewhat “AWOL” the past few weeks.
Here’s the deal.
We have been nearly paralyzed with a “Municipal Election Migraine.” Considering the individuals running for public office in Trenton and the seeming lack of a grasp on the situation here in the Capital City, it is no small wonder that we are not collectively comatose!
Look at the facts: 10 individuals on the ballot as candidates for mayor. And not one of them comes close to the “whole package.”
Council At-Large…same thing.
And, just to make things interesting, there are documented, press-covered write-in candidates for each of those jobs. (At least with the Council At Large a voter has three choices).
At the ward level (Trenton elects four “Ward” council members.) there are choices between anywhere from three to five candidates.
Is it any wonder that we are in an “overload” situation?
What we need/should want in our next batch of Elected Officials is a group that will optimize all that our residents have to say on the subject of our new council and mayor. We need elected officials that are in touch with their constituents and who are ready to do the best and most they can to move Trenton forward.
We need officials who are not elected by virtue of their ethnicity, affiliations, or money raised/spent on campaigns. We need representation from people who know how to get things done and will do the same regardless of what it might mean personally or politically down the road.
That said, any candidate who has held office in the past 8, 12 or 16 years; any candidate who has held a position in city hall or been appointed to a position by the current/outgoing mayor; or any person who has otherwise flaunted ties to the about to depart junta should automatically disqualify themselves from consideration.
Trenton does not need “more of the same.” Trenton needs to hear from people outside of the current ruling clique.
Don’t believe us? Check out the various information and opinion offered by our fellow bloggers at Bald, Fat and Angry, Trenton Mayor 2010, or Trenton Kat.
Good luck and good night, Mr. and Mrs. And Ms. Trenton. We are going to need it!
Friday, April 16, 2010
The blame game
"It's not my fault. I didn't cause it." --- the late George Carlin, comedian
Trenton’s lame duck city council took a double-barreled blast in the Trentonian yesterday.
In his Thursday column, Trentonian scribe L.A. Parker claimed that the five members of council who voted against the city budget demonstrated a lack of “accountability.” Parker did give the South Ward Councilman, George Muschal, a pass for only having come on board after November’s special election. He chided the other four “No” votes (Bethea, Lartigue, Melone and Segura) for passing the responsibility determining the city’s tax increase to the state Division of Local Services. Parker claims the four did not own up to their part in helping “put Trenton in this position” of begging the State for money.
It comes as no surprise that Parker did not mention at all the irresponsible and spendthrift ways of the Doug Palmer administration that for the past two years has waited until the fiscal year was more than half over before submitting a budget to city council.
Instead, Parker wrote a companion piece in which Palmer “blasts” city council’s alleged irresponsibility in the matter.
It is just too bad Parker doesn’t decry Palmer for not accepting his share of accountability in the matter.
Trenton’s lame duck city council took a double-barreled blast in the Trentonian yesterday.
In his Thursday column, Trentonian scribe L.A. Parker claimed that the five members of council who voted against the city budget demonstrated a lack of “accountability.” Parker did give the South Ward Councilman, George Muschal, a pass for only having come on board after November’s special election. He chided the other four “No” votes (Bethea, Lartigue, Melone and Segura) for passing the responsibility determining the city’s tax increase to the state Division of Local Services. Parker claims the four did not own up to their part in helping “put Trenton in this position” of begging the State for money.
It comes as no surprise that Parker did not mention at all the irresponsible and spendthrift ways of the Doug Palmer administration that for the past two years has waited until the fiscal year was more than half over before submitting a budget to city council.
Instead, Parker wrote a companion piece in which Palmer “blasts” city council’s alleged irresponsibility in the matter.
“I introduced a budget to City Council and then it was up to them to schedule meetings or hold budget workshops. The ball was in their court. I don’t want to hear anything about my Plan B,” Palmer said earlier today.Both Parker and Palmer seem to ignore the fact that Council cannot act on the budget until it is submitted by the administration. And Palmer should have submitted a “worst case” budget months ago and not relied upon the Supreme Court to bail him out by allowing the TWW water sale to go through without the chance of a referendum, which it didn't do.
“But now we have five city council members who are attempting to point the finger at me. I made my decisions. People elected me to be a leader and that’s what I have done. Being a leader is not for the weak of heart.”
Palmer praised President Paul Pintella and at large Councilwoman Cordelia Staton for “having the guts to take responsibility for the budget.
It is just too bad Parker doesn’t decry Palmer for not accepting his share of accountability in the matter.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Fear and Yawning Campaign 2010
(Apologies to the late Dr. Hunter S. Thompson)
With just under one month until Trenton’s municipal elections, things have been relatively quiet on most fronts.
Last Friday, the Times ran an article about some verbal sparring between former Palmer slate-mates turned Mayoral competitors Paul Pintella and Manny Segura.
Is that what had people walking around singing softly to themselves, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss”?
And speaking of the reign of King Douglas, did you catch this little love note in this morning’s Trentonian?
In case the image isn’t clear enough, the text of the Letter to the Editor reads as follows:
The latest Mayoral candidates’ forum was Sunday at the James Kerney Campus of Mercer County Community College and was covered by PolitickerNJ.com. The biggest revelations that occurred seemed to be the absence of Tony Mack who was honoring his previous commitment to coach a baseball game.
Some of the folks over on the Trenton Speaks forum discussed the pros and cons of giving Mr. Mack an excused absence for the event.
We’d like to talk a little about the At-Large Council race but there has been little to report on. The candidates seem to be keeping to themselves.
The one standout to date has been Algernon Ward, Jr. who was one of the petitioners fighting to have a public referendum on the proposed split and sale of the Trenton Water Works. Ward had an op-ed in today’s Times regarding the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the right to have a referendum on the matter.
The other candidates have been largely quiet. We have seen Juan Martinez signs around town…but they are mixed in with ones leftover from last fall’s failed attempt to win the South Ward council seat.
Typical Juan…doesn’t know which office he is seeking or let alone what he stands for.
And the various ward races are just about as quiet. There’s little coming out from most of the candidates. South Ward Councilman George Muschal is continuing the hands on street work that got him the win in November’s special election.
The North Ward campaign has been quiet with the exception of annoying notifications about fundraisers from Marge Caldwell-Wilson. Nothing of substance on policy or positions from any of the contenders to date.
In the West Ward, signs are starting to pop up on lawns along with the crabgrass and dandelions. Early entry Zach Chester has been playing the role of the quiet candidate, as has former school board member Joyce Kersey. Kevin Moriarty has been working the streets as well as the internet with regular blog postings. There are two West Ward candidate forums coming up that should prove to be enlightening for the voters. The first is tonight at the Lighthouse Community Center on Bellevue Ave and next Monday at Covenant Presbyterian Church, Parkside and Parkway.
The East Ward has been equally quiet. We don’t really know anything about the candidates other than Dion Clark has attended a lot of council meetings and spoken frequently about the need for cleaning up the trash (human and other) found along Walnut Avenue and such.
Chambersburg resident Joe Harrison can claim a similar attendance record at city council meetings and has been one of the few candidates in any of the races to utilize video on the internet to make his case to the voters.
If it seems like it has been an underwhelming campaign season...it has been. Whether due to the majority of uninspiring candidates, lack of real press coverage or both, who can say.
Regardless, it will be up to the voter to exercise some real critical thinking when they step into the voting booth on May 11.
With just under one month until Trenton’s municipal elections, things have been relatively quiet on most fronts.
Last Friday, the Times ran an article about some verbal sparring between former Palmer slate-mates turned Mayoral competitors Paul Pintella and Manny Segura.
More than the rhetorical jabbing from the candidates, we liked the subliminal message sent by whoever at the Times was responsible for choosing the photos. A second look at the pictured labeled “Paul Pintella” reveals that it is actually an older photo of Doug Palmer.
And speaking of the reign of King Douglas, did you catch this little love note in this morning’s Trentonian?
In case the image isn’t clear enough, the text of the Letter to the Editor reads as follows:
Four more yearsUm, thank you, Ms. Wilson. You may stop by city hall and pick up your Target gift card at any time now.
To the editor:Dear Mayor Palmer:
You are doing a beautiful job with our city. You put up a lot of new homes and buildings, and you’re doing a great job fighting crime
You did a great job helping senior citizens.
I went to the peace rally, and you did a beautiful job with that.
We need you on our team so Trenton can win.
There are a lot of residents in the city who would like you to reconsider and run for mayor again.
Please stay the mayor until Obama is out of office, and then you can be the next president.
God bless you and your family, and keep up the good work.
Sharon Wilson
Trenton
The latest Mayoral candidates’ forum was Sunday at the James Kerney Campus of Mercer County Community College and was covered by PolitickerNJ.com. The biggest revelations that occurred seemed to be the absence of Tony Mack who was honoring his previous commitment to coach a baseball game.
Some of the folks over on the Trenton Speaks forum discussed the pros and cons of giving Mr. Mack an excused absence for the event.
We’d like to talk a little about the At-Large Council race but there has been little to report on. The candidates seem to be keeping to themselves.
The one standout to date has been Algernon Ward, Jr. who was one of the petitioners fighting to have a public referendum on the proposed split and sale of the Trenton Water Works. Ward had an op-ed in today’s Times regarding the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the right to have a referendum on the matter.
The other candidates have been largely quiet. We have seen Juan Martinez signs around town…but they are mixed in with ones leftover from last fall’s failed attempt to win the South Ward council seat.
Typical Juan…doesn’t know which office he is seeking or let alone what he stands for.
