There was a pretty good movie that came out a few years ago, about the world of Public Relations and Lobbying. “Thank You for Smoking” was taken from the book by Christopher Buckley. It centered on the character of Nick Naylor, whose job and particular passion it was to defend – no, Champion! – the tobacco industry, encouraging the use of tobacco and cigarettes. It’s a very funny movie.
At one point in the film, Nick describes to his young son Joey how he works:
Joey Naylor: …so what happens when you’re wrong?
Nick Naylor: Whoa, Joey I’m never wrong.
Joey Naylor: But you can’t always be right…
Nick Naylor: Well, if it’s your job to be right, then you’re never wrong.
Joey Naylor: But what if you are wrong?
Nick Naylor: OK, let’s say that you’re defending chocolate, and I’m defending vanilla. Now if I were to say to you: ‘Vanilla is the best flavour ice-cream’, you’d say…
Joey Naylor: No, chocolate is.
Nick Naylor: Exactly, but you can’t win that argument… so, I’ll ask you: so you think chocolate is the end all and the all of ice-cream, do you?
Joey Naylor: It’s the best ice-cream, I wouldn’t order any other.
Nick Naylor: Oh! So it’s all chocolate for you is it?
Joey Naylor: Yes, chocolate is all I need.
Nick Naylor: Well, I need more than chocolate, and for that matter I need more than vanilla. I believe that we need freedom. And choice when it comes to our ice-cream, and that Joey Naylor, that is the definition of liberty.
Joey Naylor: But that’s not what we’re talking about
Nick Naylor: Ah! But that’s what I’m talking about.
Joey Naylor: …but you didn’t prove that vanilla was the best…
Nick Naylor: I didn’t have to. I proved that you’re wrong, and if you’re wrong I’m right.
Joey Naylor: But you still didn’t convince me
Nick Naylor: It’s that I’m not after you. I’m after them.
[points into the crowd]
TrentonYES is doing the same thing. How else to explain the print ads that show a picture of one of the pretty-new storage tanks that Trenton Water Works owns in Hopewell to serve our customers (remember that: OUR customers) in Hopewell.
Over the picture of the water tank is the caption “Trenton doesn’t use this tank.” Like, this is a bad thing? The rate payers in Hopewell pay for that tank: they paid for the construction, they pay for its upkeep, and they pay for the water that goes in and out of the tank. And all that generates a reasonable profit. All that money comes to the Trenton Water Works. Pretty neat.
So, how is this NOT a good thing? Owning stuff that other people pay for is a pretty good business model, I think.
I don’t understand why those folks at TrentonYES – I’m sorry, I forgot that you all in Chattanooga and St. Louis are among my readers. Good Morning! – why You Folks at TrentonYES think that showing us a picture of some of our income-earning property is supposed to convince us to part with it. I don’t get it. But I guess you’re not after me.
The ad goes on to say that “Trenton could use the $400 Million.” Of course we could. But we could better use the more than $900 Million the Water Works will earn over the same 20-years if we keep the system intact!
What the Nick Naylors of TrentonYES are selling us is basically a payday loan. Yeah, we get a quick fix of cash, but we’ll end up paying through the nose for it – in higher taxes and higher water fees – for decades to come.
Kevin –
Great point about the hopewell tower. Trenton did try to make money off this tower last year by selling the top of it to t-mobile. The residents of Brandon Farms fought this and won. The TWW didn’t pay for this tower, KHOV builders did and it was put in at no cost to TWW and TWW makes pure profit off this whole area, as the builder paid for the hookup, the pipes, the tower and TWW only makes pure profit off these hopewell customers. A completely winning solution for them. So how is selling this to NJAW going to make more money for them? To me this is already a money makeing area and you’d be stupid to sell it off. (BTW – I am very familiar with this part of the system as I was on the Brandon Farms Board for years)
Jim Castelize
Hi, Jim. Thanks for the additional information about the Hopewell Tower. You are right: with your facts, it’s an even better deal for TWW to hold on to.
One question for you: do you know if that tower is dedicated to the Brandon Farms development, or is it intended to serve additional properties such as the new Capital Health hospital going up nearby?
Thanks for reading!
TWW personnel say that the Hopewell tank currently does not provide service to the area where the hospital is being built but will do so when the when the water mains in the TWW master plan for Hopewell are eventually installed. When that happens, both the Hopewell tank (hydropillar) and the Bear Tavern Road tank (standpipe) will service the TWW service area in Hopewell Township. Selling the assets in Hopewell Township will give up one of the main areas of customer growth in the TWW system. As was done with the Brandon Farms development and the adjacent residential development, there will be no cost to Trenton taxpayers or Trenton water customers. Planning projections show an additional customer growth in that are in the thousands. That is good for all TWW customers and even more so for the City and TWW’s customers in the City.
Thanks, Clark. I’m hearing good arguments for holding on to the Outside Water System. Future growth is in the suburban townships, and none of the assets required to service those areas will be paid by Trenton ratepayers or taxpayers.
I’ve said it before, but owning things that other people pay for is a pretty good deal.