Trenton 2023: Reflecting on triumphs, challenges, and community resilience in a year to remember

I wasn’t going to let this year go by without me writing to you. 2023 has been an amazing year both personally and professionally, and I want to thank you for your support. 

Over the past year, we have seen our weekly newsletter subscriber list grow, as well as website visitors and social media followers. However, when it comes to measuring the impact of our work at the Trenton Journal, I look at more than just the numbers, because numbers don’t always equate to value. One of the most rewarding aspects of my job as the publisher of the Trenton Journal is each connection we make with the community. 

Weeks ago I received an invitation to a birthday party and a request to do a story on a longtime Trenton resident, Celia Giddens, who celebrated her 100th birthday. After speaking with Mrs. Giddens’ daughter I decided that I wanted to write the story myself, so I went to the family’s home in the west ward section of Trenton and spent about an hour getting Mrs. Giddens’ story on record for our readers. As I sat in Giddens’ living room on a Saturday afternoon surrounded by her family as she reflected on her life, I felt a sense of gratitude that the Trenton Journal was entrusted to document her milestone.

In the summer, we published a story on the Mill Hill Matriarch Mary Gist, in which I assigned to contributing writer, Maryanne Christiano. Mary Gist, who turned 99 in August was the longest living resident of Jackson Street. Sadly, Mrs. Gist passed away this month, but we were glad that we were able to honor her and give her flowers while she was alive.

One of the biggest stories we published this year came from an invitation from Mayor Reed Gusciora’s former public information officer who invited me to tour an apartment building on 121 Perry Street that could be the model for affordable housing in the city. The story received a massive response online from supporters who thought that the building’s innovation and affordable rents was something that the city needed, while critics argued the building’s sleek design wasn’t inline with the city’s historical architecture.

We followed up on a report of a teenager who was seen jumping off the Route 1 bridge on Perry Street, in August, and was struck by at least two vehicles. There weren’t many details following the accident, but I wanted to provide a follow up to the readers when I reached out to the Trenton Police Department who reported that the young man miraculously survived his injuries and was alert and in stable condition at the time the story was published. Many of you expressed how grateful you were to read the young man had survived.

You can’t live and deliver news in the Capital City without covering  local politics. This year we saw Mayor Gusciora’s Chief of Staff, Art Liston, resign as well as municipal clerk, Brandon Garcia. One of the biggest political stories this year involved the lawsuit that former West Ward Councilwoman Robin Vaughn filed against sitting city council members Jasi Edwards and Yazminelly Gonzalez, accusing them of being ineligible to hold city council seats. Gonzalez was accused of not being a resident of the City of Trenton at least one year prior to the election, while Edwards was accused of having criminal convictions for shoplifting in Pennsylvania, deeming her unqualified for her seat on council due to dishonesty. Both Edwards and Gonzalez endured a lengthy court battle as they fought to keep their city council positions.

In December, the appellate court sided with Gonzalez and Edwards, affirming that Gonzalez satisfied the residency requirements in that she resided in Trenton for more than a year prior to the election, and Edwards was not convicted of any crimes while holding public office and that her conviction occurred prior to her being elected. We reached out to both Gonzalez and Edwards to get a statement regarding the court’s decisions and they both provided exclusive statements to the Trenton Journal. Edwards, who I believe has a bright political future ahead of her, provided a candid open letter that garnered support from many of our readers. 

When we reached out to Gonzalez, she told us that she was not going to respond to the court’s decision, but she appreciated how the Trenton Journal was fair in our reporting and sought the truth. I thank them both for speaking to us. There was no response from Vaughn when we reached out for comment. 

I have been in the news business for a long time and I have seen it evolve so much. I believe the shift in the news industry has leveled the playing field a bit where anyone can have access to share information and their stories online. On January 4th, Trenton Journal will host a community listening session with Mercer County Community College at the James Kerney Campus located at 102 N. Broad Street from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to gather feedback from the Trenton community about what residents would like to see in their local news coverage. Input from residents will be used to help guide the construction of the college’s new Community Journalism certificate program. We hope that you can join us to help strengthen the news ecosystem in the Capital City. 

As we head into the new year, we look forward to growing closer to the community and reporting original stories that will empower people to make informed decisions. 

If you would like to help the Trenton Journal remain an independently owned and operated publication, you can support our work by becoming a monthly supporter or advertiser. Your support helps us hire more local talent to produce stories about Trenton and connect the community to the resources they desperately need. We can’t do this without you!