“‘Do Your Damn Job’: Trentonians Tired of Infighting Between Mayor and City Council” is just one of the headlines summing up the sentiments of Trenton residents over the past four years.
Now all of that can change with the upcoming City of Trenton election set for November 8.
Make that “maybe” change.
That’s because three of the high-profile political pugilists and one newcomer are out glad-handing and stirring up emotions to become Trenton’s next mayor and two current council members are hoping to maintain their membership.
And while this listing may seem an October surprise, it is designed to give readers the opportunity to learn about the candidates in a timely way — rather than wait until the paper is released at the start of November.
We’ll start with the mayoral race.
One candidate is current City of Trenton mayor Reed Gusciora (his website is trentonforward.com).
Elected after the 2018 run-off election against competing mayoral candidate Paul Perez, Gusciora, an openly gay man of European ancestry, received 52 percent of the total 8,645 votes cast — 22 percent of the eligible votes in a city of mainly people of African and Latin American heritage — and won by 355.
A former New Jersey State Assemblyman and municipal attorney for Princeton, Hopewell, and Lawrence, the administratively inexperienced Gusciora took the reins of a city that had endured a disappointing term of mayor Eric Jackson’s lackluster leadership, a prior term that ended when then-mayor Tony Mack ended up in federal prison for corruption, and the in-between interim when Trenton City Councilman George Muschal filled the gap and sued various city departments.
The result was that the former mayors left Trenton residents in a city swirling with problems related to public safety, economics, physical infrastructure, and quality of life issues.
They also set the stage for jeopardizing one of the city’s important resources: the revenue-generating Trenton Water Works.
In addition to Trenton citizens seeing the TWW rack up a record of state violations, its customers in several communities surrounding the city were flummoxed by a flood of mail warnings regarding water safety.
Gusciora’s initial approach to addressing the TWW provides a glimpse into how the mayor works.
As he was sworn in as mayor on July 1, 2018, Gusciora announced he was moving the TWW from the Department of Public Works and that former West Windsor mayor and NJDEP water quality expert Shing-Fu Hsueh was going to lead the new department.
It was news to both the citizens of Trenton and to the former West Windsor mayor.
Even though Hsueh did serve and paved the way to a healthier but still problematic TWW, the mayor’s action exposed his willingness to confront an issue as well a maverick sensibility that has caused tensions with council and — as off-the-record comments from Trenton residents suggest — constituents.
The last four years for the rookie administrator have been rocky. And while Gusciora can take some credit for dealing with a city crippled by COVID, he also has to accept the criticism for his actions, including those regarding public safety and the police director position.
Regarding the latter, Gusciora successfully nominated former Newark Police Chief Sheila Coley, supported her during a time of escalating street violence as well as in the aftermath of her controversial actions during a city riot, and then fired her.
The result, as NJ.Com reports, was that Coley “filed a discrimination lawsuit against city officials alleging she was fired because she is a Black woman who refused to protect corrupt, white men working for the police department.”
A week before press time, I asked Gusciora, who has a B.A. from Catholic University and a J.D. from Seton Hall, several questions about his leadership and community involvement.
The question and answers are as follows:
What benefits have Trentonians seen during your tenure as Trenton City Mayor?
Under my administration, we balanced the budget with no local property tax increases during the last three budget cycles. We demolished more than 300 dilapidated properties and helped advance critical redevelopment projects like Jennings Village, which had stalled for more than a decade. We renovated 22 playgrounds, five basketball courts, and reopened closed pools like the now award-winning Hetzel Pool. We removed more than 1,000 guns off city streets and, this year, we’ve seen a 40 percent decrease in homicides. We administered more than 180,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses and we launched the city’s first neighborhood health clinic. At our water department, we hired 70 employees to address water quality issues, provided in-house training, and replaced over 10,000 galvanized lead service lines.
What regrets do you have and why?
I regret the inability to redevelop large areas of the city such as the proposed redevelopment of Roebling Block II; however, I will work with a new city council to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic growth and spur greater levels of redevelopment.
What mistakes and missteps do you acknowledge making?
Not being able to persuade city council on the importance of redeveloping abandoned and vacant properties such as Princetel’s proposal to redevelop an abandoned factory (and create 300 jobs for Trentonians), prioritizing economic growth and our water utility, and the associated positive changes that we can bring to our residents in the form of job creation.
