You know what I say. Whenever you got business trouble the best thing to do is to get a lawyer. Then you got more trouble, but at least you got a lawyer. — Antonio Perelli (Chico Marx), At the Circus, 1939

On November 5th Steve Glickman, the $140 an hour private attorney hired by the city to defend Mayor Mack against more alleged baseless allegations, held a press conference at city hall — or as it is becoming known, the Big-Top.

Glickman’s job this day was to refute the allegations that Mack illegally pilfered 12 city-owned recreation department tents. The answer was so simple that Glickman promised to not bill the city for the press conference.  Mr. Glickman produced before the very eyes of those present two tents! Viola!  Some present said they could hear the faint sound of a drum roll as the trick was performed. Sure enough, right there in two canvas mail carts were two folded pieces of canvas, complete with metal poles.

With the tents now entered into evidence in the court of public opinion, Glickman set out to tear down the reputation and motivation of the person who alleged thievery by our esteemed mayor.  Well, of course Mr. Glickman failed to convince the masses.  You see, there is a history and pattern of events that cause people to look out the window if Mayor Mack says its raining.  Some think he’s lying and some think he’s just too stupid to know rain from the shineola of the sun.  Most people are situated someplace in the middle.  But make no mistake, Mayor Mack is not believed by the masses.

Rumors of criminal investigation are ever present. In the words of Robert DeNiro, “I know a thing or two about a thing or two.” No, I don’t have any information about a criminal investigation. I do know that during the investigation of an organization, be it a criminal group or an administration alleged to have acted criminally,  the first thing that is done is to identify the weak links.  Who is going to tell?  It is already happening in the Water Works investigation: 1 Guilty Plea with testimony.

Hilariously, Mayor Mack has surrounded himself with a group of what I would call “weak-links”. Just a little bit of leaning on the underlings should result in a truckload of witnesses.  All of Mack’s little “thugs” will sing like canaries when the time comes.  There is absolutely no reason to believe otherwise.

All of this impropriety, alleged or proven, is going to cost the city a heap of money.  Mack will shake his head and woefully say it is not his doing and that it is the haters who are robbing the city of much needed money; but the public knows the truth.

I was told by a person who is part of Trenton’s EMS protection that recently Ambulances and Paramedic vehicles have been arriving at scenes of violence before the police.

When this happens the EMS personnel wait at a nearby location, out of sight, until officers arrive and let them know it is safe. This policy has always existed and seems prudent.

This means that the arrival times of EMS personnel to scenes of violence, are contingent upon the response times of police.

Victims of stabbings, shootings, beatings (by fists or other items) and domestic violence assaults may have to wait much longer for medical treatment.

Happy Pearl Harbor Day Happy Titanic Day

Pick the adjective that least describes the Mayor: 1. Lackluster 2. Confused 3. Inept 4. Capable 5. Shell Shocked

Trenton’s current Business Administrator is an idiot.  The last Business Administrator was a buffoon; before him, a moron and his predecessor was a dolt.

Whether we realize it or not, the current Law Department head, like his predecessors, is an idiot as well.  In fact, the list of positions in the city held by an idiot is quite large.

For some time I believed that all the positions previously mentioned were held by one man, Tony Mack.  After all, what are the odds that one person could find so many inept people to fill positions of authority? Yet time and time again Mayor Mack has seemed to possess the innate ability to select people who were not qualified.  Or were they?

Prime examples are all of the legal opinions publicly rendered by Mayor Mack.  Each City Attorney who corrected Mack has since left, under duress. Mack has shown a “my way or the highway” style of management.  Many times it appeared that a Business Administrator or City Attorney was simply mouthing the words ordered by Mack.

Well, the latest turn of events, involving Eric Berry, lends credence to the argument that the city is being micromanaged by Mack.  The alternative is that all these other people rose to the level of the Mayor’s incompetence.

The Trentonian initially described Mack as “shell shocked” when he learned that Berry was hired by the DCA.  I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall when Mack was told of Berry’s new employment and that Mack’s decisions would have to be approved by Berry.  One can only imagine what Berry learned about the city administration during his tenure and how he will use the knowledge in his new position. This move could be a stroke of brilliance on the part of the DCA.  At the very least it provides a glimmer of hope.

