Forget perceptions, pride and action will help Trenton’s public works director

“He faced, and dealt with plenty of challenging issues during his tenure. I just hope that going forward we can further improve how the rest of New Jersey sees Trenton.”

Frankly, Mayor Gusciora, capital city residents should abandon concerns about how the rest of “New Jersey sees Trenton” for a city-wide conference with motivational speaker Tony Robbins or opt for spiritual guidance from T.D. Jakes and Joel Osteen to discuss the myopia or near blindness that afflicts leaders and residents.

The mayor’s office announced current Public Property Manager, Wahab Onitiri, will replace Cherry “until a comprehensive search can be conducted.”

Gusciora stressed Mr. Onitiri, a 25-year civil-servant “is ready to spearhead City efforts for the time being.”

Onitiri held the position of street superintendent for before being promoted to manager of public property in 2016.

Gusciora noted ”Onitiri has experience in social work and was a Gulf War Veteran in the U.S. Army”, valuable assets for this relentless fight opposite slum landlords, slummy tenants and creeping blight.

“Mr. Onitiri, or ‘Wally’, as he’s known around City Hall, will be a fantastic caretaker for the Department,” Gusciora pledged.

“The man was superintendent to our roadways for a decade and a half. He may just be the best person in Trenton to fill our potholes, and finally, revamp outside perception of our city.”

There it is again, a concern about how other people view Trenton instead of the cultivation of concern by residents. Outsiders will always have good, bad or despicable perceptions of Trenton as this city faces certain demise until residents and politicians smell the stench and open eyes to the sordid reality of current conditions.

Trenton remains home to positive lifestyles and strengths, yet, we need a confession that a small swath of Chambers St., right up the street from that ginormous $150 million new high school, looks like shanty town.

One wonders if Mayor Gusciora traveled that Chambers St. route Friday or avoided being witness to this two-block stretch of social dysfunction and blight, including five houses that need immediate demolition to chase squatters, addicts and others.

For the record, these issues were well entrenched before Mayor Gusciora took office.

While potholes represent everyresidents’ attention, grab, a personal interest eyes the maniacal matrix of discarded mattresses or streets such as portions of Walnut Ave. or Sanford St., where abandoned or boarded homes, some city-owned properties being strangled by weeds, outnumber inhabitable residences.

Mr. Gusciora should desert concerns about outside perceptions of Trenton for heart-to-heart discussions with residents about the reality of our current demise.

If residents have no realization about this dire situation regarding a litany of issues, then doomsday awaits. If we care more about what others think rather than establishing a sense of pride from our own perspectives then Trenton faces ruin.

Merkle Cherry