Mayor’s chief of staff leaving, Mayor unsure who will replace

TRENTON >> The mayor is losing his right-hand man.

Yoshi Manale, who was hired as chief of staff in October 2018, is leaving for another position, Mayor Reed Gusciora said Tuesday.

Directors were notified of the move last week, as speculation mounted internally about whether Manale was on his way out.

South Ward councilman George Muschal asked the administration last week at the council meeting whether Manale was still chief of staff.

In the weeks leading up to the announcement, Manale took on a less prominent and active role as deputy mayor. He wasn’t in attendance at meetings, and some noticed he wasn’t as easily reached by phone as he had been in the past.

Manale declined to answer questions about why he decided to move on from Trenton when reached by phone Tuesday and emailed over a prepared statement.

In the statement, Manale said he and Gusciora discussed his “transition” for months.

“I am moving on to another opportunity in the public sector,” Manale said. “While it is with a heavy heart that I am parting ways with the city, I appreciate the mayor for giving me a chance these past few years to have hopefully made a meaningful contribution to the resurgence of the city.”

Manale’s last day is April 1. He’s blowing through remaining accrued time off but is likely participating in a big meeting next week with state officials to discuss the budget, Gusciora said.

Gusciora wouldn’t say who pulled the trigger on Manale’s exit, but it became increasingly apparent behind the scenes that the two high-ranking officials were on different pages.

One of the biggest points of contention between them centered on city police director Sheilah Coley.

Manale felt the police director should have taken a more public role in blunting some of the criticism Gusciora faced over recordsetting bloodshed last year.

Manale wouldn’t discuss whether he took a hardline stance on whether Coley should’ve been cut loose amid backlash over the street violence.

Gusciora faced mounting criticism for sticking with Coley after the capital city tied and then eclipsed a grim benchmark with 40 homicides.

Gusciora declined to discuss the tension with Manale over Coley. There was rumors that he and Manale had a blow-out fight over it.

Gusciora would only say that he and his chief of staff often bickered like a “married couple.”

“We had many discussions, and I’ll keep those discussions to myself,” he said. “I’m gonna leave that as a personnel matter.”

Gusciora planned to have an exit interview with Manale in the coming weeks.

He called the chief of staff position a “thankless” job, as Manale often found himself caught in the middle of Gusciora and council’s acrimonious relationship that has landed them in court several times.

One of Manale’s text messages even became an exhibit in the ongoing fight over whether the council unlawfully fired former law director John Morelli.

And he found himself embroiled in controversy months into his tenure for name-dropping a Trentonian reporter on body camera as a suspect in an alleged break-in of his office. It turned out, after police investigated, that a custodian knocked over some stuff that was on Manale’s desk.

“It’s a natural thing with chiefs of staff. They come and go, but they always bring new perspective,” Gusciora said.

Gusciora hasn’t decided on a successor for Manale, but former deputy city clerk Cordelia “Dee Dee” Staton has been rumored as a possible replacement.

The Trentonian has learned that mayoral aide Andrew Bobbitt, who is among Gusciora’s inner circle, has floated Staton’s name for months as a replacement.

“I have not made any decisions on that,” Gusciora said about the opening.

Staton said in a text message last week that she was “humbled” that her name was floated but it was Gusciora’s decision to make.

Bringing Staton back is unlikely to win Gusciora any political points with legislators as he begins campaigning for re-election in 2022.

Staton’s tenure as deputy clerk ended ignominiously when council ran out the clock on her contract with council president Kathy McBride deciding to abstain from casting the deciding vote on bringing Staton back.

In the end, Gusciora was less than effusive in his praise for the job that Manale did over the last couple years.

“I think that’s better for others to gauge,” he said.

Manale declined to reveal his next landing spot but he appears to be sticking around Trenton for now.

“I have become a homeowner in the City and will continue to have a vested interest in its future,” he said. “I will miss the many employees whom I have gotten to know. Their dedication and service keep Trenton running and will be the reason for its future progress. I believe in Trenton and know that better days are coming. I wish the Mayor and Council success in their continued commitment to the City.”

Screengrab from body camera footage of police investigating a reported break-in at the office of Trenton Mayor’s chief of staff Yoshi Manale, seen here in his office.