Life in Trenton as Tony Mack trial goes on

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie cited Camden, Newark, and Princeton, during his State of the State address this week but he neglected to mention the capital, Trenton, by name.

”The governor’s telling comment this past summer is that he has nothing to say to the indicted mayor of Trenton,” observes L. A. Parker, columnist for The Trentonian.  “I think that puts all the governor’s cards on the table.”

The trial of Mayor Tony Mack and the governor’s distancing himself from Trenton has left a void in the workings of the city government. “No one wants to do business with an indicted mayor,” Parker explains.  “Government has stagnated.  The mayor has a lot of say in what gets done and when you have a mayor who is not showing up for work, it makes progress difficult.”

Despite the current bleak situation, Parker, a long time observer of life in the Garden State’s capital, has hope for the city’s future.  “People in the communities have learned to work around government.  You see people coming together and fixing things without government input,” he notes, adding “I think that Trenton’s future is bright, especially if the next mayor does have the ear of Governor Christie.”