And the various ward races are just about as quiet. There’s little coming out from most of the candidates. South Ward Councilman George Muschal is continuing the hands on street work that got him the win in November’s special election.
The North Ward campaign has been quiet with the exception of annoying notifications about fundraisers from Marge Caldwell-Wilson. Nothing of substance on policy or positions from any of the contenders to date.
In the West Ward, signs are starting to pop up on lawns along with the crabgrass and dandelions. Early entry Zach Chester has been playing the role of the quiet candidate, as has former school board member Joyce Kersey. Kevin Moriarty has been working the streets as well as the internet with regular blog postings. There are two West Ward candidate forums coming up that should prove to be enlightening for the voters. The first is tonight at the Lighthouse Community Center on Bellevue Ave and next Monday at Covenant Presbyterian Church, Parkside and Parkway.
The East Ward has been equally quiet. We don’t really know anything about the candidates other than Dion Clark has attended a lot of council meetings and spoken frequently about the need for cleaning up the trash (human and other) found along Walnut Avenue and such.
Chambersburg resident Joe Harrison can claim a similar attendance record at city council meetings and has been one of the few candidates in any of the races to utilize video on the internet to make his case to the voters.
If it seems like it has been an underwhelming campaign season...it has been. Whether due to the majority of uninspiring candidates, lack of real press coverage or both, who can say.
Regardless, it will be up to the voter to exercise some real critical thinking when they step into the voting booth on May 11.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Pop quizz
Are you really paying attention?
Let us leave aside those who want to hold a Rally or March; let’s ignore, for the moment, those candidates hosting “clean-ups” and cook-outs to promote their candidacy (did they do this before they got on the ballot?); let’s go back to the days before the NJ Supreme Court upheld the citizen’s right to hold a referendum on the ill-advised sale of part of the Trenton Water Works.
Let’s turn back the clock a week or so. You remember, back to when Mr. Palmer and others were wringing their hands and rending their garments and wailing at the Capitol building because the Governor had announced he was cutting all funding to Trenton.
(You do remember that “crisis,” right?)
The Palmer plot line is and has always been that the city loses a lot of money because it hosts the seat of state government. He regularly cites the amount of land the “state controls” as 1/3 of the city’s landmass and repeatedly claims Trenton does not get its fair share of property taxes from all the state buildings.
Some folks agree.
Some don’t.
Here’s an online quiz you can take to test your knowledge of ownership of office buildings in the city of Trenton. This appeared this morning on the Trenton Speaks forum. Like the individual who posted it, I think most will be surprised.
Let us leave aside those who want to hold a Rally or March; let’s ignore, for the moment, those candidates hosting “clean-ups” and cook-outs to promote their candidacy (did they do this before they got on the ballot?); let’s go back to the days before the NJ Supreme Court upheld the citizen’s right to hold a referendum on the ill-advised sale of part of the Trenton Water Works.
Let’s turn back the clock a week or so. You remember, back to when Mr. Palmer and others were wringing their hands and rending their garments and wailing at the Capitol building because the Governor had announced he was cutting all funding to Trenton.
(You do remember that “crisis,” right?)
The Palmer plot line is and has always been that the city loses a lot of money because it hosts the seat of state government. He regularly cites the amount of land the “state controls” as 1/3 of the city’s landmass and repeatedly claims Trenton does not get its fair share of property taxes from all the state buildings.
Some folks agree.
Some don’t.
Here’s an online quiz you can take to test your knowledge of ownership of office buildings in the city of Trenton. This appeared this morning on the Trenton Speaks forum. Like the individual who posted it, I think most will be surprised.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
The people will have a say in Trenton water deal
The New Jersey Supreme Court published it's ruling today in the case regarding the proposed sell off of the outlaying portion of the city owned water utility. The court voted 5 - 1 to reverse the Appellate Courts ruling that the right to referendum was not applicable in this case.
This is the second time in recent years that the Palmer administration has fought, at considerable cost to the taxpayers of the cash strapped city, to prevent the public from having it's say on an ordinance passed by city council.
And it is the second time that the Palmer administration has failed in its attempt to circumvent the public's right to referendum.
It is not known at this point what this actually means for the proposed separation of the existing Trenton Water Works (TWW) into two parts, one serving customers within the city of Trenton and the other, larger portion, serving customers in the adjacent suburbs. The "outside" portion was slated to be sold to New Jersey American Water Company (NJAW), a devision of a large, international, private water company.
It is possible that the lame duck city council could seek to rescind the ordinance approving the sale. More than likely, if either side terminates the agreement, it would be NJAW.
Should the ordinance go to referendum, the vote probably will not occur until November's general election.
This is the second time in recent years that the Palmer administration has fought, at considerable cost to the taxpayers of the cash strapped city, to prevent the public from having it's say on an ordinance passed by city council.
And it is the second time that the Palmer administration has failed in its attempt to circumvent the public's right to referendum.
It is not known at this point what this actually means for the proposed separation of the existing Trenton Water Works (TWW) into two parts, one serving customers within the city of Trenton and the other, larger portion, serving customers in the adjacent suburbs. The "outside" portion was slated to be sold to New Jersey American Water Company (NJAW), a devision of a large, international, private water company.
It is possible that the lame duck city council could seek to rescind the ordinance approving the sale. More than likely, if either side terminates the agreement, it would be NJAW.
Should the ordinance go to referendum, the vote probably will not occur until November's general election.
Rally this!
L.A. Parker and others are right.
Having a rally, or a march, and having Al Sharpton, Russel Simmons, or other notables show up is NOT the solution to Trenton's woes. It is but another cheap political stunt by Emmanuel Shahid Watson ben Avaraham and a chance to grab some headlines for Mssrs. Sharpton and Simmons*.
Self-promotion at the expense of a poor little girl and her family.
Of course, Mr. Parker doesn't mind going on the radio in another city to speak about the case. He's just as guilty of self-promotion as the others.
*We have just learned that Mr. Simmons has announced he will not attend this event as per a post here. Seems either Mr. Simmons' name was being tossed out there without his permission or he came to think there were better ways to help. Good for him!
Having a rally, or a march, and having Al Sharpton, Russel Simmons, or other notables show up is NOT the solution to Trenton's woes. It is but another cheap political stunt by Emmanuel Shahid Watson ben Avaraham and a chance to grab some headlines for Mssrs. Sharpton and Simmons*.
Self-promotion at the expense of a poor little girl and her family.
Of course, Mr. Parker doesn't mind going on the radio in another city to speak about the case. He's just as guilty of self-promotion as the others.
*We have just learned that Mr. Simmons has announced he will not attend this event as per a post here. Seems either Mr. Simmons' name was being tossed out there without his permission or he came to think there were better ways to help. Good for him!
Thursday, April 01, 2010
More dollars, less sense.
"For Trenton, because of shoestring budgets that have always reflected little money, reduced money, or no money – we are accustomed to the idea of doing more with less."--- Doug Palmer, March 30, 2010
Yet he can haphazardly mail invitations to his speech…in several instances mailing two invites to the same person and address at nearly half again the required postal rate. Maybe he meant to say "doing less but costing more."
We recognize that we’re talking pennies here: 61 cents vs. 44 cents; even when multiplied by the hundreds of letters that were mailed out.
This is indicative of the Palmer administration’s careless and wasteful ways. At least he didn’t have the invitation letters FedEx-ed to the mailing list.
Thanks for an excellent demonstration of your style of fiscal management, Doug. Your credibility shrinks with each and every passing day.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
It is the state's fault
{Yawn!}
Well, we weren’t too far off in our estimation of Doug Palmer’s speech regarding the governor’s proposed elimination of all aid to the city of Trenton. (Surprisingly, there were no shout outs to departing Acting Business Administrator Dennis Gonzalez and no blame laid at the feet of the opponents to the Trenton Water Works split and sale).
In a rather tired and repetitive speech before a packed city council chamber, Palmer pointed the finger squarely at the Capitol and the state’s alleged refusal to pay a fair share. He railed against the states refusal to allow development on the surface parking lots that surround some of the state buildings downtown.
In short, last night was an attempt at a Tent Revival-type meeting aimed at firing up the public’s passionate indignation at the Governor putting his foot down and refusing to fund the city’s spendthrift ways.
By and large, the attempt failed.
Palmer was unable to stir much emotion from the assembled crowd as he read through his prepared remarks.
We’ve heard it all before and I think all but the most die-hard Palmer supporters are tired of the twisted logic and half-truths.
Let’s remember that the parking lots around the Hughes Justice Complex are actually owned by the Trenton Parking Authority (TPA). The state has a 40 year lease with the TPA for those spots that brought nearly $1.3 million in revenue last year.
And then there is Palmer’s estimate that the state would owe $155 million in taxes if they paid the same assessment as other property owners.
Dan Dodson, who has formed a citizen’s group to look at AND FIX the city’s budget has come up with the following counter argument:
Let’s hope that the Fix Trenton’s Budget group can provide some clearheaded thinking that can be brought to the table during negotiations with the state.
Well, we weren’t too far off in our estimation of Doug Palmer’s speech regarding the governor’s proposed elimination of all aid to the city of Trenton. (Surprisingly, there were no shout outs to departing Acting Business Administrator Dennis Gonzalez and no blame laid at the feet of the opponents to the Trenton Water Works split and sale).
In a rather tired and repetitive speech before a packed city council chamber, Palmer pointed the finger squarely at the Capitol and the state’s alleged refusal to pay a fair share. He railed against the states refusal to allow development on the surface parking lots that surround some of the state buildings downtown.
