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Mayor are his opponents are both wrong
Letter to the Editor, Trenton Times, April 2, 2008 by Dan Dodson
Trenton’s Mayor Palmer and his opponents are both wrong (“Group calls for keeping city residency rule”, April 1). Residency is a bankrupt idea that ill-serves our city.
Economic coercion doesn’t lead to revitalization. Rather we need to elect a government that can help us make Trenton a desirable place to live.
Personally, I’m not comfortable with any police officer who doesn’t want to live in Trenton. My wife and I, our one year old and almost 86,000 other people live here every day by choice and don’t carry guns. I would also look askance at an Economic Development Director who doesn’t believe in her product. That said, if I don’t care where our rank and file policemen live, I certainly don’t care where a technical inspector calls home. But, why have hard and fast rules that restrict our flexibility?
I wish all employees lived in the city but realistically Trenton doesn’t fit everyone’s lifestyle. We should prefer to attract enthusiastic new residents who want to be here and will contribute to the social fabric of our city. As taxpayers, voters and advocates we should reject policies that preserve walls to keep existing employees in and talented new employees out.
Dan Dodson is a management consultant and Leadership Trenton Fellow.
Copyright 2008, Dan Dodson
