Casual Corruption

In a post last week about the continuing wave of violent crime plaguing this City, I used the word “casual” to refer to the way that over the last several months the background level of violence has spread to all hours of the day and night, in all neighborhoods of the city, with criminals seemingly indifferent to the place and time of their actions, brazenly ignoring the property and safety of innocent bystanders. The entire city is wide open, with criminals increasingly oblivious to any kind of deterrent value provided by a scarce and overstretched Police Department.

Seems to me this morning we can use the word “casual” to also refer to the level of endemic and ongoing corruption practiced in our city’s government. Whether casual or petty, we see almost daily instances of corruption in the  administration of the public’s business.

This kind of rot comes of course from the top, as we anxiously await the next stage of the criminal process that will likely lead to the end of the career, political and otherwise, of the man posing as Trenton’s mayor. But we see corruption up and down the Administration, and on City Council as well. As we read newspaper article after newspaper article, or blog post after post, the word is seldom used in description of what’s happening, but it is Corruption nonetheless. Stink. Rot. Decay. And it’s out there so openly, so unapologetically, that it’s entirely unremarkable. Watching things happen in Trenton is like playing Whack-a-Mole: it’s hard to focus on one scandal before a new one pops up to claim your attention. Hey! there’s a hotel crisis. Whoops! What’s this notice from the Water Works! Uh oh, Blue Waffles, everybody!

It’s almost impossible to pay attention to any one thing for a while. And that short attention span is exactly what the Corrupt are counting on: a constant environment of chaos to allow business as usual under the radar. All the more important that when things do pop up, that we try to whack that particular mole so hard it won’t stick its head up again. Unfortunately, we haven’t had a great track record lately, but that doesn’t mean we can’t keep trying.

Let’s look at a few recent instances, shall we? First case, the ongoing saga around a small car crash last year. A city-owned vehicle driven by a city employee during evening hours was involved in a 1-car crash. We found out yesterday that this crash cost city taxpayers $5,427.50 to repair. Since the employee, Paul Harris, was driving the vehicle without authorization, he was suspended for two weeks. This morning, we read that Mr. Harris is appealing his suspension because he claims he was working under the direction of Business Adminstrator Sam Hutchinson to assist in “$1,000 worth of detailing and repairs” being done to Hutchinson’s city-owned vehicle. The article is full of interesting details and petty absurdity about this incident; you can read it for further info.

Why do I include this incident here as proof of “casual corruption?” Because not one word is spoken, by Mr. Harris, Mr. Hutchinson, or the reporter, questioning just what the hell Mr. Harris and Mr. Hutchinson are doing with taxpayer-owned vehicles in the first place!!

We’ve been here before, of course. Back in 2010, well before the reign of the Indicted Occupant began, voters in Trenton backed an ordinance intended to restrict and control the outsized vehicle fleet owned by the City, and therefore its taxpayers. This grew out of a grassroots, citizen-backed effort begun the year before. The Ordinance – which, remember, is Law – requires the Business Administrator to annually report in writing to Council the size of the city’s vehicle fleet, to whom vehicles are assigned, and for what valid reason.

Since this Ordinance became law, not one report has been forthcoming from the Office of Business Administrator. Not from Mr. Hutchinson, nor from his crowd of predecessors. From time to time since, there have been occasional returns to this issue, from citizens such as Jim Carlucci, or in this space. But this attention never has lasted long, because there’s always competition. Wait, is someone turning state’s evidence and pleading guilty? That’s going to add pressure. Who else did you say is going to run for Mayor? You don’t say!

And it’s not as if City Council has made much noise about the matter, either, over its nearly three years in office. So this kind of neglect creates a perfect environment for corruption, leading to the current day when a Trenton Water Works stock clerk – whose salary is paid by ratepayers all over the county – spends his actual work days handling media for the City and the IO and driving a city-owned vehicle in the process. And our Business Administrator also drives a taxpayer-funded car, for unknown reasons, and feels free to spend $1000 in tax dollars for repairs and “detailing.”

Who else drives cars, and for what reasons? How much are we spending on them, and how many of those dollars are going for “detailing?” We won’t hear any report from Mr. Hutchinson; he’s got his, and he won’t rock the boat. Council won’t push him hard on that, that’s a fact.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is Casual Corruption.

Another instance also comes from continual and blatant flaunting of a City Ordinance by the Administration. A year ago, a law was passed by Council after several news articles provided evidence that city-owned properties and facilities were being rented and leased to groups and individuals with no rhyme nor reason, or written agreements. Tenants of other facilities were evicted or threatened with eviction for little or no reason other than Official Displeasure. Council ordered the Administration to produce a report detailing all existing rental agreements and policies for dealing with city-owned properties.

Guess what? A year later, nothing has been done. No report and little information has been delivered. This time, though, Council took notice. To her credit, North Ward Councilwoman Marge Caldwell-Wilson last week pressed the Administration on its failure to deliver any report. Speaking in reply, management assistant Colin Cherry told the councilwoman that she had all the information the City had in its possession on the matter at the present time: “Cherry said that the city should have a better accounting of its properties and recreation programs once a director for the department of recreation, natural resources and culture is hired,” according to the Times article.

Blaming the failure on a non-existent Director of Recreation may be convenient, but Mr. Cherry fails to appreciate that the Ordinance clearly states (section 54-1) that “the Business Administrator shall compile and submit to the City Council a report of all City-owned property, lands and structures alike which are currently being occupied in whole or in part by individuals or organizations other than City of Trenton employees under the terms of a lease, use and occupancy contract, or other form of agreement or grant of permission, whether formally documented or not.” [Emphasis mine – KM] And for the last year (hard to believe, right?), the entire year that this ordinance has been law, the Business Administrator has been Sam Hutchinson.

So this is a second instance where legal ordinances passed and enacted by City Council, and signed by the Mayor, have been flagrantly ignored by the Administration in general, and this Business Administrator in particular, as if they are unimportant; they don’t matter.

Casual corruption.

Many of our Council Members, and aspiring mayors, also often show a somewhat casual attitude about some mandatory aspects of their public duties. I specifically refer to the continuing inability of several candidates and council members to handle their Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) financial disclosures on a responsible basis. Last Monday, April 15, was a filing deadline for elected officials and candidates to report funds raised and spent over the preceding three months. These reports are legally required by the State, and I think can serve as a good yardstick by which one can measure job performance. After all, running a campaign is how officials get elected: if they have trouble following the rules in this very fundamental game, how can we expect them to do better with the business of governance?

So how are they doing? As of this morning, among the current members of Council, only Ms. Caldwell-Wilson filed her report on time for this past quarter. After a late start, in which she failed to file for 2 1/2 years, the Councilwoman is making an effort to conscientiously comply with the rules.

Council members Phyllis Holly-Ward and George Muschal, who have been the only two members of the current council to file reports with any kind of frequency since elected, have nothing yet posted by ELEC for the previous quarter.

In his time as West Ward Councilman, Zachary Chester has failed to file a single financial report. The only document he submitted was a Campaign Treasurer and Committee Organization disclosure, and that only in December 12. The same can be said for Councilwoman Kathy McBride: her campaign organization document was filed only on March 22 of this year.

For the remaining two council members, neither Alex Bethea nor Verlina Reynold-Jackson have sent anything to ELEC since they were elected.

The public’s right to know? The need to demonstrate open and public campaign finances and avoid conflicts of interest or improprieties? Not that important to some of our Council people, apparently.

Sadly, the same can be said of our mayoral wannabes. The IO failed to file – again – on April 15. The last report his campaign filed (with the IO serving as his own treasurer) was April 2012, making a full year now that he has neglected to send a disclosure form. Granted, he has had a bad year since then, and his finances were in a pitiful state even before his arrest and indictment. But his ELEC silence for the last year provides eloquent argument against his claim that if he runs for re-election he would overwhelmingly re-elected.

That, and the fact that he made this claim to a town hall audience consisting of only one person makes his prospects look, shall we say, dim.

Of the developing class of 2016 candidates, only Walker Worthy and Patrick Hall filed by April 15. Eric Jackson and James Golden have no reports up as of this morning. James Gee filed his initial papers but recently declined to enter the race. Paul Perez-Barroso just announced his candidacy in the last week, and has not filed any financial reporting nor campaign organization forms.

Again, I’d like to see that current and prospective candidates be diligent and conscientious in following the letter and spirit of our campaign laws. It is not the only qualification for office, Lord knows, but it can be a deal-breaker to me.

A Council member’s success in office can be blamed on the failures of six colleagues. “Hey, I could have done more in the last four years if the others didn’t hold me back” is a plausible defense. But one’s campaign is one’s own, entirely, and the success or failure to comply with state law in this matter can not be blamed on any other person. It belongs to the candidate alone.

That’s why it’s so distressing that so many of our Council members have neglected this aspect of their jobs. I have to call that Casual Corruption, too.

And for any person trying to establish their bona fides to run this City as its next Mayor: show me that you can run your own campaign in an open and legal manner. The IO has obviously given up, showing another example of the Corruption that has stained his term for three years. He can be more casual about this, I suppose, since he has more serious charges of corruption – the criminal kind – to deal with.

The new guys have to do better, if they want to be taken seriously and show us they will have no tolerance for corruption – of ANY kind – in their City Hall.

Lord knows, this has been One. Long. Post. But I think it is real important to point out some recent instances of the kind of rot, and neglect, and inaction, that have taken root in this city, and that I call Corruption. Because to ignore all of the petty and casual ways we see it, and accept it, everyday is to leave the city to continue the one way decline and fall we’ve seen for decades now.

This is important to me and, if you have made it this far, important to you too. It’s hard when playing Whack-a-Mole to keep your eye on any one varmint and the many ways they continue to tear this city down, but it’s important to just Keep Whacking.