In short, last night was an attempt at a Tent Revival-type meeting aimed at firing up the public’s passionate indignation at the Governor putting his foot down and refusing to fund the city’s spendthrift ways.
By and large, the attempt failed.
Palmer was unable to stir much emotion from the assembled crowd as he read through his prepared remarks.
We’ve heard it all before and I think all but the most die-hard Palmer supporters are tired of the twisted logic and half-truths.
Let’s remember that the parking lots around the Hughes Justice Complex are actually owned by the Trenton Parking Authority (TPA). The state has a 40 year lease with the TPA for those spots that brought nearly $1.3 million in revenue last year.
And then there is Palmer’s estimate that the state would owe $155 million in taxes if they paid the same assessment as other property owners.
Dan Dodson, who has formed a citizen’s group to look at AND FIX the city’s budget has come up with the following counter argument:
Mayor Palmer claims that the State should be paying us $155M if they were taxed at our rate (~let’s say 3% effective). That would equate to a valuation of state property of roughly $4.5B.
However, DCA estimates all public property in Trenton which includes State, City and Federal buildings (but doesn’t include schools and the arenas) at $1.4B. Based on this number and some analysis by Trenton Downtown Associationi and my own guesstimate, I’d say the State valuation is more like $1.2B. With that valuation in mind, the State would owe more like $36M/year in PILOT.
Trenton’s actual ratable value is $2.1B (the number our property taxes are based on).
A disagreement about this basic fact would lead to two radically different positions:
- If the Mayor is right, then the State is a deadbeat like he said.
- If my calculations are right, then we’ve been receiving aid for a long time because the State currently funds us to the tune of $340M ($250M for schools and $90 for municipal aid).
Let’s hope that the Fix Trenton’s Budget group can provide some clearheaded thinking that can be brought to the table during negotiations with the state.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Trenton Faces the Governor’s Fiscal 2011 Budget
The following is the text of Doug Palmer's prepared remarks for the special meeting he called for 5:30 pm this evening.
Good evening, and thank you for coming tonight for this information session.
I am sure that most of you have heard or read about Governor Christie’s proposed budget.
Certainly, we all recognize that the State of New Jersey is among the worst-hit states from the recession and that the Governor is trying to balance a State budget with a $10.7 billion hole in it. To do that, he has proposed cuts of $445 million in municipal aid, to be replaced with $159 million. The cities are then expected to compete for those remaining crumbs on the table.
I am sure you have heard or read that many in our community and in others all around us are in a state of shock about Governor Christie’s plan.
What I don’t know, and must be sure of, is that you understand the SEVERE IMPACT that Governor Christie’s proposed budget would have – ESPECIALLY on those of us who are residents of the Capital City. For Trenton, because of shoestring budgets that have always reflected little money, reduced money, or no money – we are accustomed to the idea of doing more with less. We are used to being told “this grant isn’t being funded” or “that aid has been reduced.” So the notion that the State would be up to its same old tactics of slighting its own capital city is neither a surprise nor a foreign concept to us.
But to say to the state’s ONLY capital city…the ONLY city in the great state of New Jersey to host the Capital Dome and all that comes with it ... to say to this capital city … “I know that we bring an additional 30,000 people a day into your city to ride on your streets, to be protected by your fire department, to be serviced by your police and other emergency personnel” … to say to this capital city, “regardless of how we lean on, depend on, and otherwise EXPECT the City to shoulder and support State government, despite the burden of that reality, I am going to cut every dime of the dollars that have helped bear the load as Capital City Aid. Times are tight and at the end of the day you are no different than any other municipality in New
Jersey.”
Just two weeks ago today, that was clearly the overwhelming tone of the Governor’s proposed cuts to Trenton.
Now, if we start by looking at what is true for the city of Trenton, here’s what we find…Trenton is roughly seven and a half square miles.
The State of New Jersey takes up about two-and-a-half square miles of Trenton … mostly in prime locations where developers would jump to get the chance to build.
That means the State sits on one-third of our property…on 213 properties to be exact.
IF they provided State aid based on our proposed tax rate for this year, that is, the same tax rate you and I have to pay, the City of Trenton would receive more than $155 million this budget year from the State of New Jersey. Instead, this year we received $87.6 million, which included a reduction.
Now, the Governor proposes to deliver real devastation for next year, with a proposal that ELIMINATES more than $42 million. That would include loss of EVERY DIME of our Capital City Aid … and other municipal aid as well.
So what’s the impact of a loss of $42 million; what is the impact on the City’s budget if that happens?
Some are speculating about layoffs. The reality is that a $42 million cut would be far worse than layoffs. A cut of this magnitude would likely threaten our ability to govern and manage ourselves as a City. To give you
some sense of this, there are entire Departments that run on less than $3 million, because of streamlining measures that we’ve already taken.
So that gives you a sense of how much cutting we would have to do to balance the budget with any cut as massive as $42 million.
And these are just the proposed cuts to the City’s budget. We haven’t even talked about the other draconian measures that would cut funding AND close the doors of unique and important institutions like Thomas Edison State College.
We haven’t discussed the fact that we don’t know what would happen to the Capital City Redevelopment Corporation, the ONLY state agency working toward the dedicated purpose of helping to bring development to Trenton.
The $42.3 million in cuts that the City faces doesn’t include ANY of the MANY agencies and institutions that are the very lifeblood of this city.
The reason our focus tonight is on the Governor’s proposed cuts to Trenton is because IF we suffer ANY loss of our ALREADY REDUCED and ALREADY INADEQUATE State aid, then our ability to continue to govern ourselves is at SERIOUS question.
This is the matter that the people of Trenton AND the Legislature MUST understand at this critical hour.
As I have discussed this issue, I have come to one conclusion: Either the Governor and the Legislature don’t know what these additional cuts to Trenton’s aid would mean for their capital city or they DON’T CARE what it means … or perhaps, they don’t even care to know. I cannot help but to believe that one of these thoughts is in play.
Well, tonight, we must be sure that we send the sound and the signal that NEITHER of these conclusions is acceptable to us.
By now, you should be saying to yourselves, This is really bad. Because it is. You should also be saying, There’s got to be something we can do.
And there is.
First of all, you can be certain that, as your Mayor, I have had many conversations with members of OUR delegation. Let me be clear: This group gets it. They have understood from the beginning. That’s why the voices and leadership of Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora and Senator Shirley Turner were the first and ONLY voices we have heard publicly from the Legislature. They have sent a loud message to the Governor – and they have been hard at work with their fellow legislators to gain their support and understanding for the Capital City’s cause. Senator Turner has sponsored a bill requiring the State to pay its FULL share of municipal taxes to Trenton, and she has received support from our City Council and others.
What we need to do now is to add the strength of our numbers and voices to our legislative delegation’s efforts. We need to call, email and write key members and let them know: WE WANT TRENTON’S FUNDING RESTORED!
Information will be available to you on our website for you to be able to contact our legislators and tell them: We cannot afford to take up even more of the State’s slack. We cannot afford to pay the rent that the
Governor wants to sidestep.
Next month, I will testify before the Assembly in an effort to ensure that everyone understands the devastating impact the Governor’s budget proposal will have on the Capital City region – as well as the State Capital itself – if the Governor is allowed to cut Trenton’s ALREADY INADEQUATE, ALREADY REDUCED State aid.
Of course we are aware that The State of New Jersey is in fiscal shambles.
With an $11 billion deficit, I think we can safely say that’s a fact. I agree with many proposals from the Governor to address this issue – but he needs to know that when he criticizes municipalities for lack of discipline … our City just conducted layoffs and slashed $21 million from our current budget. We are disciplined here.
The State’s public workers’ wages and benefits must undergo reform. Most people recognize that.
The bottom line is that public wages and benefits have outgrown our ability to pay them. That’s clear when we see that the State is billions of dollars behind in funding its pension plans. So, most of us see the reality of the situation. And nobody should fault this governor or the previous one for attempting to reign in the cost of government and to reform its methods of providing services to achieve efficiency. That part, we get.
That part, the people of Trenton understand.
But it gets confusing when the Governor decides that in the name of a balanced budget, he should not pay the rent where he lives. Ladies and gentlemen, the home of the State of New Jersey is TRENTON. I don’t know where the governor thinks he lives … but I can tell you that since 1790 the home address of the State of New Jersey has been TRENTON, New Jersey. That, to me, means OUR city is where he lives….THIS city is his home. And if you are a taxpayer here…that makes YOU his landlord.
Now, I have one question for you….does his proposal to cut more than $42 million, including every dime of the City’s special Capital City Aid, sound like he intends to pay his rent?
If he has proposed to wipe that line item completely out of his budget, does it sound to you like he intends to be a good tenant?
Over the years, I have heard several people say – with pride – that Trenton ought to get off its knees and stop “begging” the state for what we ought to do for ourselves. You know, the old bootstrap theory … you’ve heard it before.
For those of you who have found yourself agreeing with that notion, let me ask you something: If you don’t pay your rent, can you get away with telling the landlord to get out of your face and stop “begging” for what you want?
Or, is it true that whether or not you HAVE the money to pay your rent, you indeed still owe it? Is it suddenly true that if you don’t want to pay … or can’t pay … that the landlord should just go away, or just accept whatever you can give him and stop bothering you?
Ladies and gentlemen, the point is this: The City isn’t begging the State for a single thing.
For years, the City has simply been trying to get the State to do the same thing that you and I must do as property owners or renters in our City … and that is to pay our fair share.
