Download the full questionnaire (PDF)
Trenton Mayoral Candidate Questionnaire
Mercer County Action Team (MCAT) | Election Day: November 3, 2026
Candidate responses on trails, active transportation, and public space
Trails, sidewalks, and public spaces shape everyday quality of life in Trenton. Ahead of the November 3, 2026 election, the Mercer County Action Team (MCAT) asked Trenton’s mayoral candidates five written questions about how they would make walkable, connected, well-maintained public space a reality in every neighborhood.
Responses were received from Corey Isiah McNair and Rolando Ramos; they are listed alphabetically by last name. The excerpts above are direct quotations; each candidate’s complete answers follow, as submitted. MCAT has not edited, ranked, or scored the responses. As of October 19, 2026, MCAT had not received responses from W. Reed Gusciora, Jasi Edwards, Austin Edwards, or Edward Forchion; this page will be updated if additional responses arrive. Publication of a response is not an endorsement.
—
Question 1: Trail connections & access to green space
Trenton’s trail network (the Delaware River Heritage Trail, Johnson Trolley Trail, D&R Canal, etc) connects neighborhoods to parks, the riverfront, and each other. As mayor, how will you prioritize completing these connections so residents in every neighborhood have safe, walkable access to green space and public gathering areas close to home?
Corey Isiah McNair
As Mayor, I will make completing and connecting Trenton’s trail network a priority by working with city, county, state, and regional partners to identify funding opportunities, address barriers, and establish clear timelines for projects. Every neighborhood deserves safe access to parks, trails, and public spaces. My administration will prioritize projects based on safety, connectivity, community need, and equity, not simply where development is already occurring.
Trenton has the plans and partnerships. What we need is leadership that brings everyone to the table and gets projects moving from planning to completion.
Rolando Ramos
I believe that every resident of Trenton, regardless of which neighborhood they live in, should have access to safe, clean, and well-maintained parks, trails, and public gathering spaces. As someone who grew up in Trenton, I understand the importance of having places where children can play, families can gather, and residents can enjoy their neighborhoods. My administration would begin by conducting a comprehensive assessment of our existing trails, parks, and pedestrian connections. We need to identify what is already completed, what remains unfinished, and where the greatest gaps exist.
I would prioritize three things.
First, connecting residential neighborhoods to existing parks, schools, recreation facilities, and trails. We should not be creating isolated recreational spaces that residents cannot safely reach.
Second, working with Mercer County, the State of New Jersey, and organizations involved in trail development to identify available funding and establish realistic completion schedules.
Third, making public safety a central part of trail planning. A trail is only valuable if residents feel comfortable using it. That means proper lighting, clear sightlines, maintenance, and appropriate police patrols.
I also believe that improving our recreational infrastructure contributes to my larger goal of increasing homeownership. People are more likely to invest in neighborhoods where they see improvements in safety, infrastructure, and quality of life. My commitment is to establish clear priorities, identify funding, and publicly report our progress. We cannot continue announcing projects without ensuring they are completed.
—
Question 2: Street design & public space
How will you use street design (sidewalks, crossings, bike lanes, plazas) to make Trenton’s streets and public spaces places people want to walk, gather, and spend time in, rather than just pass through by car?
Corey Isiah McNair
Our streets should be designed for people, not just vehicles. My administration will support safer sidewalks, clearly marked crossings, appropriate traffic calming measures, bike infrastructure where feasible, better lighting, and inviting public gathering spaces. We will also incorporate walkability into future development and infrastructure decisions. Safer, more attractive streets can encourage residents to visit local businesses, use public spaces, and engage with their neighborhoods.
This is about more than transportation. It is about creating safer neighborhoods, supporting local businesses, and building a more connected Trenton.