The DCA appears ready to finally rein-in Mack’s mismanagement.  However, a situation exists that is outside of the control of the DCA.  Exactly who is running the police department?  It is widely reported that Mayor Mack, by way of a letter channeled through Acting Business Administrator Roberts, ordered that:

1. Vice and TAC units be disbanded.
2. Foot patrols be instituted.
3. Overtime cannot be used to fill patrol vacancies.

Acting Police Director Chris Doyle made it clear that he did not agree with the Mayor’s orders.  But what can an “Acting Director” really do about an unreasonable order from the Mayor?  The police unions decried Mack’s decision, labeling it unsafe for both the public and for officers. Apparently there is no longer a “mandatory minimum” level of staffing. Community leaders and elected officials have also declared the move a monumental mistake. Yet the order stands.

Make no mistake about it: Mayor Mack is the Police Director. He has issued orders deploying manpower and rigidly dictated the uniform presence on the street.  The Mayor has failed at every turn to appoint a permanent Police Director and now proposes, by explicit actions, to run the police department himself.

This is now a matter for Mercer County Prosecutor Bocchini to address.  Bocchini is the chief law enforcement officer of the county and has an obligation to act.  He has the authority to take control of the day-to-day operations of the department.  If Bocchini does not act, then the State Attorney General needs to step-in. This situation cannot be tolerated.

ADDENDUM: This post was written before I was aware of Mack’s dodging of Act. Police Director Doyle.

Mayor Mack announced a series of successes this week.

1st:  The completion and unveiling of Trenton’s Wall of Mayors. The wall displays mostly all of Trenton’s past Mayor’s but also hosts Mack’s own mug.  The project, although a bit self serving on Mack’s part, marks one of the first successful projects in this administration’s tenure of almost 15 months.  The Mayor may regret his decision to create such a display.  His plaque could soon be the only one with an asterisk saying “Recalled”.  Better still would be if the next photo in line was dated 2012 and labeled “City Manager”.  When criticized about the cost of the project, Mack pointed out that by spending $4,000 on the wall, he saved the city money.  This project makes clear why other issues, like the floods, police layoffs and responding to council, took a back burner.

2nd: Finally, Trenton has a new, state of the art, tennis center. Now that construction is done, what will be the cost of securing the courts?  If  24/7 security isn’t provided then these courts, like the last ones, will be a wreck.

3rd:  Mack Math, Part 2 — The Mayor announced that although about 1/3 of the police department was laid off, the actual number of officers on the street will increase.  A City Hall source reports that Mayor Mack was elated to learn that by forgetting to carry a 2, he can actually get the total number of cops to equal 413, meaning these layoffs are actually increasing the number of officers.

The Previous Failure Known as Mayor, Doug Palmer, Flees Trenton

Doug Palmer sings "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"

For 20 years he ran Trenton into the ground. Failing schools, ignoring gangs, creative crime counting and much much more, all happened under Palmer’s terms. And now, when the shit is really hitting the fan, he runs away to Yardley. The Re-Invent Trenton blog addresses Palmer and how Trenton got to where it is now.

Mayor’s Recycled Letter
Mayor Mack issued a heartfelt letter to all the police officers that were laid off today. Mack empathized with the officers and related he experienced the same thing years ago and persevered … ad nauseam.

Those who read the letter, took exception to a miserable failure comparing himself to them. Other than being laid off, the officers have absolutely nothing in common with the mayor. Each realized that the letter lacked any effort on the part of the Mayor. Each had received the same “woe was me” letter last year during the threatened lay offs.

I wouldn’t want to be a ham sandwich around this guy…

Gets to Trenton via helicopter and is escorted by Troopers.

Mayor Mack with Felix Bahm

It’s not often that a plan falls apart during the announcement phase.  Amazingly, Mayor Mack’s plan did just that.  Just over a week ago Mayor Mack unveiled his audacious plan scheme to save 36 police officers from lay offs.  However, the Mayor didn’t merely stumble out of the starting block; he fell flat on his face. The most likely cause was that his shoelaces were tied together.  It would be laughable if the ramifications of such a miserable failure weren’t so serious.  How many more hits can the mayor’s credibility take?

