Councilmen spar over street sweeping initiative
Volume 72, issue 261
TRENTON » At-large Councilman Jerell Blakeley isn’t calling George Muschal a “scammer.”
But he’s questioning whether the South Ward councilman’s summer street-sweeping extravaganza with Mayor Reed Gusciora, billed as a way to foster a relationship between the new administration and City Council, is a “scam” benefitting a streetsweeping retailer that wants to encourage the city to buy more street sweepers.
It didn’t take much time for the new at-large councilman, who quipped during the blistering inauguration day ceremony he was bringing the “heat” back to Trenton, to get underneath Muschal’s skin at a city Alcoholic Beverage Control meeting this week.
Blakeley had misgivings about the initiative and whether it accomplishes the long-term goal of restoring parts of trashed-out Trenton.
Blakeley insisted he didn’t call Muschal a scammer “per se.”
“What I said was that the proposed cleanup initiative was a ‘gimmick’ and ‘scam,’” Blakeley told The Trentonian on Wednesday.
The clerk’s office couldn’t immediately provide a copy of the recording of Monday’s ABC meeting so The Trentonian could listen to the councilmen’s exchange, which grew heated.
But Muschal, the brains behind the street-sweeping bonanza, didn’t take kindly to the charge his efforts were a gimmick.
Blakeley said Muschal grew “very bellicose and aggressive,” though the city leaders remained seated and didn’t have to be separate a la Muschal and ex-council president Zachary Chester circa 2015.
Muschal said by text message Blakeley had been provided with his contact information if he had questions about the cleanup effort or other issues. But the South Ward councilman alleged Blakeley instead “took to social media to make wild accusations about myself and the mayor,” which Blakeley denied in providing screenshots of his online remarks.
“Obviously, he did not do his due diligence on this matter to inquire what could or might be,” Muschal continued. “Is this just a preview of how the young man is going to govern the city of Trenton for the next four years?”
Muschal was taking a jab at the 30-year-old Blakeley’s standing as the youngest member of the legislative body. Muschal also alleged the at-large councilman also took shots at mayoral aide Andrew Bobbitt at a Tuesday meeting attended by at least 25 people over Bobbitt’s alleged inability to “read or write.”
Blakeley had “no idea” what Muschal was talking about and called the allegations a “red herring.”
Cleanup Controversy
The cleanup effort, slated for July 21, was supposed to be an olive branch from the new mayor to members of City Council who have been at odds with prior administrations.
Discussion has been had about jazzing up the kickoff event, one of several to come, with a ceremonial pomp and circumstance “parade,” led by a yet-undetermined number of streets sweepers, starting in the city’s South Ward.
But the community-building event has quickly turned into a political hot potato as details of how the event will be coordinated and executed have become a contentious sticking point.
Blakeley fired off a list of questions to city officials regarding the cleanup effort following last week’s Trentonian story. He criticized Muschal’s and the mayor’s cleanup machination as a “shallow and hollow PR stunt.”
Muschal and the mayor met over breakfast Wednesday morning at Pat’s Diner with representatives from a street sweeper retailer that has agreed to bring in the heavy machines for the kickoff event. No mention was made in the mayor’s news release about the outside vendor.
Public works director Merkle Cherry was not present at the meeting when The Trentonian arrived. He didn’t respond to a request for comment about the city’s plans to accommodate residents who would be required to move vehicles from areas set to be cleaned up.
Gusciora didn’t respond to a message seeking comment about the councilman’s allegations.
The city owns five street sweepers, Muschal said, and is asking the county to provide additional street sweepers for the event.
The outside street sweeper retailer is also “volunteering” two street sweepers, according to emails obtained by The Trentonian. Each of the machines is worth about a quarter of a million dollars.
“We’re putting out the calls, like a mayday call to all street sweepers,” Muschal said.
Representatives from the private retailer allowed Mayor Gusciora to ride shotgun during a demonstration across from the diner. Blakeley is concerned the staged demonstration is a “test drive” for the street sweeper retailer to give a car-salesman pitch to the city in an effort to convince it to buy more machines in the future.
“You’re not going on a crosscountry trip when you only have the keys for a day,” the councilman said.
Responding to those concerns about any unexpected incurred cost for outside help, Muschal stressed the city isn’t spending “a penny.”
He was adamant the event is a perk because it gives city workers an opportunity for free training on how to properly use the street sweepers following complaints.
Last year, the city spent $225,855 to purchase a street sweeper from Whitehouse-based heavy equipment supplier. W.E. Timmerman Company to add to its fleet.
In February, the city approved a $30,000 contract with Northeast Sweepers Rentals in Fairfield to provide parts and repairs “as needed” for two of the city’s RAVO 5 Series street sweepers.