Rolando Ramos
One of my three primary campaign priorities is creating a government that works. To me, that means taking care of the basic responsibilities of municipal government, including our streets, sidewalks, lighting, and public spaces. Before we begin discussing expensive new projects, we need to address the infrastructure that residents use every day. Throughout this campaign, I have walked neighborhoods across Trenton. I have seen damaged sidewalks, poorly maintained streets, inadequate lighting, and areas where pedestrians are forced to navigate unsafe conditions. These are basic quality-of-life issues that municipal government must address.
My approach would include improving pedestrian crossings near schools, parks, and commercial corridors; evaluating bicycle lanes where they can be safely incorporated; repairing sidewalks; and improving lighting in areas with significant pedestrian activity. I would also examine opportunities to create attractive public gathering spaces in our downtown and neighborhood business districts. But there is another important component: enforcement. During my years with the Trenton Police Department, I saw how speeding, illegal parking, and obstruction of sidewalks negatively affected neighborhoods. We must enforce existing traffic and quality-of-life ordinances fairly and consistently.
We also need to recognize that businesses benefit when people feel comfortable walking through commercial districts. Safe, attractive streets encourage customers to visit local businesses and spend time in our city. I want Trenton to become a city where residents can walk to a neighborhood store, take their children to a park, or enjoy our downtown without worrying about their personal safety. Street design, economic development, and public safety must work together.
—
Question 3: Maintenance & community programming
Beyond building new infrastructure, what is your plan to keep Trenton’s existing trails and public spaces well-maintained, lit, and active with community programming — like Trenton Walks! — so residents feel safe and welcome using them?
Corey Isiah McNair
Building infrastructure is only half the job. Maintaining it must be part of the plan from day one. My administration will take a proactive approach to maintaining trails, sidewalks, lighting, parks, and other public spaces. We will improve coordination between city departments, identify maintenance issues earlier, and pursue state and federal resources to supplement local funding.
We will also work with community organizations to activate these spaces through walking programs, youth activities, cultural events, recreation, and neighborhood programming. A public space should be clean, maintained, well lit, and active. Residents should feel that these spaces belong to them and that their city is invested in them.
Rolando Ramos
One of the biggest problems I see in municipal government is that we often focus on announcing new initiatives while failing to maintain what we already have. We cannot build new parks and trails while allowing existing facilities to deteriorate. My administration would establish maintenance standards for our parks, trails, and public spaces, with clearly assigned departmental responsibilities and measurable benchmarks. This would include regular inspections, litter removal, landscaping, lighting repairs, and prompt responses to safety concerns.
I have also proposed an Adopt-a-Park program, which would encourage churches, nonprofit organizations, businesses, and community groups to partner with the city in maintaining and improving neighborhood parks. In exchange for their participation, we could explore appropriate incentives, including certain permit or facility-fee waivers where legally permissible.
This would not replace the city’s responsibility to maintain its parks. It would supplement those efforts by encouraging community ownership and involvement. I also support community programming such as Trenton Walks!, organized neighborhood walks, youth recreation, fitness activities, and family-oriented events. As mayor, I would encourage our Recreation Department to work directly with community organizations to develop a consistent calendar of activities throughout the city.
And public safety must remain part of this conversation. With my law enforcement background, I understand the difference between reactive and proactive policing. We should identify locations where residents have expressed safety concerns and coordinate appropriate patrols and preventive measures. Our parks and trails should not become places residents avoid after certain hours because of poor lighting, neglect, or criminal activity.
A successful park is not simply one that has been built. It is one that is maintained, actively used, and valued by the community.
—
Question 4: Equity across neighborhoods
Access to sidewalks, parks, and trail connections is uneven across Trenton’s neighborhoods. How will your administration make sure investment in walkable public space reaches every neighborhood, not just wealthier areas?
Corey Isiah McNair
Equitable investment will be a guiding principle of my administration.
We will assess infrastructure conditions throughout the city and use resident input, safety concerns, connectivity, and documented needs to determine where investment is most necessary. Neighborhoods that have experienced years of deferred maintenance cannot continue to be overlooked.