How do you respond to the reality that the City of Trenton has become nationally known for its dysfunctional government — including recordings of you insulting council members?
The frustrations associated with trying to tackle decades of neglect in the Capital City have caused some awkward interactions. In my second term, I will work closely with a more informed legislative group.
What is a core problem that faces the City of Trenton? How will you address it?
More than half of properties in Trenton are tax-exempt, which requires a way to increase tax-generating properties. But we were able to achieve an increase in direct capital city aid from $6 million to $27 million. In a second term, we plan on opening a small business office that can encourage local economic development and job creation: A one-stop shop that streamlines the process from a business to go from an idea to a reality. Further redevelopment will convert abandoned and vacant properties into tax-paying properties to create new homes and reduce the tax burden on Trentonians. In our first term, we issued more than 1,000 certificates of occupancy, and have created an economic climate that has attracted thousands of residents to Trenton.
What would be the focus of a second term?
Together, we could hire 60 more cops and return to community policing, hold an annual summit with city council to discuss ways that we can reduce our tax rate, foster more economic growth and replace another 10,000 galvanized lead service lines. Together, we could expand park improvements, rehab the Roebling waterworks building, and see our redevelopment of Amtico Square to the finish line (soccer fields and a skateboard park in a revitalized neighborhood) Together, we could expand services offered at our city’s health clinic, reopen all four senior centers, and hire more inspectors to crack down on illegal dumping.
What city groups do you belong to (including organizations and places of worship)?
Trenton Democratic Committee, Board Member, Mercer ARC, and Sacred Heart Church.
Two other headline grabbers are also in the mayoral race: current City of Trenton Council president Kathy McBride and current councilwoman Robin M. Vaughn.
Both have had acrimonious and adversarial relationships with the mayor and with each other.
McBride’s website, kathyformayor.com, notes that she “has been active in Trenton community relations for over three decades, including serving as a two-term councilwoman-at-large, and the first female city council president.”
It then goes to say she has accomplished many things during her tenure, listing the following routine and expected actions: “supported all efforts in response to COVID to ensure the health and safety of the community. She sponsored legislation to establish a redevelopment agency that focuses on urban renewal and neglected areas of the city. Additionally, she has been a staunch advocate for criminal justice reform and assisting residents with gaining city employment.”
She also garnered the following headlines: “Every House Member From N.J. Just Condemned Trenton Council President For Anti-Semitic Remark”; “Trenton Council President Two Years Behind On Personal Financial Disclosure Filing”; “Exclusive: Trenton Council Prez McBride, Never Arrested, Was Indicted In 1986 For Slinging Coke.”
Vaughn describes herself on her website (vaughnfortrentonmayor.org) as “a daughter of Trenton. I was born in Trenton. Helene Fuld Hospital. My family made Trenton their home since my maternal grandparents arrived here from Jim Crow South in 1917 and my paternal grandparents in 1925. Both settled in East Trenton, Mulberry Street, and Walnut Avenue respectively. I am invested and vested in Trenton. I am fighting for Trenton. I am fighting for Trentonians. I will always advocate having the best interests of Trenton in mind by championing policies that prioritize Trentonians.”
As mayor she says will enforce the charter and ordinances of the City of Trenton and all general laws applicable “and govern by the principle of Home Rule. That means I will ensure that the City of Trenton exercises its constitutional right and powers to self-government with little interference or micromanagement by the State of New Jersey in Trenton’s municipal affairs via a MOU or any other targeted legislation or special laws passed by the NJ State Legislature.”
While the website adds little more at the time of publication, newspapers have kept track of Vaughn’s city council tenure with the following stories: “Councilwoman Attacks N.J. Mayor In Vulgar, Homophobic Rant During Coronavirus Conference Call”; “Vaughn Asks-Trenton’s Latino BA Whether He Understands-English”; “Trenton Council Candidate Calls For Vaughn To Resign-For Attacking Her Disabled Son”; “Trenton-Councilwoman Robin-Vaughn Claims Anti-Semitic Slur Is A Verb — Demands Leak Investigation.”
On the same day I sent my questions to the mayor and provided a deadline for response, I did the same for mayoral candidates McBride and Vaughn.
