This is just getting too weird:
The Trentonian is running an online story by LA Parker this afternoon claiming that, despite ALL the protestations and denials to the contrary over the last several days, Mayor Mack has admitted that the $6,000 campaign donation received from the developer seeking to acquire 36 vacant and abandoned properties from the city at Tuesday’s Council meeting, violates State Election Law.
Through former Councilman Bill Young, who yesterday was adamant – adamant! – that International Renaissance Inc, the company with which both he and Pennsylvania developer Robert Jordan are associated , gave not “one dime” to the Mack campaign, is today quoted as saying, essentially, “Whoops!” On behalf of the Mayor (odd, in and of itself. Where is the Mayor? Where is Lauren Ira? Oh, the Mayor’s voice mailbox is full, and Ms. Ira isn’t returning calls!), Mr. Young says,
“Mack said it was an unfortunate incident and that he didn’t know how the mistake happened.”
The “mistake” referred to was the Mack Campaign reporting the $6,000 contribution as coming from International Renaissance, and not from Mr. and Mrs. Jordan themselves, which Mr. Young now says was how the money came in. This still doesn’t make sense: even if the Jordans gave private donations, they would be limited to $2600 each, or $5200 total. That $5200 is legal ONLY if the Mack campaign could show that the donations came from individual bank accounts, or a check on a joint account they both signed. So, assuming that $5200 is legal, Young says the Mack campaign will refund the extra $800 – or would it be two $400 checks? – and everything’s even, OK?
Confused? Who wouldn’t be?!?!?!
To sort this out, the Mayor and James Rolle, his Treasurer who filed this Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) report that states the $6000 contribution as being from International Renaissance, must release to the public a copy of the canceled check behind this donation, to prove who in reality gave the illegal donation.
Because, come on! However they’re explaining it away today, any way you look at it, this was an illegal donation under the ELEC rules. Young and Mack now want a do-0ver, but this incident won’t go away so easily.
One other thing, Mr. Mayor? While you’re at it, what about the $3200 contribution by Cesar Melendez, reported on Page 9 of this report. This also seems to be $600 over the legal limit. Tell us all about this, please!
Also, the property purchase by SR Development (another of Mr. Jordan’s – who is apparently the Johnny Appleseed of local developers, seeding companies around everywhere – enterprises) of 36 city-owned vacant and abandoned houses in the East Ward, mostly around Walnut Avenue, that uncovered all of this mess in the first place? Mr. Young says, “Never mind!”
“I want my name off of this project. I have strongly recommended that Mayor Mack does not move forward with this project. International Renaissance will not be pursuing this redevelopment effort,” Young said.
Wow. Even Mr. Young has gotten confused by this deal. International Renaissance wasn’t even part of this Walnut Avenue deal. That was SR Development!
You can’t keep the players straight without a scorecard, I suppose.
Once again, this is an entire crisis for which the Mack Administration, and NO ONE ELSE, has only themselves to blame. Mr. Mack violated ELEC rules. He and several City employees have skirted – at the very least – the city’s own rules and processes by moving the property deal along. The Ordinance that was to be presented to Council on Tuesday contains several important factual errors about the properties that were to be sold.
And, as of today, the Mayor – through a most unusual spokesperson – seems to have implicitly admitted that a Company that the City was doing business with was also an illegal campaign contributor.
Wow.
POSTSCRIPT:
Lost in all of this is the fact that the Walnut Avenue area that was the location of this suspect and now dead property deal, still needs help, badly. Not that it would have been forthcoming had this deal gone ahead, as lifelong resident Dion Clark suspected earlier this week would be the case.
But now, that Walnut Street, or anywhere else in the East Ward, or anywhere else in the City of Trenton, will see the kind of help and investment we need looks a lot less likely to happen anytime soon.Who’s going to line up now to make a deal?
After this debacle, the reputation of the City of Trenton as a place to invest, to do business and to build takes another body blow that it can’t afford. For that, there is no one else to blame here except Mayor Tony Mack.