Whether you use the streets in our city or not, as a property owner, you must pay your fair share of the burden of having those streets provided to you.
Whether you utilize the schools or not, as a property owner, you must pay in taxes to help provide them. Whether you ever have to call upon the Trenton Fire Department … you still must pay your fair share for the
protection and comfort of their presence … just in case that fateful day does occur.
What I am suggesting to you tonight is that if the people of Trenton have to pay to help provide the services in our City, is there any reason why anyone should think that the State of New Jersey … the entity that takes up one-third of ALL of our property … the entity that sits on the most desirable tracts of land for development in our City … the entity that sponsors 30,000 people and vehicles into and out of our city on a daily basis … is there any reason why ANYONE should think that the State should have a reduced obligation to provide special, separate and distinct annual funding to help defray the cost that otherwise must be put on the backs of the people who live here?
Earlier, I told you the facts … the things that are true.
Now, let’s consider what is right.
It is nothing more than right for the State Legislature to insist that the Governor put back every dime of Trenton’s Capital City Aid. It is nothing more than right for the people of Trenton to expect that if the State will not pay its fair share it will at least leave intact the amount that we currently receive.
It is equally important that you know that the City has not sat idly by all of these years without trying to encourage and partner with the State to move off of several specific areas near our downtown where private developers have shown a keen interest.
My administration has worked diligently with the McGreevey and Corzine administrations to get them to move off of the parking lot surrounding the Justice Complex and to vacate both the lot and the building from the Health and Agriculture site. We have legitimate development opportunities that have been ready to go for years. But the State has never honestly committed to working with us to do that.
In my time here as your Mayor, from one State House administration to the next, Trenton has been given three answers:
That time is now. The time is now for us to understand that no leader of our city, neither now nor in the future, has the ability to fix our structural deficit as long as the State won’t pay its fair share. No wild-eyed promise from a candidate can help as long as we have no home rule – no ability to create new taxes like Philadelphia and many other cities have done, to deal with their budget issues. Our ability to raise our own revenues is grossly hampered by State law.
The fact is that the State is trying to have it both ways, by not paying its fair share – and by refusing to vacate our prime property so that others who would pay can develop here.
Our position is that the State must pay, or the State must go so others will pay.
Otherwise, we are stuck in the mud of our structural deficit, which means that we have a “built-in” problem that we have NO ability to make go away.
And that “built-in” problem is the tax exempt presence of the State of New Jersey.
My friends, our time is now to understand what is poised to happen to us and to act before it’s too late.
We must make our voices known before it’s too late. Call our legislators. Write them. Let them know the City must have its funding restored –because the ball is in the Legislators’ court. They have the power to make changes to the Governor’s proposal.
Let us act in unity now.
Thank you.
Good evening, and thank you for coming tonight for this information session.
I am sure that most of you have heard or read about Governor Christie’s proposed budget.
Certainly, we all recognize that the State of New Jersey is among the worst-hit states from the recession and that the Governor is trying to balance a State budget with a $10.7 billion hole in it. To do that, he has proposed cuts of $445 million in municipal aid, to be replaced with $159 million. The cities are then expected to compete for those remaining crumbs on the table.
I am sure you have heard or read that many in our community and in others all around us are in a state of shock about Governor Christie’s plan.
What I don’t know, and must be sure of, is that you understand the SEVERE IMPACT that Governor Christie’s proposed budget would have – ESPECIALLY on those of us who are residents of the Capital City. For Trenton, because of shoestring budgets that have always reflected little money, reduced money, or no money – we are accustomed to the idea of doing more with less. We are used to being told “this grant isn’t being funded” or “that aid has been reduced.” So the notion that the State would be up to its same old tactics of slighting its own capital city is neither a surprise nor a foreign concept to us.
But to say to the state’s ONLY capital city…the ONLY city in the great state of New Jersey to host the Capital Dome and all that comes with it ... to say to this capital city … “I know that we bring an additional 30,000 people a day into your city to ride on your streets, to be protected by your fire department, to be serviced by your police and other emergency personnel” … to say to this capital city, “regardless of how we lean on, depend on, and otherwise EXPECT the City to shoulder and support State government, despite the burden of that reality, I am going to cut every dime of the dollars that have helped bear the load as Capital City Aid. Times are tight and at the end of the day you are no different than any other municipality in New
Jersey.”
Just two weeks ago today, that was clearly the overwhelming tone of the Governor’s proposed cuts to Trenton.
Now, if we start by looking at what is true for the city of Trenton, here’s what we find…Trenton is roughly seven and a half square miles.
The State of New Jersey takes up about two-and-a-half square miles of Trenton … mostly in prime locations where developers would jump to get the chance to build.
That means the State sits on one-third of our property…on 213 properties to be exact.
IF they provided State aid based on our proposed tax rate for this year, that is, the same tax rate you and I have to pay, the City of Trenton would receive more than $155 million this budget year from the State of New Jersey. Instead, this year we received $87.6 million, which included a reduction.
Now, the Governor proposes to deliver real devastation for next year, with a proposal that ELIMINATES more than $42 million. That would include loss of EVERY DIME of our Capital City Aid … and other municipal aid as well.
So what’s the impact of a loss of $42 million; what is the impact on the City’s budget if that happens?
Some are speculating about layoffs. The reality is that a $42 million cut would be far worse than layoffs. A cut of this magnitude would likely threaten our ability to govern and manage ourselves as a City. To give you
some sense of this, there are entire Departments that run on less than $3 million, because of streamlining measures that we’ve already taken.
So that gives you a sense of how much cutting we would have to do to balance the budget with any cut as massive as $42 million.
And these are just the proposed cuts to the City’s budget. We haven’t even talked about the other draconian measures that would cut funding AND close the doors of unique and important institutions like Thomas Edison State College.
We haven’t discussed the fact that we don’t know what would happen to the Capital City Redevelopment Corporation, the ONLY state agency working toward the dedicated purpose of helping to bring development to Trenton.
The $42.3 million in cuts that the City faces doesn’t include ANY of the MANY agencies and institutions that are the very lifeblood of this city.
The reason our focus tonight is on the Governor’s proposed cuts to Trenton is because IF we suffer ANY loss of our ALREADY REDUCED and ALREADY INADEQUATE State aid, then our ability to continue to govern ourselves is at SERIOUS question.
This is the matter that the people of Trenton AND the Legislature MUST understand at this critical hour.
As I have discussed this issue, I have come to one conclusion: Either the Governor and the Legislature don’t know what these additional cuts to Trenton’s aid would mean for their capital city or they DON’T CARE what it means … or perhaps, they don’t even care to know. I cannot help but to believe that one of these thoughts is in play.
Well, tonight, we must be sure that we send the sound and the signal that NEITHER of these conclusions is acceptable to us.
By now, you should be saying to yourselves, This is really bad. Because it is. You should also be saying, There’s got to be something we can do.
And there is.
First of all, you can be certain that, as your Mayor, I have had many conversations with members of OUR delegation. Let me be clear: This group gets it. They have understood from the beginning. That’s why the voices and leadership of Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman, Assemblyman Reed Gusciora and Senator Shirley Turner were the first and ONLY voices we have heard publicly from the Legislature. They have sent a loud message to the Governor – and they have been hard at work with their fellow legislators to gain their support and understanding for the Capital City’s cause. Senator Turner has sponsored a bill requiring the State to pay its FULL share of municipal taxes to Trenton, and she has received support from our City Council and others.
What we need to do now is to add the strength of our numbers and voices to our legislative delegation’s efforts. We need to call, email and write key members and let them know: WE WANT TRENTON’S FUNDING RESTORED!
Information will be available to you on our website for you to be able to contact our legislators and tell them: We cannot afford to take up even more of the State’s slack. We cannot afford to pay the rent that the
Governor wants to sidestep.
Next month, I will testify before the Assembly in an effort to ensure that everyone understands the devastating impact the Governor’s budget proposal will have on the Capital City region – as well as the State Capital itself – if the Governor is allowed to cut Trenton’s ALREADY INADEQUATE, ALREADY REDUCED State aid.
Of course we are aware that The State of New Jersey is in fiscal shambles.
With an $11 billion deficit, I think we can safely say that’s a fact. I agree with many proposals from the Governor to address this issue – but he needs to know that when he criticizes municipalities for lack of discipline … our City just conducted layoffs and slashed $21 million from our current budget. We are disciplined here.
The State’s public workers’ wages and benefits must undergo reform. Most people recognize that.
The bottom line is that public wages and benefits have outgrown our ability to pay them. That’s clear when we see that the State is billions of dollars behind in funding its pension plans. So, most of us see the reality of the situation. And nobody should fault this governor or the previous one for attempting to reign in the cost of government and to reform its methods of providing services to achieve efficiency. That part, we get.
That part, the people of Trenton understand.
But it gets confusing when the Governor decides that in the name of a balanced budget, he should not pay the rent where he lives. Ladies and gentlemen, the home of the State of New Jersey is TRENTON. I don’t know where the governor thinks he lives … but I can tell you that since 1790 the home address of the State of New Jersey has been TRENTON, New Jersey. That, to me, means OUR city is where he lives….THIS city is his home. And if you are a taxpayer here…that makes YOU his landlord.
Now, I have one question for you….does his proposal to cut more than $42 million, including every dime of the City’s special Capital City Aid, sound like he intends to pay his rent?
If he has proposed to wipe that line item completely out of his budget, does it sound to you like he intends to be a good tenant?
