About
Trenton, NJ is a hard case. Students of the city know that its zenith of population and economic influence was almost 90 years ago. During the last 40 years, our city has undergone a decline that continues until this day.
It’s arguable that the rate of decline has slowed, yet when compared to other parts of NJ and the US, Trenton is still losing ground.
This blog is dedicated to the serious thinking necessary to plot our course out of this backwards slide. All Trentonians are welcome to comment though you’ll want to use all of the fact driven logic you can muster.
I know city employees aren’t allowed to participate but I certainly do hope you read. In many ways this blog is for you as you help to craft policy.
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Dan Dodson is a Leadership Trenton Fellow and Management Consultant with IBB Consulting. He helps his cable industry clients transform their businesses to face competitive threats. Mr. Dodson holds degrees in Computer Science from N.C. State University and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard University. Dan and his wife own and live in a renovated mixed-use building in Trenton and also own several rental units in the city. He promotes life in Trenton through his web site, trentonlofts.com.
More on Dan and his roles in Trenton
Who is Dan Dodson and what’s he done in Trenton anyway?
Dear Dan:
I am very happy to find a website like this one, as the matter of fact I was seriously thinking about creating one that points out the truth about our city, and really wants to see a better Trenton, a city worth to be call the State Capitol.
I recently moved from California, but I grew up in New Jersey, (Trenton Hamilton) I lived in California for about five years. When I returned to our city, I was impact to see that nothing had change, as the matter of fact things look worst, even the street of South Broad (206) have the same holes 5 years ago.
To finish up my letter I want to say that as a young person, as student, as father , as son and as a citizen, I am committed to turn things around in this city and one day make of Trenton another New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco etc…. And really live by the say “Trenton Makes and the World Takes”
I am student from Devry University in New Brubswick (Bussines information Systems Major) if there is anyway I can help to contribute to your cause, or to exchange ideas, count me in.
Thanks.
Galo Guerrero
Hey Dan,
We at the Trenton Atelier have been trying to convince the City to let us use one of the dozen vacant lots in the Roebling complex for a community vocational arts center. They have agreed, but will only lease the building for a price that is 3 times more than any sane developer would be willing to pay (plus when factoring in utilities and taxes, which just went UP, only a moron would agree to their proposal)
We want to change the City through creative arts, making things (what Trenton historically did), and eco-tourism through “green” development (rainwater harvesting, on site food growth, solar, wind, passive solar, composting humanuring, permaculture, etc)
However, the City has been unwilling to change, and has stuck to business as usual when it comes to providing developers any sort of reason to convert blighted properties and abandoned buildings into something of value.
The City has shown time and time again that it would rather have the buildings rot into the ground than to sell or lease them at a loss, even though they have been losing on these buildings for the decades they have sat vacant.
Untill the City gets out of the way and let’s people do things, it will slip further and further into decay.
i read the article the face of nj racism and i was so sadden by it. trenton use to be such a great place to live and raise a family. there were plently of good jobs and good people. there were no gangs you didn’t had to worry about your kids going to school getting kill or beat up. the teacher care and they did their job in educating the kids back then. my heart hurts to hear about segregation in this time it would set of back so far we would need president washington to came back as president we need to push back and push back hard.