Trenton Mayor Reed Gusiora, who has had a difficult relationship with Trenton City Council since taking the oath nearly four years ago, said today that he was not yet sure who he would support on the council in November this year as he is running for re-election. elections.
“Now I’m focusing on myself,” Husiora said. “It is too early, because the petitions are accepted only in September. We don’t even know who all the candidates for the council are, and it would be unpleasant for me to take a position until it merges. “
Unlike the previous municipal elections in Trenton, this year’s elections will be held in November, not May. made in 2020.
The election will also be the last time the mayor and all seven council members are elected at once; in future cycles four parish council members will be elected separately from the mayor and three seats at large. Thus, the winners of the parish races in November this year will run for only two years before they have to run for re-election.
According to Husseiro, the current system has contributed to the dysfunction of the city council over the past four years, as many elected officials have been new to the city government, including himself.
“It was a problem,” he said. “We had a lot of new board members and a new mayor, and in the end we just couldn’t get together. It created a lot of friction because [no one] knew much better than other people how to run a city that has a lot of problems ”.
It is guaranteed that this year’s turnover will be enough. Board members Jarrell Blakely and Santiago Rodriguez already resigned or to planand Counselor George Mushal does not seek re-election.
Two other board members, Board President Katie McBride and board member Robin Vaughn, have been criticized for their insulting remarks; McBride used that phrase “Their Jews down” at a closed meeting in 2019 and Vaughn Cried Husseinwho is openly gay, a “pedophile” and accused another counselor of “sucking” [his] member ”in 2020. Mushal was also harshly criticized defending McBride’s commentscalling them “mere utterances of speech”.
Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, who appeared today at a news conference with Hussein, stressing the state’s funding to help utilities, did not comment on the upcoming municipal race; Formerly Oliver called for Vaughn’s resignation when her remarks in 2020 became public and Said McBride and Mushal in 2019.
As for his own re-election campaign, Hussein has yet to nominate notable rivals, but he will almost certainly face stiff competition for a second term. Gussero said he plans to work on his success, including resuming funding for community development grants, gaining federal funding for transportation, and working to restore Trenton’s housing stock.
“Despite ourselves, we have still made significant progress,” he said. “There have been many achievements [and] much more competence and professionalism, despite the friction with the council ”.
