A few years ago, when the Democrats were considering candidates to replace long-time Freeholder Tony Carabelli, I wrote a column entitled “What it takes to be a Freeholder.” It was an office I was familiar with, having unsuccessfully sought it many years ago and having worked with many freeholders (now commissioners) over the years. Likewise, I have worked with a significant number of Trenton City Council members over the years in my work as a fundraising/strategic planning consultant to a wide range of Trenton-based charities. With this as a backdrop, I’m going to suggest a few criteria that Trenton residents might consider when voting for the council in the crucial upcoming November municipal election.
Before getting into the criteria, I’m going to implore the residents of Trenton to get out and vote. Turnout in recent years in Trenton’s municipal elections has been appalling (just 22% in the most recent run-off for mayor) and the results of the low-turnout elections have been equally appalling. The quality of services that the residents of Trenton are getting from the municipal government is horrendous. Taxes are high, the City is dirty, crime is on the rise, there is a dearth of recreational facilities, too many libraries are closed, economic development is largely stalled and the City Clerk’s Office is dysfunctional. It is not my intention in this column to try and parse blame between the mayor and members of the council for the morass that is Trenton politics.
Suffice to say they both share blame for the totally non-productive environment that exists, which the governor should not have allowed to exist in our state’s capital city. The state should have intervened a long time ago and restored sanity to Trenton. Congresswoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman and our legislative delegation should have led the charge for an interim state takeover until such time as municipal government is functioning in a manner that is acceptable to the best practices standards established by the Department of Community Affairs, Division of Local Finances. I know all the arguments against State intervention in the affairs of cities and school districts and I agree with many of them, but sometimes it’s imperative.
I understand that when things are this bad it’s hard to be motivated to vote – but unless Trenton elects some competent level-headed civic-minded people to serve on the council things could get even worse. If the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine taught us anything it’s that things can get a lot worse.
When it comes to voting in November for members of the council, I believe the following are what Trenton voters should look for:
1. The intelligence to understand the respective roles of the council and the mayor (they are different) and grasp the many municipal issues.
2. A consistent commitment to the needs of your neighbors in Trenton (not just before the election).
3. A history of honesty and integrity (don’t get caught up in minor infractions, e.g., smoking pot).
4. Ability to think strategically, civilly, and collaboratively and to understand that politics at its best is the art of the compromise for the public good (look at educational achievements, work history and civic/religious involvement).
I believe each of these criteria is crucial and candidates who lack any one or more of these essential attributes should not be elected. The incredibly good news is that there are already various announced council candidates that check all of these boxes. Trenton residents will have very good choices for the council in November. They should be enamored of the wide range of extraordinary candidates who have expressed an interest in serving on the council. It is not an easy job and the fact that so many talented people have expressed an interest in serving is really good news for Trenton. I wish that the residents of my hometown of West Windsor were as dedicated to serving on the council as is the case in Trenton.
Unfortunately, to date we have not seen as many talented people indicate they will be challenging Mayor Gusciora in November. I realize it is easier to make a commitment to a part-time job versus a full-time job, but the City of Trenton desperately needs a leader who can end the discord and provide the strong steady leadership New Jersey’s capital city desperately needs.
At the very least Mayor Gusciora should be challenged by a competent, knowledgeable candidate(s) who will challenge him on the basis of his record and force him to spell out how a second term would be different from his first in terms of his priorities, performance, and relations with the council.
Given the strong likelihood that the talent level of council will be substantially upgraded in November, and that someone from council could move up to mayor in four years, perhaps there is someone out there who is contemplating retirement, recently retired, or in retirement, with the leadership skills to fill the role for one term and bridge the leadership gap.
I can think of a few Trentonians who could fill the bill. I wish one of them would get into the fray.
Irwin Stoolmacher is president of the Stoolmacher Consulting Group, a fundraising and strategic planning firm that works with nonprofit agencies that serve the truly needy among us.