The first set of questions addressed their leadership:
What benefits have Trentonians seen during your tenure as Trenton City Council president?How do you respond to the reality that regional and state media and political reporter call the current Trenton City Council dysfunctional?How do you respond to the reality that the Trenton City Council has become nationally known for its racial, ethnic, and sexual preference slurs?What are some of the core problems hindering Trenton and how will you address them?
Neither candidate responded.
Since their city web pages or campaign websites offer little regarding their prior professional experiences and education, the second set asked:
What was your profession prior to and during your involvement with Trenton City Council?What academic degrees or certificates do you hold?What other political or business experience do you have that can demonstrate your ability to be the city’s executive?What city groups do you belong to — including organizations and places of worship?
Again, neither candidate responded.
Cherie Garrette is the newcomer to Trenton’s political scene. As the Trenton Housing Authority Commissioner writes on the THA’s website, she is “a fiscal analyst auditor-special services with NJ Department Law & Public Safety, Division of Administration” and “has vast experience with business innovation, management of financial resources, and management consultant for specialty contractors and small businesses. Knowledgeable with policies and procedures with in various private sectors, municipal, state, and federal governments. She is skilled in budget and grant operations, compliance, and monitoring, financial analysis, capital commitment planning, reimbursement, procurement, business strategy, process improvements, developing employees, supporting peers, and advisor to senior management.”
She graduated from Trenton Central High School, has an undergraduate degree in finance from Rider University, and received a certificate from the Municipal Finance Officer Program at Rutgers University. And while a votecheriegarrette4mayor.com is referenced on her Facebook page, the link was not active at press time.
However, I also sent an IM to her Facebook account and asked:
What political or business experience do you have that can demonstrate your ability to be the city’s executive?What city groups do you belong to — including organizations and places of worship?And what are some of the core problems hindering Trenton and how will you address them?
There was no response.
To get a look of the above incumbents acting on behalf of the City of Trenton, take a look at the Trenton Downtowner’s overview of the above mentioned Princetel Project from May 2019, which can be found at the following link: Trenton, Princetel, and the art of April fooling.
Trenton City Council
Now let’s move to the Trenton City Council.
Since it has become noted for being dysfunctional and has only one full-term incumbent seeking re-election (the rest either resigned before their term was over, decided not to seek re-election, or chose to run for mayor), the incoming council has the opportunity to get Trenton back into the business of serving the citizens of Trenton in a business-like manner.
As the City of Trenton codes dictate, the council is the city’s legislative body that adopts budgets, levies taxes, and makes or amends laws, policies, and ordinances.
Since those duties indicate that council members have some relevant professional experience and the ability to communicate, the following candidate sketches were made to highlight each candidate’s qualifications, character, and transparency.
They were created by looking online for candidate information via campaign websites, Facebook postings, and newspaper articles — just as a city voter would have to do.
The candidates running to fill the three at-large seats and the one seat for each of the four wards are as follows:
Council at Large
Clifton Anderson is the president of Trenton Brakes Auto Services Center and a Trenton Housing Authority commissioner. According to his THA biography, he received plumbing, electrical boiler repair, carpentry, and auto mechanics from Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School, and a business management certificate from Middlesex County College. He is a member of the international F&A.M. Masons and Order of Eastern Star, served on economic development committees for the NAACP Trenton, and secretary of Fathers and Men United for a Better Trenton. facebook.com/CliftonAndersonForCouncil.
Alex Bethea is a former Trenton City Council member with 40 years of experience as a Trenton school teacher, supervisor, and principal. The father of nine children is known for coaching youth sports and founding a youth wrestling program. Bethea gave up his council seat to run for mayor in 2018. No website could be found at press time.
Jasi Edwards is a senior constituent services representative at the office of Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. In addition to having an associate of arts and sciences in business studies from Mercer County Community College, she lists the following accomplishments: co-founded Operation Rebuild Trenton, co-chairs the Trenton NAACP’s financial literacy program, chairs the TAACC’s Juneteenth Legacy Committee, and is a member of the THA board. jasiedwardsforcitycouncil.com.
