The Trenton Times published the following editorial on March 23, 2013. To read the full article, click here.
Opinion: Trenton is ‘in a coma, on life support in the form of state aid and failing fast’
By Times of Trenton guest opinion column
on March 23, 2013 at 6:26 AMBy Jim Carlucci
On Monday, Trenton Mayor Tony Mack delivered his annual State of the Cityaddress. According to his script, one would think that all is well in the city of Trenton.
Mayor Mack opened by pointing out how his administration was able to balance the budget even though, each year, the city starts with a deficit. He sees this as a notable accomplishment and chides those who criticize his false pride in merely following the law.
It is the job of the city administration to have a balanced budget. No applause should be earned for doing what one is supposed to do, what one is bound to do by statute.
Balancing the budget by raising taxes and cutting appropriations for personnel and department budgets does not solve the city’s long-term fiscal problem.
The mayor stated that his administration has reduced the number of city employees by one-third from 1,339 to fewer than 900. He assured the audience that their “reasonable expectations for delivery of municipal services” will be met.
Last summer, the grass in the city parks went uncut for weeks and the trash cans were not emptied. Our city pools didn’t open on time.
Our police department lost more than 100 officers in 2011, and its pro-active Tactical Anti-Crime units were disbanded just a few months ago. The result is fewer arrests, even while incidents of assault and robbery increase.
We were told streets would be paved “in every ward” this year. Of course, they will. That is called maintenance. It is what cities do. It’s not an “accomplishment.” Like balancing the budget, it is just an example of an administration managing to do the job it is supposed to do.
The mayor did not bother to note that property taxes have increased nearly 22 percent since he took office and will likely increase again this year, once the budget is finalized. Instead, he pointed with pride to the $131 million received in grants and aid over the past three years.
There was no mention of, and indeed there has been no effort toward, positioning the city for sustainable revenue increases.
We recently learned that the auction of city-owned properties has failed in an attempt to return the properties to the tax rolls. For that, a lack of staff was blamed.
What was that comment about meeting reasonable expectations for the delivery of services? Why not just issue a request for proposal for an attorney or law firm that would contract to handle the “as is” property sales for a flat fee per closing?
Mayor Mack also spoke of collecting the backlog of past-due tax liens, as well as court revenues. These are monies owed the city and should be pursued, but that does not solve the continued lack of steady, sustainable funding for the city.
The mayor continues to pledge the administration will cut costs by reducing fees for outside consultants and professional services. The city repeatedly finds itself in court responding to vendors and victims of its mismanagement. An effective administration, performing properly, could avoid hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal costs.
A hallmark of the Mack administration has been the squandering of funds on pet projects that have no lasting impact on the city. He wasted more than $200,000 on his Learning Centers, which are hardly ever open. How much more effective would that money have been if it had been used, say, by the legitimate Trenton Free Public Library board to improve its operations and service to the community?
The mayor’s version of the state of the city differs greatly from the facts as we know them.
Trenton is broke. No one is addressing our structural deficit. The failed experiment in hotel ownership bleeds money, yet there is talk of somehow financing another $3 million or more to renovate the Trenton Marriott.
A $6.7 million PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) recently expired on some New Jersey Economic Development Authority properties downtown. The state graciously tossed that amount into this year’s transitional aid award, but nobody has mentioned how that is going to affect the city’s budget going forward.
Although the mayor didn’t mention it in his speech, we cannot ignore his legal problems. Without even addressing the matter of whether he is guilty, the facts are: His home and office were raided by the FBI; he was subsequently arrested and indicted. This absolutely hinders Mack’s ability to effectively do the job he was elected to do.
The Mack administration has no true accomplishments. The city has no forward momentum. The mayor’s incompetence is crippling.
The city is in a coma, on life support in the form of state aid and failing fast.
Jim Carlucci of Trenton is a civic activist, editor, blogger and Leadership Trenton fellow, Class of 2002.