Every Trenton resident, regardless of their neighborhood or ZIP code, deserves safe sidewalks, accessible parks, quality public spaces, and safe connections to them. We will invest where the need is greatest and make sure every neighborhood sees tangible improvements.
Rolando Ramos
I have lived in Trenton my entire life. I know this city, its neighborhoods, and the challenges residents face. One thing I have consistently emphasized throughout this campaign is that municipal government must serve every neighborhood, not simply those that receive the most attention or have the strongest political connections.
Investment in public infrastructure should be based on demonstrated needs, not political influence. My administration would begin with a citywide assessment of sidewalk conditions, park maintenance, lighting, pedestrian safety, and access to recreational facilities.
We would use that information to establish priorities based on objective criteria, including infrastructure conditions, safety concerns, population needs, and neighborhoods that have historically received less investment. I would also require city departments to develop measurable improvement plans and provide regular public progress reports.
Residents deserve to know what projects are scheduled for their neighborhoods, when work is expected to begin, and what funding has been allocated. This also connects directly to my homeownership initiative.
When neighborhoods have safe sidewalks, attractive parks, functioning streetlights, and clean public spaces, we create conditions that support neighborhood stability and encourage residents to become homeowners.
I do not believe we should concentrate all our attention on downtown while overlooking the residential neighborhoods that make up the heart of Trenton. Downtown revitalization is important, but so are South Trenton, North Trenton, East Trenton, West Trenton, and every neighborhood in between.
My position is simple: your address should not determine the quality of municipal services you receive. That is what I mean by a government that works.
—
Question 5: Stalled projects & partnerships
Work on Trenton trail and active transportation projects — like the I-295 Pedestrian Bridge — has stalled or is proceeding at a snail’s pace. Will you commit to advocating for completion and partnering with organizations like TSTC, Circuit Trails, and Trenton Green Team to keep these public space investments moving?
Corey Isiah McNair
Yes. I will advocate for the completion of critical trail and active transportation projects and work directly with organizations such as TSTC, Circuit Trails, Trenton Green Team, and our county, state, and federal partners.
My administration will identify what is delaying projects, pursue available funding, establish clear responsibilities, and maintain communication with our partners and residents throughout the process.
Trenton cannot afford to have important projects remain stuck in planning or move forward without accountability.
My commitment is simple: bring the right people to the table, find the resources, remove the obstacles, and get the work done.
Rolando Ramos
Yes. I would absolutely commit to advocating for the completion of these projects and working with organizations that have invested their time and resources into improving Trenton. One of the central messages of my campaign has been accountability. Too often, residents hear about projects, funding announcements, and proposed improvements, only to watch years pass without meaningful progress.
That is unacceptable. My approach would begin by determining the actual status of each project, identifying the agencies responsible, understanding the obstacles preventing completion, and establishing realistic timelines. With projects such as the I-295 Pedestrian Bridge, we need to recognize that the city may not control every aspect of planning, funding, engineering, or construction.
But that does not mean the mayor should remain on the sidelines. The mayor should be an active advocate, bringing together the appropriate state, county, and municipal agencies to address delays and move projects forward. I would welcome partnerships with organizations such as the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, Circuit Trails, and the Trenton Green Team, along with neighborhood associations, community leaders, and other stakeholders.
These organizations can provide valuable expertise, identify funding opportunities, and help ensure that community concerns remain part of the planning process. I would also designate a responsible city official to coordinate these efforts and provide regular updates on project status, outstanding obstacles, and anticipated milestones. As a former Marine and law enforcement commander, I have spent much of my professional life working with multiple agencies, establishing operational objectives, and holding people accountable for results.
That experience informs how I would approach these projects. I cannot promise that every project will be completed overnight, particularly when other government agencies control significant portions of the process. But I can commit to making sure that Trenton has a seat at the table, that someone is responsible for following up, and that residents receive accurate information about progress.
We need to move beyond announcements and focus on results.
Leave a Reply