Trenton, NJ City Council to call for Mayor Gusciora to quit

TRENTON — The Trenton City Council will take a vote of no confidence in Mayor Reed Gusciora at Tuesday’s meeting and urge his immediate resignation, according to the meeting agenda.

The resolution cites increased gun violence and a whistleblower lawsuit which bring embarrassment to the city and affects public confidence as reasons for the three-term mayor to step down. The mayor and the council members are all Democrats.

“It is imperative that Trenton’s residents have faith in the integrity of their mayor, and that their elected representatives are free from the taint and distractions of defending themselves from untoward conduct in order to be able to effectively represent their constituents and discharge the obligations of their office,” the resolution outlines.

The resolution is being spearheaded by Councilwoman Robin Vaughn, who has tangled with Gusciora in the past and called him a pedophile during a conference call. She apologized but not before he called her "radioactive" and an "idiot" during a council meeting.

Gusciora issued a statement Tuesday dismissing the effort as

“I consider it a badge of honor coming from a councilwoman who has consistently voted against her constituents’ interest by rejecting the Princetel redevelopment plan and just about every economic development proposal that the Administration has put forth," Gusciora said.

"She even voted against the city’s participation in the Mercer County Homicide Task Force, a critical resource in combating violent crime when we need help the most. I look forward to the councilwoman demonstrating anything she has done in three years except cause dissension and division among the city’s governing bodies.”

Three of seven council members told The Trentonian newspaper that they’ll vote against the resolution.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