Ye Shall Know the Truth

Robert Chilson published a long entry about Ms. McBride; sadly, he's right. My problem with the current council is that during the campaign they all claimed to have, "the answers," and were ready to hit the ground running. Now they don't know what they're doing. What their purpose is. Well, here goes. Members of council are elected to vote on ordinances and resolutions and to watch over the municipal purse. And to have the courtesy to listen to speakers for three minutes. Anything else is up to them. So if George Muschal wants to help Trentonians with various problems, good for him. As to Reed Gusciora who has discovered the nexus between Princeton and Trenton - come on! The assemblyman wants to keep his job so he'll move into Trenton. I, for one, will not praise him for doing so; I would have given him credit if he moved into Trenton three years ago. My father loved to say, "You can tell when a politician lies because the mouth is moving." Again, sad, but true. In the current issue of The Downtowner, Carlos Avila claims to have made the run-off in his second campaign and to have lost by ten votes. Not so! George Muschal won the South Ward in 2010. And by more than fifty percent. There was no run-off in the South Ward. It's too bad that Ms. McBride resents the fact the DCA is eyeballing everything council and the administration does. Too bad; Trenton has been whining about the need for state funds. We got some money and the state wants to make sure the money is not going down a rat hole. In case you haven't noticed, folks, the state is also broke. There are worthy individuals on the current council, but as a whole - all seven of them - they are a sad, sad bunch.

Corrrection & Apology

In my last blog, I left out a word. The sentence should read, "If the 15th District had NOT...." When I caugh the error, I tried to edit my posting. Not much luck. A week or so ago my, "server," reconfigured everything. The terms are wrong. I'm now trying relearn. I dislike technology; I believe if it ain't don't fix it. My neighbor, who is really into computers and electronics, explained it is necessary to stay on the cutting edge.

Read about Reed

It seems Assemblyman Reed Gusciora closed on a new home about twenty days ago. Now he plans to move into Trenton so he can continue to serve as an assemblyman for the 15th District. While cruising the blogosphere, I noticed that a few people are thrilled that he moving into Trenton! Where he lives is his business, but before people start dancing in the streets, think about this. If Reed Gusciora cared so much about Trenton, he would have bought a house here rather than in Princeton. The only reason he's coming to Trenton is that he wants to keep his job. Nothing wrong with that, but let's be honest. That he will soon be a new resident is fine; but I am not impressed. If the 15th District had been redrawn, he'd still be unpacking in Princeton.

Sweet Stuff

Friday afternoon, I went over to Ellarslie for a brownie tasting. One more thing to love about Trenton. "Alysia's Brownies!" If you haven't tasted these gems, you're not living. My favorite - raspberry brownies. My neighbor, Carolyn, goes for the marshmellow brownies. But you name the flavor; it's there. You can reach out at www.AlysiasBrownies.com - please do.

The 15th

The 15th District will change. Reed Gusciora's bedroom (he claims to live in Trenton but sleep in Princeton - too cute!!) is now in the 16th District so he plans to roll the mattess down 206 and buy a house in Trenton. As a right leaning Republican (awful pun), I don't care about either Mrs. Watson-Coleman or Mr. Gusciora. The few times I called Mrs. Watson-Coleman's office for help, I was told, "We don't do that." I called Reed Gusciora's office just once - about three years ago. I'm still waiting for the call-back. Now, Senator Shirley Turner is a very different story. The many times I have approached her office for help, I have gotten it and FAST. Usually within two or three hours. And, no, she can't help me with everything. When she can't, Meredith Rivera calls to report, "Mrs. Stewart, this isn't a matter the Senator can help with. Have you tried.....?" When Senator Turner can help, she does!! In fact, her record re constituent services is so good, a Republican said to me last year, "No way will I run against Shirley Turner; I'll wait till she retires."

Doggy Droppings

Yesterday I posted regarding a cleaner Trenton. One reader pointed out the problem of people who do not curb their dogs. Fortunately, in this little corner of the South Ward, we don't have the problem; no one owns a dog and those few who have cats, keep them indoors. But we are required to curb our animals and pick up after them which is not that hard considering all the plastic bags we have. Dog poop is a health hazard. But again, folks, let's all pick up after ourselves. Then we will really have a clean city.

To Labor is to Pray

This is the motto of the Benedictine Order of monks; I find it an interesting philosophy since I've never felt very spiritual while pushing the vacuum cleaner or pulling weeds, but... Yet I hear a great deal about the need for jobs here in Trenton. Whenever a contract is before council, someone asks if the contractor will be hiring Trentonians. Usually, the contractor dodges the question; I'm waiting for the answer to be, "We are fully staffed which is why we can bid on this contract." That's the answer. Any company applying for a city contract most likely has a qualified staff. There is also the problem that very few of Trenton's unemployed have anything to offer an employer. They lack skills. Many are functionally illiterate. When I was working, I would ask my, "clients," what sort of work they were looking for; the typical answer was, "Anything." There was also the problem of not having a work ethic. One of my clients (I was a probation officer handling cases of welfare fraud) landed a job at Water's Edge Nursing Home. She started on Monday; Thursday morning she was in my office sobbing because she had been fired. She told me she had been fired because her supervisor didn't like her. On my way home, I stopped off at Water's Edge and spoke to the supervisor who showed me her time card. She had been late Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. And Tuesday she left early. Friday morning I called her to explain why she had been fired. My client was upset because she had three children to get ready every morning and she was doing the best she could. At least she got there so what was his problem? This young woman could not accept the fact that she agreed to work 8AM to 4PM; her supervisor had the right to expect her to be there at 8AM. Yes, many Trentonians need jobs, but many Trentonians needs skills and they also need an understanding how the job market works.