Crystal Feliciano is a finance teacher and journalism advisor at Trenton Central High School. According to Trenton Journal report, she serves as the North Ward District 5 Committeewoman, First V.P. of the Trenton Democrats, and founder and president of child health-related Giayana Monae Genesis Foundation. She also hosts a radio program on WIMG and the podcast “All That Chatter” and reports for the Peterson’s Breaking News. She holds a B.S. degree in accounting from Georgian Court University and an M.A. in education and an M.A. in leadership from Walden University. facebook.com/CrystalForTrenton.
Yazminelly Gonzalez is a teacher in the Trenton School System with a degree in special education from University of Maryland Eastern Shore. She is active with the outreach ministry at Change Church, vice president of The Trenton United Family Foundation, treasurer for the Puerto Rican Parade of Trenton, and board member of Trenton Literacy Movement, Old Trenton Barracks, and Children’s Home Society. yazminelly.org.
Kadja Manuel served in the U.S. Army for six years as human resources specialist and public affairs officer. He served as an executive assistant and community organizer with Garden State Equality, the vice president of Student Veterans of America, and chief of staff at Scottish American Insurance General Agency. A contributor to Out in New Jersey magazine, he is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Mercer County Young Democrats, and Progressive Democrats of New Jersey. He also was elected as third vice president of the Trenton Branch NAACP where he chairs the Armed Services & Veteran Affairs Committee, and LGBTQ Committee. kadjamanuel.org.
Michael Ranallo has a B.S. in political science from Rider College and an A.S. in criminal justice from Mercer County College. He has worked for approximately 20 years in quality control for the German-owned high-tech company, Trumpf. In addition to serving as campaign secretary for Paul Perez’s 2018 mayoral bid, Ranallo also served as a board member of Trenton Animals Rock, president of the nonprofit Partnerships for Trenton, and co-founder of the Trenton Orbit Facebook page. michaelranallo4trentoncouncil.com.
Waldemar Ronquillo is a Guatemalan-born Trenton city activist and father of four children and two step-children. He had been appointed to the Trenton City School Board to fill a vacancy but resigned after attending one meeting because of personal issues. www.facebook.com/waldemar.ronquillo
Taiwanda Terry-Wilson is currently employed at the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission as an administrative assistant within the department of inspection services and serves on the State of New Jersey’s Equal Employment Affirmative Action Unit. She was president of the Villa Park Civic Association and a commissioner or board member for the Trenton Zoning Board of Adjustments, Mercer County Planning Board, Trenton Board of Ethics, NAACP, and Trenton Partners for Development. She studied at Mercer County Community College. taiwilsonforcouncil.com.
East Ward
Ophelia Adderley shows no website or Facebook page.
Joseph Harrison is the current East Ward Councilman. Although he is using the same Facebook site for his re-election campaign, it, like his Trenton City Council page, provides few details on his employment and education background. He has been often supportive of the initiatives introduced by the mayor, bringing him into conflict with McBride and Vaughn. facebook.com/GoWithJoe2018.
Sonya Wilkins is currently serving as the at-large council. According to Urban News, Wilkins, a former city employee, Trenton Housing Authority commissioner, and a friend of Council President McBride, was voted to fill a vacant council-at-large seat until the end of the year. As NJ Urban News reports, “She blasted the city’s paper, The Trentonian, for revealing that she was dead broke and had to file Chapter 13 bankruptcy for protection from more than a dozen creditors in 2012.” The Trentonian also reported that she was McBride’s aide and belonged to a committee to recall councilman Harrison. facebook.com/sonya.wilkins.16.
South Ward
Jenna Figueroa Kettenburg is a supervisor of investigations of the conflict unit at New Jersey Department of Children and Family. She graduated from Rutgers University with a B.S. in administration of justice and received a M.S. in criminology from Boston University. She ran for council in 2018. jennaforcitycouncil.com/meet-jenna.
Damian Malave is a park maintenance employee for the Mercer County Park Commission. A graduate of Trenton Central High School, he also worked as a route service employee for Quest Diagnostics, conference setup manager for Princeton Hotel Conference Center, and superintendent of Stockton Arms. He has served with the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey and Democratic Hispanic Caucus of New Jersey and is endorsed by the Puerto Rican Civic Association of Central & Southern NJ. He also ran for council in 2018. facebook.com/damiang.malave.
