Trenton – A real city clerk, please stand up?
Due to the fact that there was no one to run Trenton’s dysfunctional office, lawmakers announced Thursday that next week’s council conference session and regular meeting were canceled, leaving the number of missed meetings four as missing clerk Matthew Conlan remains in the medical rest ”with obvious kidney stones.
As Trenton approaches the election, city leaders, government transparency advocates and residents have said officials should immediately find a replacement clerk as Trenton lags even further behind in the municipal business.
Now this consultant clerk Anthony Conte told city officials take this job and shove itConlon’s fill search begins again.
Insiders say the latest round of humiliating headlines makes the job less appealing than before.
“Government agencies are just coming,” said New Jersey transparency guru John Puff. “I haven’t heard of a person who wouldn’t handle the mechanics of meetings.”
The Trenton government operates under Faulkner’s lawmunicipal bodies must meet at least once a month.
The minimum was met this month at a council meeting last week when Lourdes Rodriguez held a meeting in Conlan’s long absence. She apparently has no interest in continuing to play that role, leaving city officials in a quandary.
Lawmakers hoped Trenton Conti’s former clerk would come on board and set up other affairs at the clerk’s office, including issuing expired business licenses and catching up on hundreds of requests for public records that had not been executed for more than six months.
Last week, Mayor Reed Hussein accepted the idea when he sent a message to the Attorney General of New Jersey accusing Conti’s political enemy of conflict.
Also the chairman of the Mercer County Electoral Council, Conti has the right to vote in the transfer of the district to the map of the Trenton House.
He disagreed with the alleged conflict and said Thursday that no one in the state had determined that Gusseri’s claims were justified before he ran out the door, feeling unjustly attacked by an allegedly baseless complaint.
The mayor, who is being re-elected, said he did not regret sending the letter, despite the fact that it led to him being left without the helm of the office again.
“You can’t blame Reed. If a person is affected by Reed’s letter, isn’t the skin thick enough to survive in Trenton, “said Tim Carroll’s spokesman. “I don’t think a weak argument doesn’t drive anyone away from work. This is an adult. He used to make a lot of jokes. “
Now Gusser is joking with residents and leaders who are wondering if his letter was premature.
“It may not have been the best way to start a working relationship,” said freelance candidate Michael Ranala. “Let him in. Don’t put your foot down before the guy even starts. “
The damage was done when Conti withdrew the deal for $ 5,000 a month. He said McBride was disappointed with his decision, but he felt the mayor should get the message.
“Something like that just can’t happen,” Conti said. “Are they angry at Reed? Yes.
Others say McBride and council vice president Marge Caldwell-Wilson should look in the mirror.
They are responsible for this mess Conlon createdwhen they stood nearby and watched allegations of sexual harassment and bullying fasten against the sharp Conlon.
Counselor Joe Harrison told police on a recording from the body camera he thought that an allegedly obscene officer would punch him in the back of the head.
The two got into it after Harrison went to town hall last month to see how to make a decision.
The day after the aggressive exchange, the East Ward leader filed a complaint with the police about harassment against Conlan.
Two outside law firms found sufficient evidence of violations that could have led to Conlan’s dismissal, but McBride and Caldwell-Wilson ignored those findings in favor. conducting your own investigation.
“She found a real gem. This guy really, really destroyed the city, ”said South District Council member George Mushal.
A DCA spokesman who visited the clerk’s office feared that additional cameras were eavesdropping on Conlan’s place, Conti said. And Mushal said that the office was a mess, calling it a “paradise for storage.”
“It’s x * thaus. Boxes and drawers with things. Sticky everywhere. It’s a mess. You will need someone with patience to go there and spend one day, – said Mushal.
As Conlan remains on leave, earning a six-figure salary, a retired police officer from Trenton in his swan song in office urged McBride and Caldwell-Wilson to address the issue.
And there is only one way.
“The president can put an end to it. Draw it! ” Said Mushal.
