Trenton Mayor goes on the offensive for opinion columnist expressing opinions [L.A. PARKER COLUMNIST]

Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora employed palpable fiction with a recent Op-Ed.

Gusciora alleged that I did not attend the city’s Christmas celebration on Dec. 5. Eyewitness Laura Mora joined me on South Clinton Ave. (see attached photo) to watch the parade pass near the Mercer Cemetery.  Paraders on floats shouted greetings. Later, made a short video of action around City Hall as residents secured toys and a DJ blared music.

So, essentially, Mayor Gusciora constructed a premise based on an untruth which means his final assessment registered low decibels, distortion and a false positive assertion. Incredibly, the mayor of this capital city of New Jersey wastes time and fiddles while Trenton shows steady deterioration.

For the record, I did not attend the $128,000 ($60,000 Ferris wheel) Halloween event at Cadwalader Park. Allow Mayor Gusciora to comment.

“Hearing directly from parents and children at Cadwalader Park, watching kids experience a joyful night out in their own city, was heartwarming. It is difficult to square that reality with a column written from afar,” Gusciora wrote.

Each time Gusciora or Recreation Director Paul Harris describes their incredible humanitarian efforts delivering fun and food to the desperate masses, visions of children from Biafra appear with their bloated bellies and under attack from flies as the dynamic duo of Trenton distribute fly swatters, hamburgers, and a gift ride on the Ferris wheel. (Harris and Gusciora note higher altitudes reduce the presence of flies).

Critics of their extravagant behaviors do not have to be in attendance to identify the monetary malfeasance being displayed with this Halloween event. Difficult to believe that members of City Council and the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, which controls city spending, signed off on a demonic $60,000 Ferris wheel expenditure.

Criticism here involved dollars and sense, not all the touchy feely emotions voiced by poverty pimping politicians. Fiscal responsibility matters in a cash-strapped city like Trenton although a read of the Gusciora editorial makes no mention of money spent on frivolity. We do not know the price tag for the Christmas event but we understand that bean counters watch how officials spend beans.

No desire exists for a point by point showdown with Gusciora but he offered this insight about a Jewish celebration. Gusciora said the city’s Hanukkah observance allowed school children an opportunity to learn about traditions beyond their own. (Agreement here although most Black and Hispanic school kids lack knowledge about their own history and traditions, information that could alter self perceptions and improve personal dreams).

If those aforementioned children had attended a City Council meeting in January they would have learned about antisemitism from Gusciora himself as he and his city law department railroaded a veteran Jewish police officer. That same night, City Council voted unanimously to confirm Gusciora buddy Arch Liston who allegedly made scurrilous comments about the aforementioned Jewish police officer.

Rabbis everywhere, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and humans who support love, truth, and unity should have demanded an apology from the City of Trenton and members of City Council. No way a city menorah lighting attracts personal attendance until this administration expresses regret for such a disturbing chapter in Trenton history.

Cities should support recreational and fun activities for residents. Such opportunities could include a visit to the New Jersey State Museum or Planetarium, attending a local high school extracurricular event, cheering for a local high school basketball team or attending a school play, sledding in Cadwalader Park, going for a walk at South River Walk Park, attending an event at the Trenton Free Public Library (emphasis on free).

Or, spend money on more worthwhile options than cotton candy and hoopla. Give me $50,000 and Trenton residents could enjoy a 3-day science fair near the State Museum and Planetarium on West State St. as opposed to the three-hour Trunk or Treat party in Cadwalader Park.

Finally, amazingly, no recollection exists of Mayor Gusciora penning an Op-Ed on the importance of Pre-K to third grade reading, or his policy on immigration, education, parental responsibility, personal responsibility, human trafficking, home insecurity,  healthcare, landlords, reentry, lead contamination, etc. Many of his insights connect to personal attacks with hopes of starting an altercation that distracts from the chronic issues of this capital city.

(Stay focused). Good government delivers fiscal responsibility, accountability, offers effective social services, provides access to exceptional healthcare and education, demands transparency, presses for diversity, equity, and inclusion,  arcs toward social and environmental justice, and supports cultivation of policies that move Trenton forward and upward.

Pray for the day when parents thank Mayor Gusciora for providing houses free from lead contamination and for supporting education initiatives that set their children on pathways to success.

L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at LAParker@Trentonian.com.