The state capital city has been making headlines over the last several weeks for all the wrong reasons.

A Department of Justice investigation in late November revealed a pattern of misconduct and abuse by the Trenton Police Department.

Then a scandal was uncovered within the city's troubled water utility, where a worker falsified drinking water tests for more than a year.

Submitting water for testing from his faucets at home.

Instead of nearly a dozen locations where he was supposed to collect samples for Trenton Waterworks.

And if that wasn't enough.

The city is now part of a federal criminal investigation into a contractor used to replace lead service lines.

The company was charged with fraud for lying about replacing lead lines in Newark, but leaving them in the ground, a scheme that likely carried into Trenton.

Residents rightly want answers and so do we.

Joining me now is Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora, Mayor, thanks for coming on the show.

Obviously, it's been a tough, situation there in Trenton.

You've seemed to be playing whack a mole.

It seems, let's start with the issue with Trenton Waterworks.

This is an agency that has had a history of incidents, theft, payroll issues, water quality issues.

Do you trust the individuals who are running this department?

Well, we always have to reassess what we're doing, but, we provide, water to five municipalities, including Trenton.

We're serious about providing, meeting the water safe water drinking standards.

We believe we do that.

The majority of the time.

But we're a agency.

That is not.

It is from time to time, plagued with problems not unlike other water utilities from around the area.

But what needs to happen to ensure something like this, which went on for 14 months?

There are supervisors, I presume, who are involved.

Who?

Clearly weren't supervising at least this individual who was falsifying reports.

I mean, what type of major reform would need to happen?

Because again, we're talking about decades worth.

Of course, some of that before your time in the mayor's office.

But a lot of it has also happened in the last several years.

Well, first of all, DEP, assessed us that, year, period.

But at the same time, there were two other water testers that did go out.

There's been no demonstration that, the other two had fugly, filed, test results.

In addition to that, the filtration plant test hourly.

And so there was no indication that we had not, met our standard, under the drinking water.

So the water is safe?

We believe it is.

It's tested hourly in the filtration plant.

There are three testers that go out.

And we were the ones who discovered that tester, was not, meeting expectations.

And we were the ones who reported him to the prosecutor's office as well as, notifying deep after he did their own investigation that they decided to throw out, the entire results, as a penalty, so to speak, for a year.

Do you think this latest incident, warrants the DEP stepping in further?

I mean, this this utility has been under state oversight, but should the DEP step in and take complete control here?

I don't think they need to take complete control.

We welcome their involvement.

They've actually, been in the plant for the last couple of years themselves.

And so they've been providing us assistance.

They recognize that, we have bandwidth problems that we need to fill in middle management.

And and get the, attract, the licensed, operators that we need to, run day to day operations.

But as a distressed city, we we have to meet, payroll, expectations for people coming in, and DP will help us fill these roles.

So we welcome that.

And, we we want to assure the public that we're meeting the safe water drinking standards and that we take our job very seriously.

Let me switch gears.

Of course, there was a city council meeting last week where you faced a number of questions about the DOJ report, unveiling a pattern and practice of misconduct by the city's police officers.

What can you tell the public about your plans to reform not just the culture, but also what they see and experience every day on the streets?

Well, there were, visitors that came into council and talked about, grievances since the 1990s and before.

So it has been, continued attributed to a cultural issue where the first, administration that is, tackling this head on, we invited the DOJ to come in and, we also disbanded the two police units that were, problematic.

We're we're providing that training necessary?

But the other two recommendations of the dog report is we're working with DCA to fill, we need more supervision, and we need more training of our police officers.

It's director Steve Wilson, the right person to carry out this job.

Do you still have full confidence in him?

He's the one who disbanded the two units.

He's the one who also brought in, mental health counseling to partner with the police.

Arrived together.

So we've made a number of, reforms before the DOJ came in, and and certainly before the the report was issued.

But are you satisfied, mayor?

I mean, with with how things are going in the city, truthfully.

I mean, you're a resident.

You represented Trenton in the legislature.

Are you satisfied with how these situations are being handled?

Truly, I think there's a lot of good that's coming out of the city.

We've had, many challenges over the years, and we're facing them head on.

Whether it's economic development, or challenges in the water department or public safety.

But we're meeting these challenges, as they come up.

And, I think that more credit is, is due.

The response that we've been making and the end results.

Like I said, we disbanded the units that were problematic.

We've we've, changed our our the way we respond.

Bringing, mental health counseling.

But we're no different than other urban cities in new Jersey.

That, has to meet these challenges that that come upon us.

I've spoken with, you know, city officials throughout the years who say, your hands are tied.

That some of the corruption, these incidents that we see happen are entrenched within the system.

Do you feel that way?

Do you feel like your hands are tied from doing what you would really like to do with the city?

I think the motivation is there to to do things better.

I don't think we're we're sitting on our hands when it comes to water or public safety.

And I think that, we're making reforms.

No, reform is tough.

Changes is tough.

Especially getting, the acceptance.

But we also have, city workers that are motivated, to set the best example in, in governance.

And, we'll see in the next, year and beyond, whether we're meeting the expectations that, of, of change, brought about by these reports.

Mayor.

I know it's tough to face these problems head on, so I appreciate you coming on and talking with us about it.

Thanks for your time.

Thanks so much, Briana.