Where Is Trenton Headed???

TRENTON-- The Bible says that without a vision, the people perish. Indeed, the city of Trenton  at this time needs new vision, new direction, and better leadership.

As the Trenton City Council and Mayoral races quickly approach, I am left wondering who are these candidates and what are they all about? What direction do they want to take the city in? What plans do they have to address issues of crime, education, and jobs?

After attending Trenton Elections meet the candidates forum last year at the Big Easy, I caught glimpse of what some of these candidates were all about.  However, there are new candidates in the race now.

So, I think now is the time to raise some more important questions to the candidates currently on the ticket so that voters can be armed with more information as they prepare to make a very important decision come Election Day.

Questions like:

• "Where are we headed as a city as the mayor has recently been found guilty on corruption charges in a court of law?" 
• "Who will take Tony Mack's place? 
• "What experience, if any, will the new mayor have?" 
• "How important will the next mayor's character and integrity be?" 
• "What about their leadership skills?" 
• "Indeed, how important will it be for the next mayor to be able to reach across the aisle and work with others from different parties?" 
• "How significant will their understanding of budget issues be in our voting decision?"
• "How important will their positions on the other key issues be?"
• "Is Trenton ready for its first Hispanic mayor (Paul Perez)?" 
• "Is the city prepared for its first female mayor (Kathy McBride)"?

Now, with these last two questions I recognize that they may seem irrelevant because as Trentonian columnist LA Parker said in a recent op-ed post, voters need to "disconnect from race and gender" and instead make an informed decision about who the best candidate is for the next mayor of this great yet beleaguered city.Alas, critical decisions do need to be made here. Without a shadow of a doubt, the stakes are high. The people need direction, jobs, opportunity, and an overall better Trenton if they are to flower and flourish.

Lastly, I end this blog where I began by asking "Where is Trenton headed???". Lord only knows. Only time will tell...Stay tuned for more to come.

Is Trenton Headed For Chaos or Community?

TRENTON-- Today, as accusations of corruption in high places circulate and urban violence peppers our streets, the city of Trenton finds itself in quite a quagmire.

In just the past few weeks, we have witnessed our city's mayor being escorted in handcuffs by Federal Agents after allegations surfaced that he was involved in conspiring to extort $119,000 from a Hudson County developer for a downtown parking garage. As news spread, residents looked on with embarrassment, support, and misunderstanding, all at once.

On top of the mayor's troubles, New Jersey's state capitol, was struck with a recent spate of violent crime. News reports indicate that a 77 year old city woman was the recipient of gunfire as her Stuyvesant Avenue home was shot up two weeks ago. And if that's not enough, a 19 year old young man that seemed as though he was on the right track was needlessly shot and killed this past Saturday. As of today, the city has seen 15 murders this year.

Despite these grim and unforgiving realities, I am not going to join that chorus of doomsayers that suggest that Trenton is going to hell in a hand-basket. Yes, Trenton needs repair, but, please believe, we are not living in Beirut. Over the course of living in this community and blogging, I have seen many positive things happening. Just last month, volunteers and other members of the community helped put together a new playground at Monument School. For more information on this, click here.

But even as I celebrate those positive things, I also recognize the need to speak to those nagging problems that afflict our neighborhoods. As stated earlier, crime and corruption are real things in our community. So, in saying that, I think the first step in dealing with these sorts of issues is to put an end to all the finger-pointing and fault-finding and recognize what Trenton Police Director Ralph Rivera recently said.

At a community meeting, Rivera said that its going to take "a partnership, the police cannot do this on their own". Indeed, we (including myself) as stakeholders in the community, are going to need to put our money where our mouth is, figuratively speaking, and stop complaining about what others aren't doing. Trentonian columnist LA Parker echoed this sentiment when he said that this recent spate of violence "will serve as a rallying point for the city of Trenton" for us to wake up and get involved.

It seems clear to me that it is going to take a collective effort on all our parts to improve our community. Now please don't get me wrong, in difficult economic times, one doesn't expect to get blood from a stone, if one cannot provide financially, one can still help in other ways by investing their time and effort.

For instance, let's take that extra two hours we have during a typical week and use it by talking to our youth and really being there for them. Or perhaps, you can take that extra time and volunteer that time to help community groups and organizations that already exist. These groups are out there and are in need of help. To name just a few of these organizations, there are the Fathers and Men United For a Better Trenton, the Trenton Chapter of the NAACP, the PeaceKeepers, the Boys & Girls Club of Trenton, and Capital City Youth Development Council.

These groups need our time and talents. If you have a knack for providing counsel and being a mentor, what is stopping you? If you have a gift for working with children, then Lord knows your gift is needed somewhere. Or perhaps your forte is community organizing, then why not get together a group of individuals to do a weekly block clean-up. Lo and behold, it is through these small but significant deeds that our community can improve. Don't get me wrong, it won't be easy, and the change won't happen overnight, but if we stay committed and resolve to make a difference, change is possible.

