Tony Mack, Without His Minders

Last Friday, March 30, was the last day for several staffers working for the Office of the Mayor, as the result of budget reductions for the balance of Fiscal Year 2012 mandated by City Council and approved by the State Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA). Apparently, those laid off comprised any and all individuals whose responsibilities included helping Mayor Tony Mack to avoid the kind of public embarrassment he subjected himself to on Friday night.  Without anyone in his office who might have been able to say, “Mr. Mayor, I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” or “Let me draft this for you instead,” we were able to see a little slice of Mack’s Mind – uncensored, unedited, uncontrolled.

I refer to this self-pitying rant of a press release, for which I thank Jim Carlucci for bringing to public attention over the weekend. This is worth a few words, on content as well as style. It is an extraordinary document in many respects.

Mr. Mack finds the layoff of his staffers to be “irresponsible,” (a favorite word of his these days), and “unprecedented… statewide and perhaps nationally.” I call Bullshit.

First off, the layoffs were the mayor’s decision. Council reduced his budget by a specific amount, but left implementation to the Mayor. He could have reduced his own salary to save his staffer, had he chosen. He did not.

Next, “unprecedented?” Hardly. Mr. Mack, do you know about Google? If you enter the search phrase “Council cuts Mayor’s Office,” you quickly find several items describing just the sort of thing that Mr. Mack finds “unprecedented.” Among the results:

Harrisburg cuts city budget, including cuts to the Mayor’s office

A draconian Detroit budget reduces the Mayor’s Office budget by $2 Million

Rahway’s Council cuts Mayor’s salary from $65K to $21K

In New Orleans, cuts to Council and the Mayor’s Office “simply a case of having everyone suffer in roughly equal degree when times are tough and there aren’t enough dollars to go around.”

So, “unprecedented?” I don’t think so.

I find it offensive, as a citizen of this town, that Mr. Mack can suggest that the loss of his staffers is “a selfish act that could potentially harm the health, safety and welfare of the City.” You will recall this press release from July 26, 2011, in which “The City of Trenton” – not the Mayor nor any single person – announced the layoffs of 150 City employees, including 108 uniformed police officers.

That layoff was clearly more damaging to the public health, safety and welfare, don’t you think? But that action was simply, and quietly announced on a day when Mr. Mack himself gutlessly avoided any personal responsibility for that layoff announcement by conveniently traveling to Disney World.

So, that layoff of 150 loyal employees is just routine, while this reduction of mayoral slackers, incompetents, no-shows and fools is “unprecedented”????

Hardly!!

Enough on the substance of this screed. I’d like to devote a few words to the tone of this release, and what it may represent.

This Friday press release was obviously written by Mr. Mack without any of his minders – they’re all gone. This release represents our Mayor without any filtering or restraint. It’s not a pretty sight.

The mayor is convinced that he is an aggrieved party, personally offended as well as professionally. He calls upon citizens to support his cause and rise up against the four Council members who passed the departmental budget cuts and somehow “respect the history of our great City and its significance to our great Country.”

Remember, what we are talking about here are the jobs of the likes of Lauren Ira and Johnnie Vaughan! For these people, he invokes History, and Country! For 150 other souls last summer, he went to Disney World.

To me, this press release seriously suggests someone who may need to consult with medical professionals. He has a wildly inflated sense of his own importance and that of his office; with minimal to no sense of personal responsibility, and zero appreciation of the scale and importance of this problem relative to everything else this city is facing. And sadly, he thinks he is absolutely in the right and that we will support him! He ostentatiously shows that he sent this press release to our local media as well as two Philadelphia TV stations and Politicker NJ – as if he actually expects any resulting press attention to be favorable to him, instead of exposing his embarrassment to the wider world!

This man is not well. Is there no one close to him who can suggest he at least seek a consultation?