From the very beginning, anyone with a pencil and paper and the ability to do advanced maneuvers of mathematics, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and the dreaded long division, knew that the plan was unworkable.

Mack’s plan hinged on three things:

1. The fantasy that the state would give-in to the Mayor’s demand of an additional $750,000.
2. The fantasy that the federal overseers of the COPS grant would waive a major clause of receiving the grant.
3. The fallacy that Mack’s formula was correct.

Trenton SOA Must Forfeit Their 12.5% Raises for 2011 & 2012
I don’t know who in the administration was responsible for negotiating the police SOA contract, but they should be hung by their fingernails in front of city hall!  How could they have agreed to give the police supervisors annual raises of 12.5%?  The average raise, for the 60 superiors, is $13,250 per year.  This is unconscionable.

Okay, relax, that is the fallacy. No such raises exist. After doing the Mackematics the sum that needs to be made up through concession of annual raises is $1.59 million, or $26,500 per supervisor.   This takes into account the year-long $100 per month give back by each police officer.  It also takes into account the $750,000 that the state has to give the city (the Mayor did demand that money, so the check is probably already on the way).

Mack’s so-called plan is another example of why the mayor is not to be believed for anything, at least until proof is established.

Why don’t we believe him? He is either incompetent or a liar. It is a hell of a choice, but I don’t see a third option. Do you? Whatever the answer, he shouldn’t be the Mayor of Trenton.  Not even an “honest” mistake of this magnitude should be tolerated. —F. Bahm

Below is a work up of Mack’s formula. The numbers are taken from Mack’s plan and from news articles where city administration supplied the numbers. The total shortfall is $6.3 million which is offset by laying off 108 officers.

Does anybody know if there is a timetable for when the city plans on being financially sound?  So far it appears that if the state doesn’t give enough money then the city’s plan is to lay off workers.  The only other option is to  increase taxes.

Layoff or raise taxes, neither of these options is very sustainable into the future.  So, what is the plan?  [insert sound of crickets here]

The only remedy I have heard from the Mayor so far is to force all newly hired police officers, firefighters and teachers to live in the city.  But that (dare I say) plan is contingent upon the city hiring new cops, firefighters and teachers.  When might that be?  Before they can hire, they have to stop laying-off and rehire the workers laid off.  So, when would the city hope to start seeing any impact what-so-ever from this strategy;  one year, two years maybe three?  And what does the city plan to do in the interim?  I’m sorry, but this sounds more like a whim than a plan.  Next.

Of course, there is the age-old mantra, “We need to attract fresh business to the city and we need to encourage the new businesses to hire city residents.”  We need to do this. We need to do that.  What is needed is what Scarecrow finally possessed at the end of The Wizard of Oz.  In all sincerity, any thinking person can tell you what the city needs.  What we want to hear is how the hell you plan on fulfilling those needs!

From City Council there have been at least some signs of thought into the matter. Suggestions of increased enforcement of ordinances and traffic laws make sense. However, Council is having trouble grasping the problems because they are not being informed by the Mayor. Even worse is the idea that the administration is stonewalling Council.  So far Council has postured an awful lot, but overall has been too tolerant of the Mayor’s shenanigans.

So, here are a few ideas for whenever the planning phase begins:

• Aggressive enforcement of health & housing violations. Not only does it raise money, but it also helps improve the community.
• Fire people who have been hired illegally.
• Bring back Meter Maids. There is a lot of revenue to be made through parking tickets. Plus, if people know the meters are being enforced then they are more apt to put in the coins.
• Take over the towing of vehicles. There is a goldmine waiting to be tapped by the city.
• Increase the minimum fines for ordinances.
• Sell the East and West police district buildings.
• Amend the Pay-to-Play ordinance to include campaign workers. You can’t get a contract if you donate $200 to a city politician, but if you donate hundreds of hours of your time to a city politician, you can get a city job. The loophole needs to be closed.

“It is common sense to take a method and try it; If it fails, admit it frankly and try another, but above all, try something.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt

Soon, raising taxes and layoffs will not be viable options.  What we need is a plan; but, that is obvious, right?