Petition drive underway to recall Trenton mayor

TRENTON, N.J. - September 22, 2011

Former police director Jim Golden says if the petition drive to recall Trenton Mayor Tony Mack is successful, he plans to be a candidate for his replacement.

"The egregious missteps and gross mismanagement of the current administration have virtually destroyed the city's image and dashed the hopes of a citizenry that is literally fighting for its economic and social survival," said Golden

Golden is the first to publicly announce he'll run to replace Mayor Mack, whose administration he says has been marked by scandal and corruption.

Even though he's no fan of Mayor Mack, at least one city councilman thinks Golden's announcement is premature.

"There's not a position open. No position's open right now until the numbers come in that Tony Mack is out of office. Right now Tony Mack is the mayor so why put it out there," said City Councilman George Muschal.

In addition to going door to door in town, organizers of the "Recall Tony Mack" effort are also collecting signatures at an office they've opened on Lalor Street.

"I have nothing personally against him but he's not built, doesn't have the mindset, skills or qualifications to sit at being mayor," said Darren Green.

"We definitely need a change here in the city. We need a mayor that's going to have integrity, show the true leadership because there's no leadership right now in the city," said David Ponton.

The recall petitions have to be turned in for verification on Nov. 15th. Over 9,000 signatures are needed but organizers are hoping to collect 12,000 to be safe.

Action News tried to reach out to Mayor Mack, but he did not make himself available for comment.