Over the years, I have heard several people say – with pride – that Trenton ought to get off its knees and stop “begging” the state for what we ought to do for ourselves. You know, the old bootstrap theory … you’ve heard it before.
For those of you who have found yourself agreeing with that notion, let me ask you something: If you don’t pay your rent, can you get away with telling the landlord to get out of your face and stop “begging” for what you want?
Or, is it true that whether or not you HAVE the money to pay your rent, you indeed still owe it? Is it suddenly true that if you don’t want to pay … or can’t pay … that the landlord should just go away, or just accept whatever you can give him and stop bothering you?
Ladies and gentlemen, the point is this: The City isn’t begging the State for a single thing.
For years, the City has simply been trying to get the State to do the same thing that you and I must do as property owners or renters in our City … and that is to pay our fair share.
Whether you use the streets in our city or not, as a property owner, you must pay your fair share of the burden of having those streets provided to you.
Whether you utilize the schools or not, as a property owner, you must pay in taxes to help provide them. Whether you ever have to call upon the Trenton Fire Department … you still must pay your fair share for the
protection and comfort of their presence … just in case that fateful day does occur.
What I am suggesting to you tonight is that if the people of Trenton have to pay to help provide the services in our City, is there any reason why anyone should think that the State of New Jersey … the entity that takes up one-third of ALL of our property … the entity that sits on the most desirable tracts of land for development in our City … the entity that sponsors 30,000 people and vehicles into and out of our city on a daily basis … is there any reason why ANYONE should think that the State should have a reduced obligation to provide special, separate and distinct annual funding to help defray the cost that otherwise must be put on the backs of the people who live here?
Earlier, I told you the facts … the things that are true.
Now, let’s consider what is right.
It is nothing more than right for the State Legislature to insist that the Governor put back every dime of Trenton’s Capital City Aid. It is nothing more than right for the people of Trenton to expect that if the State will not pay its fair share it will at least leave intact the amount that we currently receive.
It is equally important that you know that the City has not sat idly by all of these years without trying to encourage and partner with the State to move off of several specific areas near our downtown where private developers have shown a keen interest.
My administration has worked diligently with the McGreevey and Corzine administrations to get them to move off of the parking lot surrounding the Justice Complex and to vacate both the lot and the building from the Health and Agriculture site. We have legitimate development opportunities that have been ready to go for years. But the State has never honestly committed to working with us to do that.
In my time here as your Mayor, from one State House administration to the next, Trenton has been given three answers:
No, the State won’t pay its full taxes.Ladies and Gentlemen, there comes a time when people need to understand what is happening to them so that they can take a stand, before it’s already a done deal.
No, the State won’t vacate prime property so that the City can develop it for full taxes. And now, from Governor Christie, the nightmare of all no’s…
No, we won’t continue to pay even the small fraction of what we had been paying.
That time is now. The time is now for us to understand that no leader of our city, neither now nor in the future, has the ability to fix our structural deficit as long as the State won’t pay its fair share. No wild-eyed promise from a candidate can help as long as we have no home rule – no ability to create new taxes like Philadelphia and many other cities have done, to deal with their budget issues. Our ability to raise our own revenues is grossly hampered by State law.
The fact is that the State is trying to have it both ways, by not paying its fair share – and by refusing to vacate our prime property so that others who would pay can develop here.
Our position is that the State must pay, or the State must go so others will pay.
Otherwise, we are stuck in the mud of our structural deficit, which means that we have a “built-in” problem that we have NO ability to make go away.
And that “built-in” problem is the tax exempt presence of the State of New Jersey.
My friends, our time is now to understand what is poised to happen to us and to act before it’s too late.
We must make our voices known before it’s too late. Call our legislators. Write them. Let them know the City must have its funding restored –because the ball is in the Legislators’ court. They have the power to make changes to the Governor’s proposal.
Let us act in unity now.
Thank you.
Waiting
In a less than an hour, Doug Palmer will kick off his special meeting to deal with the city of Trenton’s budget crisis.
He’s no doubt spent the past day or two seriously preparing for this meeting.
Kent Ashworth, Palmer’s Public Relations flack, will have shaped a presentation out of familiar themes:
Doug Palmer will do his best to level criticism and attach blame to anyone and everyone else but himself. He will not admit that he has driven the city’s fiscal ship up onto the rocks and that the sea of red ink is flooding us beyond repair.
He hopes that by doing this, he can stir up the emotions of city residents enough to lead them on a march from East to West State Street in a display of public outrage over the Governor’s heavy handed budget cuts.
But what good is there such a protest? Walking five blocks west on State Street will not restore the state’s charity funding for our foundering city.
While the clock ticks down on the Palmer “Reign of Error,” the wannabe successors have been largely quiet about their plans to deal with the city’s impending bankruptcy. Considering that three of the Mayoral candidates (Lartigue, Pintella, and Segura) have sat on city council for at least the past eight years, their respective silence is not surprising. They can and must take partial blame for the city’s current financial crisis because they consistently yielded their power and responsibility for the budget matters to Palmer and his staff.
Similarly, Public Works Director Eric Jackson has been a part of the current administration’s fiscal fumbling. Whether by design or directive, it doesn’t matter. He’s been a part of the Palmer team and must shoulder some of the responsibility for our broken budget.
Alex Brown, a member of the seriously flawed and mayor-appointed school board, has not proven his worth as a steward of the school system. Why would we trust him with running the city?
Of the other Mayoral candidates, none have yet come forward with solid plans for dealing with the looming deficits even though members of the voting public have strongly suggested they do so.
We’d expect Frank Weeden or John Harmon to demonstrate their business background and offer some concrete ideas for dealing with the city’s finances. So far, nothing has come forward from their respective camps.
Emmanuel Shahid Watson ben Avraham has demonstrated a knack for scamming the state for money, but it is not likely he can revamp the con game he ran on the state department of corrections into a program that will get funding for the city of Trenton.
Tony Mack has some business administration credentials of his own, but he’s not yet put out a definitive plan for dealing with the city’s finances going forward.
Keith Hamilton has proven to be the “quiet man” amongst the candidates, saying little other than pointing to holding the line on taxes in Mercer County during his tenure as a Freeholder. And this point, valid or not, he must share with Mack who sat on the Freeholder board for much of the same time frame as Hamilton.
We’ll see how many of these candidates stand up to be counted at today’s session in City Hall.
He’s no doubt spent the past day or two seriously preparing for this meeting.
Kent Ashworth, Palmer’s Public Relations flack, will have shaped a presentation out of familiar themes:
- The state has not paid its fair share; the city needs to redevelop the parking lots around the state buildings
- The people trying to stop the sale of the suburban part of the Trenton Water Works have helped bring us to the brink of fiscal ruin.
- Along the way Palmer will no doubt pause to give praise to his departing (but not soon enough) acting Business Administrator, Dennis Gonzalez.
Doug Palmer will do his best to level criticism and attach blame to anyone and everyone else but himself. He will not admit that he has driven the city’s fiscal ship up onto the rocks and that the sea of red ink is flooding us beyond repair.
***
While the clock ticks down on the Palmer “Reign of Error,” the wannabe successors have been largely quiet about their plans to deal with the city’s impending bankruptcy. Considering that three of the Mayoral candidates (Lartigue, Pintella, and Segura) have sat on city council for at least the past eight years, their respective silence is not surprising. They can and must take partial blame for the city’s current financial crisis because they consistently yielded their power and responsibility for the budget matters to Palmer and his staff.
Monday, March 08, 2010
Trenton’s electoral pickle
Bound to leave a sour taste
The abnormally large number of candidates running for Trenton’s elected offices (the mayor and seven city council seats) has raised the specter of a messy campaign season.
Mix in the totally incompetent way the current council went about replacing Acting City Clerk Juanita Joyner with a temporary, non-resident, Deputy Clerk and you have a recipe for complete electoral meltdown.
Even hiring in former city clerk Anthony Conti as a consultant to help the clerk’s office get through the May 11 election appears to be too little, too late.
In an interview with the Trentonian, Conti allows that even with an all out push, the clerk’s office may not be able to certify all candidates by the March 18 deadline.
It’s a mess. A complete and utter mess. A true case of “too many cooks spoiling the broth.”
Appointed Acting Municipal Clerk after Conti retired in 2007; Ms. Joyner has apparently completed all the required course work for the position but has yet to take the certification exam. Suddenly, this past fall, there was a big push to replace Joyner.
On the surface there appeared to be some questions about her competency, but there was also the coincidence of Councilwoman Cordelia Staton expressing interest in the position. (After serving two terms on council, Staton is not running for re-election this year).
This raised some eyebrows because the City Clerk oversees the election process on behalf of the city (the County Clerk and the County Board of Elections also have a role in the process, but the City Clerk is the primary authority). If Staton had been named clerk, her council seat would most likely have remained vacant until after the election. In the meantime she would be called upon to “referee” a Mayoral race featuring three of her council colleagues as candidates.
Many people were uneasy with the idea of Ms. Staton…who twice ran, and won, on the Palmer ticket with Paul Pintella and Manny Segura. Both are running for Mayor, but Segura has positioned himself as far from his former slate mates as possible.
There was reportedly considerable infighting amongst council regarding the suggested removal of Joyner just to replace her with Staton. After a couple of false starts to the process Staton withdrew her name from consideration.
Still, council suddenly and abruptly decided to not extend Joyner’s appointment. At the same time it was wisely and correctly pointed out that the incoming council should be the ones to appoint the next City Clerk.