Evangeline Ugorji is the vice president of the Trenton Parking Authority and recently co-launched an ethics investigation regarding authority operations. In September, Ugorji was publicly rebuked by current South Ward Councilman George Muschal for alleging that he endorsed her. At press time there was no easily found candidate website with more background information.
North Ward
Divine Allah — originally Brian Keith Bethea — is a city activist and supporter of current council president Kathy McBride. His Facebook site lists his profession as “FMS 1 Exercise Professional at Functional Movement, Youth Fitness Specialist – Level 1 at International Youth Conditioning Association and Certified/Licensed HIIT Instructor at Metafit USA.” It also notes that he studies personal training/fitness at National Academy of Sports Medicine. A trail of news articles show that he is a member of the New Black Panther Party, initiated events to stop violence in Trenton, and made antisemitic and homophobic remarks during a McBride Rally. facebook.com/divineforcouncil.
Merkle Cherry’s work career has involved both the City of Trenton and the Henry J. Austin Health Center. He was the director of the city’s department of recreation, natural resources, and culture from 1996 until May, 2000, when he was fired by Mayor Douglas Palmer for submitting incomplete grant applications for a popular city program. He later returned as Mayor Eric Jackson’s director of public works, which oversaw the Trenton Water Works, and was encouraged to resign when Gusciora took office. At HJA he served first as director of operations and later chief operating office. cherryiwork4u.com.
Algernon Ward Jr. is a retired research scientist for the New Jersey Department of Health and past city council candidate. He attended Trenton Central High School and received a B.S. in biology from Trenton State College. He also studied at New Jersey Institute of Technology and Mercer County Community College. He is a member of the 6th Regiment United States Colored Troops (Civil War Reenactors) and project director of Trenton’s Laurel Hill African American Cemetery restoration initiative. algernonward.com.
Jennifer Williams notes on her political website that she is a writer, healthcare professional, former union member, civic activist, and small business owner, youth sports coach, and a parent” who has an M.B.A. from Tulane University, B.S. in Marketing from La Salle University, and a film certificate from NYU — leading to her establishing the original Trenton Film Festival. According to a CNN bio, “She is a former New Jersey Republican Assembly candidate and was the first openly transgender delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2016. She has served on the Trenton planning board as both member and chair and is a member of the Conservatives Against Discrimination Leadership Council. williamsfornorthward.com.
West Ward
Atalaya Armstrong notes that she currently serves as chair for Trenton Historic Development Collaborative, and is chief steward for Local 2285, AFSCME, an ambassador for the Trenton Police Department and at-large member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She has a B.A. in liberal studies with a concentration in social sciences from Thomas Edison State University. facebook.com/AtalayaArmstrong4Trenton.
Teska Frisby was the administrative executive assistant for the National Junior Tennis & Learning of Trenton Inc. for about 12 years, as well a founding board member and Vice Chair of Clara’s Hearts, another local nonprofit. She is also the author of the 2021 young audience book “Different, Just Like You!” Frisby studied accounting and finance at Upsala College and is married to Mercer County Freeholder Sam Frisby. teskafortrenton.com/about.
Mary Horne is a city council meeting regular. Since she has little online presence, it is difficult to provide details on her work and education background. Some information can be found at facebook.com/maryann.horne.186.
Since the above is incomplete and candidates will make changes and reveal more about themselves, it is time to stay alert and informed as this important election gets closer.
To do so, keep pace with the local media efforts made by possible by individuals who want to inform the public and to help the build the community.
In addition to the Trentonian and the Times of Trenton newspapers, the following can also provide some important information on the candidates: Bridge the Vote at facebook.com/BridgeTheVoteTrentonNJ; Trenton Talks: Trenton 365 with Jacque Howard on WIMG 1300 at wimg1300.com; The Trenton Post at thetrentonpost.com; Trenton Journal: trentonjournal.com; The Nubian News: thenubiannews.com; and The Trenton Waves podcast: trentonwaves.com/podcast.
While the Peterson’s Breaking News, petersonsbreakingnewsoftrenton.com, and Trenton Orbit Group often have good information, both have city council candidate connections — Feliciano reports for Peterson’s, and Ranallo cofounded Orbit.
Meanwhile, it’s time for those tired Trentonians at the start of the story to wake up, get informed, and take on the pols at the polls on November 8.
Incumbent Mayor Reed Gusciora.,
Kathy McBride,
