Stop calling Trenton Water Works ‘our most valued asset’ while treating it like a political garbage dump

For decades, local officials have clung to the phrase “Trenton Water Works is our most valuable public asset” — as if repeating it enough times would erase the decades of corruption, theft, mismanagement and public endangerment they have overseen within that facility.

Please, drop the pretense: You do not manage your “most valued asset” by starving it of resources, filling its ranks with unqualified and dishonest political appointees, and dodging accountability at every turn. You do not protect something vital by treating it like a jobs program for connected insiders.

Trenton Water Works is not managed like our “most valued asset.” It is managed like a patronage pit — a place where loyalty to the right people counted more than competence, public safety or basic decency. And after years of dysfunction, violations and health risks, the same people who helped drive it into the ground have the audacity to act surprised that the public wants a hand in fixing it?

Let us stop pretending this is about public service and “protecting Trenton.” Trenton Water Works suffered abuse for decades, and under Mayor Reed Gusciora, the pattern has not just continued — it has accelerated.

Since taking office, Reed Gusciora has overseen a revolving door of Water Works directors, each one either underqualified, short-lived or politically handpicked (one did not even know he had the job until the mayor noted it in a speech). Stability? Accountability? Expertise? Nowhere to be found.

And all the while, hundreds of thousands of area residents are left wondering if the water coming out of their taps is safe.

Here is a reality check: More than a quarter-million people drink this water every day. Their children bathe in it, their families cook with it, their homes and health depend on it, their pets drink it. And yet, for years, they have had little to no say in how this critical utility is managed — while watching it crumble under layers of political rot.

Now, when those residents demand real oversight, transparency and a voice in governance, the establishment suddenly clutches its pearls and cries foul. But this outrage is laughable. Because if you treat a water system like a political garbage dump for long enough, the people who rely on it will eventually come to collect the trash.

People are no longer asking for transparency and accountability — they are demanding it. And they have every right to. Because if you abuse an asset long enough — especially your “most valued asset” — do not be surprised when the people it was supposed to serve come to claim it.

This is not just about infrastructure. It is about justice. It is about reversing decades of exploitation and returning control to the people who have the most at stake. The era of unearned control and unchecked power is over.

The public is not asking anymore — they are taking ownership. And they have every right to.

If Mayor Reed Gusciora wants to leave a legacy beyond chaos and cover-ups, he should step aside and let competent, publicly accountable management take the reins — before the damage becomes irreversible. Anything less would be yet another betrayal and one more stain on his legacy in Trenton.

Michael Ranallo

Mr. Ranallo is a resident of Trenton and a former candidate for the City Council.