One reasonable solution might have been to extend Joyner’s appointment through Labor Day at the latest. A certified, experienced individual…such as Mr. Conti, could then have been hired as a consultant through the elections to ensure a fair, transparent process.
Instead, council voted to end Joyner’ tenure as Acting Municipal Clerk effective Feb. 28 and retained the services of an Acting Deputy Municipal Clerk starting March 1...a mere three working weeks before the candidate certification deadline.
The person hired, Leona Baylor, is certified and has worked in the clerks office in Hightstown Borough. Baylor is not a city resident and that has raised some questions about the legality of her contract appointment.
Not to oversimplify, but if she is an appointee, she needs to be a resident; if she is truly a contract employee, she might be exempt. It all depends upon how you define the Acting Deputy Municipal Clerk position? And that definition may ultimately have to come from the courts…and cost the city more of our tax dollars to defend the case, not to mention possibly delaying the election process.
Candidates…many of which are running for office for the first time, are wondering where this all leaves them.
If the clerk’s office staff can’t adequately and accurately complete the certification process by the March 18th deadline, what will happen?
Legal sources have suggested that the courts can and probably would extend the certification deadline.
But even that may not be enough for some of the candidates. Especially in the city wide races where 385 certified signatures are required for a candidate’s name to appear on the ballot. Trenton voters can only sign one petition for Mayoral candidates and there are 10 running. That’s 3,850 separate individuals required to sign if all candidates are to get on the ballot. Not likely under any circumstances..
In the At Large Council race, voters can sign petitions for up to three individuals…one for each of the seats. With 11 people running for the three seats, odds are a little better that the candidates can get the number of required signatures. It will still be a daunting task.
What this really means is that, under the best of situations there would have been some attrition in the number of candidates come certification deadline day.
The screw-ups, fumbles and delays by council in filling of the City Clerk position almost guarantees a far from fair and even-handed election process.
The candidates will lose out. But more importantly, the city will lose out, yet again.
The abnormally large number of candidates running for Trenton’s elected offices (the mayor and seven city council seats) has raised the specter of a messy campaign season.
Mix in the totally incompetent way the current council went about replacing Acting City Clerk Juanita Joyner with a temporary, non-resident, Deputy Clerk and you have a recipe for complete electoral meltdown.
Even hiring in former city clerk Anthony Conti as a consultant to help the clerk’s office get through the May 11 election appears to be too little, too late.
In an interview with the Trentonian, Conti allows that even with an all out push, the clerk’s office may not be able to certify all candidates by the March 18 deadline.
It’s a mess. A complete and utter mess. A true case of “too many cooks spoiling the broth.”
Appointed Acting Municipal Clerk after Conti retired in 2007; Ms. Joyner has apparently completed all the required course work for the position but has yet to take the certification exam. Suddenly, this past fall, there was a big push to replace Joyner.
On the surface there appeared to be some questions about her competency, but there was also the coincidence of Councilwoman Cordelia Staton expressing interest in the position. (After serving two terms on council, Staton is not running for re-election this year).
This raised some eyebrows because the City Clerk oversees the election process on behalf of the city (the County Clerk and the County Board of Elections also have a role in the process, but the City Clerk is the primary authority). If Staton had been named clerk, her council seat would most likely have remained vacant until after the election. In the meantime she would be called upon to “referee” a Mayoral race featuring three of her council colleagues as candidates.
Many people were uneasy with the idea of Ms. Staton…who twice ran, and won, on the Palmer ticket with Paul Pintella and Manny Segura. Both are running for Mayor, but Segura has positioned himself as far from his former slate mates as possible.
There was reportedly considerable infighting amongst council regarding the suggested removal of Joyner just to replace her with Staton. After a couple of false starts to the process Staton withdrew her name from consideration.
Still, council suddenly and abruptly decided to not extend Joyner’s appointment. At the same time it was wisely and correctly pointed out that the incoming council should be the ones to appoint the next City Clerk.
One reasonable solution might have been to extend Joyner’s appointment through Labor Day at the latest. A certified, experienced individual…such as Mr. Conti, could then have been hired as a consultant through the elections to ensure a fair, transparent process.
Instead, council voted to end Joyner’ tenure as Acting Municipal Clerk effective Feb. 28 and retained the services of an Acting Deputy Municipal Clerk starting March 1...a mere three working weeks before the candidate certification deadline.
The person hired, Leona Baylor, is certified and has worked in the clerks office in Hightstown Borough. Baylor is not a city resident and that has raised some questions about the legality of her contract appointment.
Not to oversimplify, but if she is an appointee, she needs to be a resident; if she is truly a contract employee, she might be exempt. It all depends upon how you define the Acting Deputy Municipal Clerk position? And that definition may ultimately have to come from the courts…and cost the city more of our tax dollars to defend the case, not to mention possibly delaying the election process.
Candidates…many of which are running for office for the first time, are wondering where this all leaves them.
If the clerk’s office staff can’t adequately and accurately complete the certification process by the March 18th deadline, what will happen?
Legal sources have suggested that the courts can and probably would extend the certification deadline.
But even that may not be enough for some of the candidates. Especially in the city wide races where 385 certified signatures are required for a candidate’s name to appear on the ballot. Trenton voters can only sign one petition for Mayoral candidates and there are 10 running. That’s 3,850 separate individuals required to sign if all candidates are to get on the ballot. Not likely under any circumstances..
In the At Large Council race, voters can sign petitions for up to three individuals…one for each of the seats. With 11 people running for the three seats, odds are a little better that the candidates can get the number of required signatures. It will still be a daunting task.
What this really means is that, under the best of situations there would have been some attrition in the number of candidates come certification deadline day.
The screw-ups, fumbles and delays by council in filling of the City Clerk position almost guarantees a far from fair and even-handed election process.
The candidates will lose out. But more importantly, the city will lose out, yet again.
Tuesday, March 02, 2010
Hamilton Mayor gets it right
Hamilton Township Mayor John Bencivengo has taken his name off the list of people slated to get a salary increase if a proposed ordinance is passed tonight. And that's good.
Mayor Bencivengo also proposed the raise for himself and his department directors and other township employees in a specific and very public ordinance. That is also good.
The proposed salary increases have generated a lot of anger and backlash from the taxpayers.
Sound familiar?
At least Mayor Bencivengo has been open and above board with the way he has gone about proposing the salary increase. Mayor Bencivengo has also realized that by taking his raise off the table he shows he understands the feelings of the taxpayers.
Let's point out right now that Mayor Bencivengo oversees the operation of a municipality more than five times the size of the city of Trenton. Hamilton's population is at least 10% greater than Trenton's and growing while Trenton's is shrinking. Hamilton's bond rating was recently improved due to it's sound financial management.
And one last point, Mayor Bencivengo (and Mayor Gilmore before him as the salary hasn't increased in a decade) earns about 78% of what Doug Palmer takes home forruining running the city of Trenton.
Are you paying attention, Doug? Or is it all the state's fault?
Mayor Bencivengo also proposed the raise for himself and his department directors and other township employees in a specific and very public ordinance. That is also good.
The proposed salary increases have generated a lot of anger and backlash from the taxpayers.
Sound familiar?
At least Mayor Bencivengo has been open and above board with the way he has gone about proposing the salary increase. Mayor Bencivengo has also realized that by taking his raise off the table he shows he understands the feelings of the taxpayers.
Let's point out right now that Mayor Bencivengo oversees the operation of a municipality more than five times the size of the city of Trenton. Hamilton's population is at least 10% greater than Trenton's and growing while Trenton's is shrinking. Hamilton's bond rating was recently improved due to it's sound financial management.
And one last point, Mayor Bencivengo (and Mayor Gilmore before him as the salary hasn't increased in a decade) earns about 78% of what Doug Palmer takes home for
Are you paying attention, Doug? Or is it all the state's fault?
Friday, February 26, 2010
Snow storm or snow job
It’s been all over the news for the past couple of days: Monster storm set to descend upon us! Prepare for the worst.
Every year, the same thing: big storm coming!
Truth is, this winter has been an exceptionally “harsh” one with multiple, large storms. But in the end, its winter and we live in Trenton, NJ not some tropical paradise.
Most people recognize that the weather is colder, there is a chance of snow (and snow storms) and we adjust our activities and plans accordingly.
We don’t plan picnics or a lot of outdoor activities for the winter months. We dress warmly; wear gloves and hats to prevent the dire consequences of frostbite. In short, we take the steps necessary to not freeze to death.
We manage.
What we don’t do is stand out in the street or park or ball field in Bermuda shorts and t-shirts yelling up at the sky to stop the snow and begging for higher temperatures.
That would not be normal, right?
Then is it normal for Doug Palmer to spend money the city doesn’t have a hope of getting from State coffers and then complain loudly when it doesn’t come?
He does this every opportunity he gets, year in and year out. He knows there is a structural deficit in the city’s budget…a blizzard of red ink if you will, yet he consistently acts as if there isn’t. He complains when the state won’t. Palmer budgets for a lavish banquet knowing that he’s only going to be dining at the soup kitchen.
And then he stands in the middle of State Street yelling for more money.
Insane.
Every year, the same thing: big storm coming!
Truth is, this winter has been an exceptionally “harsh” one with multiple, large storms. But in the end, its winter and we live in Trenton, NJ not some tropical paradise.
Most people recognize that the weather is colder, there is a chance of snow (and snow storms) and we adjust our activities and plans accordingly.
We don’t plan picnics or a lot of outdoor activities for the winter months. We dress warmly; wear gloves and hats to prevent the dire consequences of frostbite. In short, we take the steps necessary to not freeze to death.
