In response to my post yesterday a member of Trenton’s Council, North Ward Rep Marge Caldwell-Wilson wrote on Facebook yesterday. I thank the Councilwoman for being a reader, and taking the time to thoughtfully respond. But in doing so, she actually reinforced my main point of yesterday’s column, and provides a further example of my deep frustration and disillusionment with the members of this Council. I will take the liberty here of re-posting some of those comments from the group page on which they appeared, as a fair use of what is intended by its members as a forum to foster civic conversation, because I find them so illuminating.
As you may recall, my main point yesterday that after nearly three and one-half years gone of their 4-year term, Trenton’s City Council has repeatedly consented to being lied to and treated with contempt by several members of the current Administration. Rather than take meaningful action and exercise its considerable powers to discipline and even remove any and all City officers other than the Mayor or a member of Council, this body has been content to periodically complain and sputter outrage.
This theme has apparently touched a nerve. Ms. Caldwell-Wilson wrote in reply:
Thank you for all of your comments, love to have you spend a day with me when I am DOING NOTHING…
we actually do demand answers to all of these questions, at Council and at Executive Board meetings. Just ask the folks who attend the meetings. Mr Roberts has been told the Recreation Budget is Zero until we get full disclosure. Why would you think we are not trying to get this information even via meetings with DCA.. Just dont Blog it Mark…
You don’t know that my being busy does not include trying to get answers…I just wish folks wouldn’t draw conclusions. I would be happy to have private conversations with anyone about this, or even invite them to run for a Council seat, it is possible they could do a better job
In these short notes, the Councilwoman explicitly agrees with much of the sentiment I expressed yesterday. In a reply to her note, I posted:
I am sure that, as you say, “we actually do demand answers to all of these questions.”
You were saying the same thing almost three years ago. From The Times, February 23, 2011:
“We’re just very frustrated with the administration right now,” Reynolds-Jackson said. Caldwell-Wilson said she was willing but reluctant to use the subpoena power.
“I’m not sure that were going to have to do that,” she said. “I would hope we don’t have to do that.”
“Personally I’m tired of getting no answers to my questions here,” Caldwell-Wilson said. [Emphasis mine – KM]
AREN’T YOU STILL TIRED OF GETTING NO ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS, 3 YEARS LATER. AREN’T YOU TIRED OF BEING LIED TO, AGAIN AND AGAIN????
WHEN WILL COUNCIL EVER DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY, AND ENFORCE *** CONSEQUENCES *** FOR THIS SHIT?!?!?!?
The point was reached long ago when getting information was enough. Along with my post, the comments above also conclude that Council has been fed bad information and treated with contempt for years, and has hardly done one damned thing to remove the corrupt, contemptuous and insubordinate individuals from the positions they have that allow them to do the same thing over. and over, and over again.
Yes, I know you would likely be stymied again, 4-3, as you have before. But is not the attempt worth the effort? Wouldn’t it be worthwhile to haul these guys down to Council, put them under subpoena, and put all this stuff on the public record?
You are not an information-seeking body; you are the governing body of the City of Trenton!
What’s the saying? “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!”
What so you say when you are again and again fooled, and by the likes of Anthony Roberts and Tony Mack to boot!?!?!?!
As I said yesterday, it must be extremely frustrating to several members of this Council that their term has been such a failure. Most of the blame has to accrue to those actually responsible for the carnage: specifically the Indicted Occupant of the Mayor’s Office, and his close colleagues such as Fuckup Without Portfolio Anthony Roberts.
But others have to share the blame for the current state of affairs, too. The State’s Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has talked a good game for these three years, promising strict accountability and oversight tied to State financial aid. By and large, DCA has been a toothless watchdog, and has done little to restrain the IO from doing almost anything he likes.
The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office has gone after some of the criminal misbehavior of this administration, but precious little. It has fallen to individual civil action taken on the part of wronged employees such as Maria Richardson and Michael Morris to reveal the scope of incompetence and corruption in City Hall.
But we don’t elect the DCA or the Mercer Prosecutor. They are not directly responsible to the citizens of this City as members of Council are. They are the members of Trenton’s Governing Body. It is on them, rightly or wrongly, that I consider responsible for enabling so much of this criminality and corruption as long as it has.
They have failed to grasp that their job demands much more than “demanding answers to all of these questions. Their job requires much more action than they have been strong enough to take.
Yesterday, I pointed my finger at each member of this Council “who collectively have failed in their job, deserve no more than this current term in office. If they had any honor left they would acknowledge that their best was in no way good enough, and step aside from any re-election effort.”
It may not have been her intention to do so, but Councilwoman Caldwell-Wilson implicitly endorsed that sentiment when she wrote yesterday,
“I would be happy to have private conversations with anyone about this, or even invite them to run for a Council seat, [if they think] it is possible they could do a better job” [Emphasis mine – KM]
It would be hard to think of a more explicit offer than that.
OK, who is up to it?
i received 3 robo calls from his honor the indicted future felon for the parade, no mention if he will appear, where can one find rotten tomatoes this time of year?? just in case he leaves his lair??