I seldom say it, but this time, I’ll say it again and again and shout it out loud, “I told you so!“
Reed Gusciora will storm into a second term as the mayor of the city of Trenton. Replete with a new and far more competent team of players ready to take a seat on the City Council—the second term of the Gusciora administration can only be a success and a significant improvement over the past four years of horror and ineptitude in the Capital City.
While ballots and the numbers from Tuesday’s election are still being tabulated and reviewed, due in part to computer and voting machine glitches that plagued the county, during Tuesday’s election, figures from the Mercer County Clerk’s office show Gusciora with more than 70 percent of the vote. He appears firmly entrenched in a victory and will coast to a second term as the head of Trenton. Also, nearly every poll leading into the election put the incumbent well ahead of his three bumbling challengers—Council President Kathy McBride, Councilwoman Robin Vaughn, and Housing Commissioner Cherie Garrette. With McBride and Vaughn running for mayor and several other council members retiring, six of the seven council seats are up for grabs—with several noteworthy candidates still running for the spots as of Thursday. Early leaders include Yazminelly Gonzalez, Jasi Edwards and Teska Frisby, however, talks of a runoff between several candidates have emerged, as a 50 percent threshold is needed to secure a spot.
Gusciora, white and gay, has met steadfast resistance from the predominantly black and brown city of Trenton since being elected in 2018. His initiatives and directives were often shot down, stalled, or ignored by Council President McBride. Her decisions were supported by her ever obedient lapdogs–Vaughn and Sonya Wilkins. Wilkins, appointed temporarily to a vacant spot on the council back in February, trails in her effort and will stumble and fall flat in her attempt to become a permanent council member for the East Ward. The tired threesome frequently caused disruptions and divisiveness to the already fractured and disjointed council. Constant outbursts, lawsuits, arguments, and disgraceful public behavior led to the Trenton City Council being called the most incompetent and dysfunctional city council in New Jersey—all while under McBride’s unfocused and sloppy leadership.
At any rate, many Trentonians and others gladly welcome a new, energetic and effective city council. We can elevate the city of Trenton with a team of competent, amenable, and intelligent city council members. Raising it from the gutter politics and poor financial track record of the past and the constant threat of being taken over and controlled by the state–like Camden once was and Atlantic City still is–maybe, just maybe, the city of Trenton will rebound once and for all..