We manage.
What we don’t do is stand out in the street or park or ball field in Bermuda shorts and t-shirts yelling up at the sky to stop the snow and begging for higher temperatures.
That would not be normal, right?
Then is it normal for Doug Palmer to spend money the city doesn’t have a hope of getting from State coffers and then complain loudly when it doesn’t come?
He does this every opportunity he gets, year in and year out. He knows there is a structural deficit in the city’s budget…a blizzard of red ink if you will, yet he consistently acts as if there isn’t. He complains when the state won’t. Palmer budgets for a lavish banquet knowing that he’s only going to be dining at the soup kitchen.
And then he stands in the middle of State Street yelling for more money.
Insane.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
And then there were 40
Former Cop tosses hat in ring
Michael "Mickey" Forker has added his name to the list of potential candidates for elected office in the City of Trenton. Forker, who Doug Palmer decided to engage in a shout down at last week's council meeting, will seek one of the three At-Large Council seats.
There are now an average of five candidates for each of the eight possible seats (mayor and seven council) up for grabs in the May 11 city election. The abundance of choice has left many observers scratching their heads and asking "why so many?"
We have to wonder as well.
Yes, it's guaranteed to be a new configuration of public officials since too-long Mayor Doug Palmer is not seeking re-election. But with three current Councilpersons (Lartigue, Pintella, Segura) seeking to replace Palmer, voters need to ask themselves just how different will things be if one of them gets elected.
With those three seeking higher officer, and Councilpersons Bethea, Melone, and Staton not seeking re-election, the door has opened for a cadre of wannabes and hangerson to take a shot at one of the seats.
Never mind that some have never been heard from prior to the start of "silly season" or that others only pop up every four years or so; all seem to think they have the answers.
We just hope whoever is sworn in on July 1 is given a hard hat because we don't think it will be too much later that the roof on city hall will start to cave in as the real truth about the mismanagement of the past two decades comes to light.
Good luck, Trenton.
Michael "Mickey" Forker has added his name to the list of potential candidates for elected office in the City of Trenton. Forker, who Doug Palmer decided to engage in a shout down at last week's council meeting, will seek one of the three At-Large Council seats.
There are now an average of five candidates for each of the eight possible seats (mayor and seven council) up for grabs in the May 11 city election. The abundance of choice has left many observers scratching their heads and asking "why so many?"
We have to wonder as well.
Yes, it's guaranteed to be a new configuration of public officials since too-long Mayor Doug Palmer is not seeking re-election. But with three current Councilpersons (Lartigue, Pintella, Segura) seeking to replace Palmer, voters need to ask themselves just how different will things be if one of them gets elected.
With those three seeking higher officer, and Councilpersons Bethea, Melone, and Staton not seeking re-election, the door has opened for a cadre of wannabes and hangerson to take a shot at one of the seats.
Never mind that some have never been heard from prior to the start of "silly season" or that others only pop up every four years or so; all seem to think they have the answers.
We just hope whoever is sworn in on July 1 is given a hard hat because we don't think it will be too much later that the roof on city hall will start to cave in as the real truth about the mismanagement of the past two decades comes to light.
Good luck, Trenton.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Don't blame this on Trenton
Fried fractures facts
Robbinsville, NJ Mayor David Fried proudly announced that his township will be having a St. Patrick’s Parade* on Sunday March 14.
As part of the rationale behind the move, Fried claims that Robbinsville has never been asked to join in Trenton’s parade…the largest in Mercer County.
The parade in Trenton, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is not a city function. If it was, it would most likely not be as large, well attended or successful. The Trenton event is organized and produced by the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Scholarship Committee,* a non-profit corporation.
The argument that Trenton’s Mayor never invited Robbinsville to participate is completely without merit. Fried should know better and so should the Trentonian reporters who contributed to the staff report.
If Robbinsville wants its own parade…and wants Fried to serve as Grand Marshall, so be it. But let’s not suggest that the city of Trenton has in any way slighted Robbinsville or Mayor Fried by not inviting the suburban township to participate.
Mayor Fried should apologize for his patently false insinuation that the City of Trenton has anything to do with selecting participants for the annual St. Patrick’s Parade.
*Let’s be totally accurate…if any parade, Trenton’s or Robbinsville’s…doesn’t take place on March 17, it is not a St. Patrick’s DAY Parade. It is a St. Patrick’s Parade, period.
Robbinsville, NJ Mayor David Fried proudly announced that his township will be having a St. Patrick’s Parade* on Sunday March 14.
As part of the rationale behind the move, Fried claims that Robbinsville has never been asked to join in Trenton’s parade…the largest in Mercer County.
“We’ve never been invited to march in the Trenton parade,” Mayor Fried said. “I don’t know why. Mayor Palmer and I get along great; I think maybe it’s just a distance issue.”Mayor Fried is point blank wrong.
The parade in Trenton, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is not a city function. If it was, it would most likely not be as large, well attended or successful. The Trenton event is organized and produced by the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Scholarship Committee,* a non-profit corporation.
The argument that Trenton’s Mayor never invited Robbinsville to participate is completely without merit. Fried should know better and so should the Trentonian reporters who contributed to the staff report.
If Robbinsville wants its own parade…and wants Fried to serve as Grand Marshall, so be it. But let’s not suggest that the city of Trenton has in any way slighted Robbinsville or Mayor Fried by not inviting the suburban township to participate.
Mayor Fried should apologize for his patently false insinuation that the City of Trenton has anything to do with selecting participants for the annual St. Patrick’s Parade.
*Let’s be totally accurate…if any parade, Trenton’s or Robbinsville’s…doesn’t take place on March 17, it is not a St. Patrick’s DAY Parade. It is a St. Patrick’s Parade, period.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
More good news for Trenton?
New bill could help save Trenton High
State Senator Diane Allen (R – District 7) has introduced a bill in the legislature that would require “schools facilities projects” to maintain the historic character of the buildings.
The bill, S980, would support the efforts of those who wish to see Trenton’s current high school building preserved and upgraded rather than razed and a new one built.
Here’s hoping even the rabid partisans will swallow their spit and support this bill. And that it gets a swift passage before the SDA funds evaporate.
State Senator Diane Allen (R – District 7) has introduced a bill in the legislature that would require “schools facilities projects” to maintain the historic character of the buildings.
The bill, S980, would support the efforts of those who wish to see Trenton’s current high school building preserved and upgraded rather than razed and a new one built.
Here’s hoping even the rabid partisans will swallow their spit and support this bill. And that it gets a swift passage before the SDA funds evaporate.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Trenton makes the list
Now if we can just keep the developers with Eminent Domain dreams at bay.
This Old House magazine has just spotlighted Trenton's Greenwood-Hamilton Historic District as one it's "Best Old House Neighborhoods for 2010:the Northeast."
The inclusion demonstrates what many have said for so long: Trenton's housing stock is an underappreciated asset. The historic flavor and quality of construction cannot be matched today. The city needs to encourage the restoration and marketing of these homes and neighborhoods as a way to bring Trenton back.
Small scale redevelopment makes so much more sense than the large, subsidized projects that will envariably require the taking of private property and the loss of some great buildings.
All prospective developers and elected official wannabes need to take note and adjust their plans and schemes accordingly.
This Old House magazine has just spotlighted Trenton's Greenwood-Hamilton Historic District as one it's "Best Old House Neighborhoods for 2010:the Northeast."
The inclusion demonstrates what many have said for so long: Trenton's housing stock is an underappreciated asset. The historic flavor and quality of construction cannot be matched today. The city needs to encourage the restoration and marketing of these homes and neighborhoods as a way to bring Trenton back.
Small scale redevelopment makes so much more sense than the large, subsidized projects that will envariably require the taking of private property and the loss of some great buildings.
All prospective developers and elected official wannabes need to take note and adjust their plans and schemes accordingly.
Saturday, February 06, 2010
Is there something in the water?
If we weren't so busy running around fighting the rest of the population of the eastern seabord for our fair share of bread and milk we would have posted this yesterday.
What in the hell was Mr. Irwin Stoolmacher thinking when he included the following line in his op ed about Trenton's Mayoral race that appeared in the Friday's Times:
Why else would citizens have had to sue to get the administration to enforce its own residency ordinance?
Who else but a corrupt administration would hide their own salary increases in a resolution accepting a contract with one of the city employee unions, again forcing the citizens to take legal action?
Wouldn't a corrupt administration be likely to play favorites amongst developers and contractors, especially those who make sizable campaign contributions (pre-Pay to Play ordinance---which, by the way, the administration fought against)?
What's worse than Mr. Stoolmacher's assertion that this administration is not "seen by its citizen's as corrupt" is the comparison of Mr. Palmer's way of doing business with that of the late Art Holland.
We're not suggesting that Mayor Holland was pefect during his tenure as the city's CEO. But no one can question his integrity. The man was "open and fair" long before that became a catch phrase.
Mr. Palmer's tenure, on the other hand, has been marked by repeated examples of administrative sleights of hand that raise many questions about ethics and legalities.
We suggest that Mr. Stoolmacher revisit his thinking on the issue of a corrupt Trenton political seen. Or at least revisit his physician to have his medications adjusted.
What in the hell was Mr. Irwin Stoolmacher thinking when he included the following line in his op ed about Trenton's Mayoral race that appeared in the Friday's Times:
Any Trenton citizen who hasn't questioned the accountability, ethics and/or transparency of the current administration just hasn't been paying attention."Trenton politics is not seen by its citizens as corrupt."