As Dr. King so eloquently said, will we choose chaos or community? I sincerely hope we choose the latter.

Trentonians Chime In After Feds Raid City Hall

TRENTON-- In the wake of last week's FBI raids, the city of Trenton burst onto the national scene. News reports, tweets, and blogs galore, indeed Trenton was the talk of the town last week.

FBI agents descended onto New Jersey's state capitol in the middle of the night last Wednesday, they stopped off at the mayor's Berkely Square home in Trenton.

The city's mayor, Tony F. Mack, has been the subject of scandal and criticism since taking office just two years ago. Since being inaugurated, he and his administration have been slapped with accusations of cronyism and reckless spending. However, at this juncture, despite these accusations, the FBI has not charged the mayor with any crime or offense. Reports indicate that an investigation is ongoing.

After stopping off at the Mayor's humble abode, the FBI also searched the homes of Mack's brother Raphael Mack along with one of the mayor's campaign contributors JoJo Giorgianni, a convicted sex offender.

Over the last two years, the mayor was a target of a failed recall effort. The citizens group that led the recall effort was concerned about "unstable leadership and the laying off of 105 police officers "according to Trentonian columnist LA Parker. Along with the recall, a lawsuit was filed against the mayor by a former parks employee. The employee said that the mayor asked her to give his friends jobs and she refused.

It is unknown whether the FBI investigation has anything to do with these previous issues and if they are connected to the mayor and his administration.

To his credit, Mack has done some things to improve the city of Trenton since taking office. From renovating the Ike Williams Recreation Center to securing grant funds for public safety that is expected to help bring back 12 officers that were laid off due to budget constraints, the mayor has done things enhance the community. For more info, click here.

Anwar's Reflections-- a Trentonian affiliate-- wanted to get reaction from Trenton residents.

One resident said its tragic that we have a mayor that is being investigated by the FBI. He went on to say that despite being innocent until proven guilty, if the FBI is involved, they must have something on him.

Another resident, Ms. Tuthcil, said that she personally knows the mayor and that she doesn't know too much about what's going on, but that she supports the mayor and is praying for him.

Shawn, a city man, said that his initial reaction after hearing that the mayor's house was raided was that it was 'embarassing'.

Lastly, Richard Cook, a longtime Trenton resident and cousin of former Mayor Doug Palmer, said that he doesn't know what to think but that he never saw a mayor's house get raided by the FBI in his lifetime.

Please see video interviews below:

City Activist and Concerned Citizens Say Old Cook School Needs To Be Razed

TRENTON-- Longtime community activist, Dion Clark, of East Trenton speaks out about the blight at the old Cook School located at the corner of Walnut and Cuyler Avenues Monday morning. The 101 year old building, William E. Cook School, has been vacant and abandoned since the 1990's.

From looking at the facility, the building has boarded up windows with shattered glass, littered debris, and uncut grass.

Clark, an activist that is passionate about safety and quality of life issues in the city, said that the building is an eyesore and needs to be tore down and used for another purpose. He has visions of turning the former school into a community center where computer classes are taught and new mothers can take their children to daycare.

City resident, Ms. Jenkins, lives on the same street as the old Cook School, and said that the building is an eyesore and something should be done with it because it has asbestos in it. She went on to say that she isn't surprised why businesspeople don't want to invest in Trenton because "look at what you see when you walk or drive down the street, you see abandoned buildings, eyesores". Jenkins went on to suggest that the school be cleaned up or turned into a parking lot to make more room for residents to park when the city plows the streets.

In an op-ed piece written by the Trentonian's own LA Parker, the well-known columnist, is quoted as saying, "the old elementary school house at the end of Walnut Avenue needs a facelift".

According to the director of energy education, planning, and research at Isles, a non-profit organization that seeks to foster self-reliant families in healthy, sustainable communities, there are 1,719 abandoned buildings in the city of Trenton.

City government officials are aware of abandoned buildings like the shuttered Cook School. Just this past summer, the city demolished two abandoned industrial buildings with the hopes of creating a greenway along the Assunpink Creek located between Monmouth Street and St. Joes Avenue.

Trenton Mayor Tony Mack said that the razing of those abandoned buildings is the beginning of a totally different direction for the city. He was quoted as saying that he wants to rid the community of eyesores and turn them into beautiful open spaces.

What happens to the old Cook is still undetermined. Clark and others say they will continue to voice their concerns to city council and members of the Mack administration until something is done to the building.

To contact city council or the Mack administration, please click the link below for their contact information:

http://www.trentonnj.org/Cit-e-Access/ContactInfo/?TID=55&TPID=5557

Please see videos below of the facility and a brief interview with Dion Clark: