Former President Bill Clinton cultivated a James Carville, “It’s the economy, stupid” thought into a winning slogan during the 1992 presidential campaign.
Clinton unseated incumbent George H.W. Bush as Carville offered mind plays of “Change vs. more of the same” and “Don’t forget health care” as key slogans that pushed Clinton’s eventual victory.
In Trenton, despite all harrumphs between City Council and Mayor Reed Gusciora, pandemic concerns should outweigh all other issues. Period.
City officials showed disproportionate reactions to last week’s impending snow storm which dropped four inches of snow, hardly a catastrophic event like COVID-19 or the Omicron variant.
Trenton sent robocalls and text alerts regarding snow rules, specifically about parking, while Trenton Police Department patrol officers drove through neighborhoods delivering details about parked cars.
Proactive measures fighting COVID-19 never reached snow concerns. Trenton still needs to ramp up pandemic efforts as many residents remain unvaccinated against COVID-19, Omicron and influenza.
Some areas of the city could benefit from police announcements offered in English and Spanish about COVID-19, especially as the pandemic continues to deliver death and raises health concerns.
Instead, Mayor Gusciora and City Council President Kathy McBride fight regularly about almost anything.
We forget or intentionally dismiss the reality that Mayor Gusciora stands as leader of Trenton.
If he will not lead, lacks the wisdom to serve as point man, and wants to blame others for his inability to guide, then New Jersey should take full control of all government and education operations.
It’s the pandemic, stupid, not snow, not McBride, not the Trentonian, not Santiago Rodriguez, not Marge Caldwell-Wilson, etc. Think someone’s been left out. Oh, yeah, not Robin Vaughn.
Trenton will decline as long as we dismiss the pandemic and the reality that the future looms as starkly different than we could ever imagine. Mayor Gusciora must talk about vaccines, boosters, and creating a health-conscious city.
Two stories to tell about advice acceptance. First, in July 2020, city workers removed the Christopher Columbus statue from an East Ward park.
That day a resident confronted me and we had a shouting match that aired on Facebook. Don’t know what happened that day but an F-bomb blurted out of my mouth.
Rarely curse, especially in public. Never swear in front of my two children. An acquaintance heard my foul-mouthed blurb and immediately put me in check with this exclamation. “L.A.!” She snapped me back to reality.
Occasionally, when a person loses sight of self and situation, he needs only immediate intervention. Hours later, a visit to Italian Peoples Bakery included a quick trip into Licciardello Fruit and Produce Company on Butler St.
Brothers Joseph and Alex Licciardello were seated in their office. Joe started up about the Facebook video while Alex downplayed the event. By this time, Alex had moved his glasses almost to the end of his nose for a better view of the situation.
“Why would you even give that guy the time of day,” Alex asked.
He heard a list of reasons that held minimal droplets of water. Learned a lot that day about pride, ego and self control.
Now, back to May 2020, a day that lives in infamy. That’s the day a city conference call about COVID-19, turned into ranted rage as Vaughn gave more than she received from Mayor Gusciora and East Ward Councilman Joe Harrison.
Vaughn fumed for 30 minutes, delivered numerous unnecessary nasty verbal assaults while Gusciora and Harrison climbed down into the mud with the West Ward councilwoman. It all played as dirty business and offered a snapshot of the next 20 months.
Amazingly, most people on the conference call stayed connected while another person recorded the episode illegally. As mentioned, they were supposed to discuss COVID-19.
And, today? It’s still the pandemic, stupid.
L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist. Find him on Twitter @LAParker6 or email him at LAParker@Trentonian.com.
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