City Council Meeting and Meet & Greet Afterthoughts

Trenton City Council Members

First off, for all of the parents out there, the Trenton Fire Department is handing out 700 toys at the Roebling Market complex at 10AM and 11:30AM Friday December 21st. Thank you to George Muschal for announcing that during Civic comments.

I first attended the City Council Meet & Greet (conversations with Council) at 4PM. It was a good meeting, it went so well in fact Council President Holly-Ward said they would do it once a month in 2013. I would guestimate that twenty-three residents attended as well as mayoral hopefuls, press and Council members. Councilwomen Holly-Ward and Caldwell-Wilson and Councilmen Chester and Muschal fielded most questions and concerns from those in attendance. Obviously missing was all of the Park Rangers, there was none and I pointed out that security which is overseen by Roberto Mendez has become dangerously lax when it comes to City Council events. I have not seen a metal detecting wand in over six-month's.

Dan Dodson read a short presentation on behalf of The Majority For A Better Trenton. Read it below.

Majority for a Better Trenton Strategic Plan and Goals.

Then someone was speaking and started quoting Rush Limbo (Limbaugh) and that was my cue to exit and wait in the hall for the regular council meeting to start. It started late but went by quickly for the most part, if I'm home by 8PM I'm happy.

The Agenda went quickly with only a handful of public speakers and Civic Comments. Below is an impassioned plea for unity by Dan Dodson and preceding Dan is African American Chamber of Commerce President John Harmon looking for answers to questions he's been asking for quite awhile now. I think Council members can relate, they are still waiting for answers for their own abundance of questions.




Speaking of questions and answers which seemed to be the theme of the day, after the docket was addressed, West-Ward Councilman Zachary Chester reminded me of a tenacious litigator as he fired off good points and good questions about the bust of President Obama in the City Hall Atrium. As I was listening to Councilman Chester I felt like I was in an episode of Law & Order or something. Chester was directing his questions towards Anthony Roberts (who was not in attendance) via Sam Hutchinson with a couple of questions directly for Business Administrator Hutchinson like "did Roberts have permission from Hutchinson to purchase the base for the bust?" Hutchinson answered "No, he did not have my permission."

Chester asked why Roberts, as president of the Obama Bust Committee (or whatever they are called) was seemingly performing Committee business on City time. Chester stated that he was handed a 4-page reference to the bust two days before it was presented and he received it via Roberts during regular business hours for the City. President Holly-Ward described it as two Anthony Roberts: one the Committee President and one the City employee.

When Chester put forth a motion to have a resolution drafted to demand Roberts and the City employees on the 'Bust Committee' appear before Council to answer a lot of hard questions....Holly-Ward asked "which Roberts do you want?" "Both!" Chester exclaimed. The motion passed and a resolution will be drafted and one of the other good questions is....Chester said while looking at the invoice from Stone Tech he saw that the base was paid for ($1,000) but questioned whether we can be expecting a bill for installation because installation was not included in the price of the base? Chester said 5 contractors are on the plaque of names of the donors and that is clearly a pay-to-play violation and hopes that all donors know that they can't write off their donation with the IRS unless Roberts 'Bust Committee' is an official 501c3 non-profit organization.The plot thickens.

And so will my waistline this Holiday Season (as usual) and in the spirit of the Season I will end the year by writing one good thing about Kathy McBride, 'I am growing to very much enjoy her Multi-Cultural Holiday Display in the atrium and thank her for including that big ole' Christmas Tree, even if it was defecated on by pictures of the Indicted Occupant of the mayors office.'

Because I noticed in the 'traffic' and 'audience' section of this blog that (for some reason) people from every Continent on earth is reading what I write......I will end this post with.... 

 I wish all of you a happy and safe Holiday or Holidays's depending on your individual belief's, see you next year!

Peace Trenton