Ladies First?

Irwin Stoolmacher had an interesting op-ed piece this moring; the theme was that perhaps a woman could do a better job as mayor of Trenton.  And this, Blogolanders, reminded me of that Agatha Christie stchick.  She had recurring character, Ariadne Oliver, who claimed crime would go down if a woman ran Scotland Yard.  Yeah, sure.  Going back to Mr. Stoolmacher's original piece about who would make a good mayor, he listed Reed Gusiora!  The only reason Reed lives in Trenton is because the assembly districts were redrawn, and he wanted to keep his job.  His interest in Trenton is probably NIL!  Scratch him.  Mr. Stoolmacher mentioned today the four women currently on council as possible candidates.  Ms. McBride has done a great job with Mothers Against Violance, but that does not make a viable candidate for mayor.  Big deal, she got the most at-large votes.  So did Manny Segura during one election.  As for political clout - how do you think Tony Mack got elected?  Ms. Caldwell-Wilson seems to qualify because she is a Democrat; so are the other three women on council, and Trenton is, in theory, non-partisan.  Since I do not live in the East Ward, I have no knowledge of how effective Ms. Reynolds-Jackson is.  Which brings us to Ms. Holly-Ward whom Mr. Stoolmacher knows from TCCA.  Wow!!  Yes, Ms. Holly-Ward was president of TCCA several years back (I was treasurer that year) .  Ms. Caldwell-Wilson has also served as president of TCCA.  So have I.  Ms. Holly-Ward has not been active in TCCA for quite a while.  What she does have going for her is that she understands money.  Ms. Holly-Ward is a businesswoman.  Ms. Holly-Ward is a successful businesswoman. 

Which brings me to a woman who was not mentioned by Mr. Stoolmacher.  A woman who knows labor law; a woman who is a tough negotiator; a woman who can read a balance sheet.  Annette Lartigue.

This is not an endorsement of anyone for mayor.  This is a reminder that we should look to a candidate who understands financial concepts like when the outgo exceeds the income, you have a problem.  We also need someone who can say, "Do not ask for anything.  We have NO money!" 

So for the next election (which is less than 14 months away), let's forget race, gender, party, birthplace, and look for someone who is honest enough to say, "Folks, it's gonna hurt, and it's gonna hurt bad, but we'll climb out of this mess."