Why else would citizens have had to sue to get the administration to enforce its own residency ordinance?
Who else but a corrupt administration would hide their own salary increases in a resolution accepting a contract with one of the city employee unions, again forcing the citizens to take legal action?
Wouldn't a corrupt administration be likely to play favorites amongst developers and contractors, especially those who make sizable campaign contributions (pre-Pay to Play ordinance---which, by the way, the administration fought against)?
What's worse than Mr. Stoolmacher's assertion that this administration is not "seen by its citizen's as corrupt" is the comparison of Mr. Palmer's way of doing business with that of the late Art Holland.
We're not suggesting that Mayor Holland was pefect during his tenure as the city's CEO. But no one can question his integrity. The man was "open and fair" long before that became a catch phrase.
Mr. Palmer's tenure, on the other hand, has been marked by repeated examples of administrative sleights of hand that raise many questions about ethics and legalities.
We suggest that Mr. Stoolmacher revisit his thinking on the issue of a corrupt Trenton political seen. Or at least revisit his physician to have his medications adjusted.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Are we talking about the same place?
Recent public relations attempts play fast and loose with the facts
Readers of the Times earlier this week were treated to a comforting story about how the new ownership of Roman Hall were taking great pains to keep restaurant and catering hall just as it has always been.
Neighbors of the venerable establishment on Whitaker Avenue were invited to tour the place and see how nothing has changed.
The décor, the menu, the ambiance, the article assures us, will stay just as it was.
Right.
Then can anyone explain these postcards that were distributed widely throughout Chambersburg in December?
Readers of the Times earlier this week were treated to a comforting story about how the new ownership of Roman Hall were taking great pains to keep restaurant and catering hall just as it has always been.
Neighbors of the venerable establishment on Whitaker Avenue were invited to tour the place and see how nothing has changed.
The décor, the menu, the ambiance, the article assures us, will stay just as it was.
Right.
Then can anyone explain these postcards that were distributed widely throughout Chambersburg in December?These advertisements for Infinity Lounge “The Biggest and Elegant [sic] Club in Trenton” don’t remind me of Roman Hall. And the website, http://www.infinitylounge.net/, doesn’t show anything about the food at this restaurant.
Since the postcards, the website and the advertisements are in both English and Spanish and the DJ’s and Performers being promoted are Latino, we have to assume the target market for this establishment is NOT the former, traditional Roman Hall clientele.
And before anyone gets all hot and bothered, we are not in anyway suggesting that the ‘Burg of old is alive and well and can support the Roman Hall of days gone by. Nor are we denying the rising and welcome Latino presence in the greater Trenton community.
What we are saying is that the new owners might be a tad disingenuous in suggesting that only the name has changed.
And shame on the Times for reporting the fluff without even scratching the surface on the real story here.
-----
Apparently the new owners of Infinity Lounge aren't the only ones around here who like to play with the facts.
Recently, this post appeared on the Trenton Speaks forum:
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 5:20 pm Post subject: Townhouses on Champale Site
"Have you noticed that the newspaper ads for the new townhouses being built on the Champale site, indicate that they are within walking distance of the train station on Clinton Ave? I guess you'd have to walk the entire length of Centre St to S. Broad, then through Mill Hill. Close reading of the Hovnanian web site admits "The station is within 2 miles of The Villages at Delaware Run." I guess walking four miles a day through a ghetto will appeal to a certain class of commuter? "
"Their web site also promotes 'Shopping', which includes dining. Were you aware that we're known for our Scandinavian restaurants? How about the "several" "five star gourmet restaurants" in Chambersburg? Here's the quote:
Good catch! KHov sure does tell the truth. Makes me want to run right over and buy one of their "tunnel-front" townhomes."Trenton is noted for its pottery, china, and fine porcelain from makers such as Lenox, Boehm, Cybis, and Ispanky, which may be found at outlets and showrooms throughout the area. Trenton's principal downtown shopping district encompasses four blocks on State Street and five blocks on Broad Street, within 2 miles of The Villages at Delaware Run."Wondering how they approach the subject of our school system? The best they can come up with is to mention its sheer size and mayoral control, and then suggest the "pretigious day and boarding schools" in Princeton:
"Trenton's culinary fare reflects the city's eclectic heritage; it is famous for its pizza and hoagies. Other ethnic cuisine includes the dishes of Mexico and Scandinavia. Several Italian eateries in the Chambersburg neighborhood, within 2 miles of the community, are highly acclaimed five-star gourmet restaurants"
For more entertaining and misleading sales information, visit the hovnanian "Villages at Delaware Run " web site: http://www.khov.com/Home/NJ/D0ME/_Properties_AUTH.htm
"Trenton's school district is the largest in Mercer County. The mayor appoints a nine-member Board of Education for three-year terms. The district is in the midst of a several-year project involving the construction of several new schools as well as renovation of many existing buildings."
"Additionally, several parochial and private elementary and secondary schools supplement the public system in Trenton. A number of prestigious day and boarding schools are found in the Princeton area."
Monday, February 01, 2010
Where did they go?
Has the City of Trenton mysteriously reduced its payroll by hundreds of people?
We were doing a little online research last week for a project and discovered something odd on the Data Universe site run by the Asbury Park Press.
On this particular site, you can do searches on NJ Public Employees to check salary records as they relate to the public pensions.
In the past, if we wanted to see…for instance…how much Mr. Palmer was paid, you could plug his name and Trenton City into the appropriate boxes on the search form and within moments up would pop a grid with the information you wanted. It’s all legit and all public information.
The other day when we checked, we couldn’t find that information any longer. In fact, we could only find information on 19 city employees contributing to the Public Employees Retirement System. Four of them were Councilpersons Annette Lartigue, Cordelia Staton, Gino Melone and Paul Pintella.
Gone was the Mayor, Chief of Staff, Department Heads, etc. And we plugged in names of Division Directors and Staff people, still no information.
Checking further…we could find 574 Trenton employees enrolled in the Police and Fire Retirement System.
At the Board of Education, there are the records of 799 employees who pay into the Public Employees Retirement System available. Another 1173 school employees are in the Teachers Pension and Annuity Fund.
Similarly, the Trenton Community Charter School has 85 employees show up on the listing.
The Trenton Housing Authority has 58 employees on the books and eight show up under the Trenton Parking Authority records.
But where are the Mayor and the bulk of the City of Trenton employees?
Why aren’t their records available online?
Is this part of the legal tussle over the allegedly illegal raises that city council unquestioningly/unknowingly approved for the Mayor and his administration staff in a questionable resolution in 2008?
Has the administration taken all the public employee (with the exception of the 19 names we found) somehow out of the public record in an effort to hide what certain people were being paid? Was this done, in part, to cover up the fact that the Mayor and Department Director salaries were no longer published in the ordinances as they had been prior to the raise granted in 2003? Or in part to hide the fact that these same salaries were not fixed by ordinance but rather a salary range had been adopted…possibly illegally, with the Mayor approving salaries at his discretion…without council’s knowing consent?
We think this stinks of very fishy business and the city administration needs to make sure this information is publicly available.
And all those wannabes vying for the big chair in the office on the second floor of City Hall should take heed. A pledge to return the city to fixed salaries (not ranges) adopted by ordinance and published is required if you want the citizens of Trenton to vote for you.
We were doing a little online research last week for a project and discovered something odd on the Data Universe site run by the Asbury Park Press.
On this particular site, you can do searches on NJ Public Employees to check salary records as they relate to the public pensions.
In the past, if we wanted to see…for instance…how much Mr. Palmer was paid, you could plug his name and Trenton City into the appropriate boxes on the search form and within moments up would pop a grid with the information you wanted. It’s all legit and all public information.
The other day when we checked, we couldn’t find that information any longer. In fact, we could only find information on 19 city employees contributing to the Public Employees Retirement System. Four of them were Councilpersons Annette Lartigue, Cordelia Staton, Gino Melone and Paul Pintella.
Gone was the Mayor, Chief of Staff, Department Heads, etc. And we plugged in names of Division Directors and Staff people, still no information.
Checking further…we could find 574 Trenton employees enrolled in the Police and Fire Retirement System.
At the Board of Education, there are the records of 799 employees who pay into the Public Employees Retirement System available. Another 1173 school employees are in the Teachers Pension and Annuity Fund.
Similarly, the Trenton Community Charter School has 85 employees show up on the listing.
The Trenton Housing Authority has 58 employees on the books and eight show up under the Trenton Parking Authority records.
But where are the Mayor and the bulk of the City of Trenton employees?
Why aren’t their records available online?
Is this part of the legal tussle over the allegedly illegal raises that city council unquestioningly/unknowingly approved for the Mayor and his administration staff in a questionable resolution in 2008?
Has the administration taken all the public employee (with the exception of the 19 names we found) somehow out of the public record in an effort to hide what certain people were being paid? Was this done, in part, to cover up the fact that the Mayor and Department Director salaries were no longer published in the ordinances as they had been prior to the raise granted in 2003? Or in part to hide the fact that these same salaries were not fixed by ordinance but rather a salary range had been adopted…possibly illegally, with the Mayor approving salaries at his discretion…without council’s knowing consent?
We think this stinks of very fishy business and the city administration needs to make sure this information is publicly available.
And all those wannabes vying for the big chair in the office on the second floor of City Hall should take heed. A pledge to return the city to fixed salaries (not ranges) adopted by ordinance and published is required if you want the citizens of Trenton to vote for you.
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