Tony F. Mack, Sr.
Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey
In office
July 1, 2010 – February 7, 2014[note 1]
Preceded byDouglas Palmer
Succeeded byGeorge Muschal (acting)
Personal details
Born (1966-01-08) January 8, 1966
Louisville, Georgia, U.S.[1]
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseKara
ChildrenTony Mack Jr, Carrington, Madison and Kennedy
Alma materHoward University
Fairleigh Dickinson University
Professionpublic official

Tony F. Mack, Sr. (born January 8, 1966) is an American Democratic politician from Trenton, New Jersey. He served as the Mayor of Trenton from 2010 until February 2014, when he was forced to resign after his conviction on federal bribery, fraud, extortion, and money laundering charges.

His administration was "plagued by accusations of cronyism and reckless spending," according to The New York Times.[2] He faced a recall election in November 2011; however, it did not gain sufficient citizen support to succeed. On September 10, 2012, Mack was arrested after being the subject of an FBI investigation into bribery, fraud, extortion and money laundering.[3][4] His trial began on January 6, 2014, and on February 7, 2014 he was convicted on all counts.[5] On February 26, 2014, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson removed Mayor Mack from office.[6]

Early life and education

Mack was born in Louisville, Georgia. When he was five years old, his father died, and the family moved to Trenton, New Jersey.[1] Mack grew up in the Wilbur section of the city and attended the Trenton Public Schools.[7]

He earned a bachelor's degree in Consumer Affairs Management from Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he was also a member of the football, wrestling and baseball teams from 1984 to 1988.[8] He was a member of the 1987 football team, coached by College Football Hall of Fame member Willie Jeffries, that won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title and finished 9–1.[8] Mack excelled in all three sports, most prominently in wrestling, where his coach was Paul A. Cotton, Ph.D., R.D. As a freshman, he placed second in the MEAC tournament, where he was voted outstanding wrestler, and he also advanced to the Championship Finals of the Capital Collegiate Tournament. In 1986 and 1987, Mack won MEAC Championships in the 150 pound class; in 1987 he became the first Howard wrestler to compete in the NCAA tournament.[9] In 2007, he was inducted into the Howard Athletic Hall of Fame.[9]

Mack earned a Master's degree in Administrative Science at Fairleigh Dickinson University.[10]

Early political career

Mercer County Freeholder

Mack served as a Mercer County Freeholder for 12 years.

First elected in 1996, he served on a variety of committees, including the Airport Advisory Council, the Board of School Estimate, the Commission on Child Abuse and Missing Children, the Human Services Advisory Council, and the Organization Rules and Procedures Committee.

Upon being re-elected to a second freeholder term on November 2, 1999, he was sworn in as the Freeholder Board President in 2000.[7] He was re-elected in 2002 and 2005 but was defeated in the Democratic primary election held in June 2008 by John Cimino.[11]

Mack also served the Democratic Party as a committeeman in the East Ward (District 7) and West Ward (District 1) sections of Trenton.

Mayor of Trenton

He was elected Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey in 2010, defeating Manny Segura.[12]

Among Mack's first moves as mayor of the city of 85,000 was firing the existing department heads, including a deputy city clerk hired by the City Council but escorted from City Hall by police.

As mayor, Mack was a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition.[7]

Unsuccessful recall

Mack faced a recall election after a controversial first year in office: "Mack's critics say he has used the city's payroll like a personal piggy bank, hiring unqualified friends for key posts and focusing on minor projects like parks and parades as the city struggles with serious problems," according to The Times (Trenton). This first year of his administration also saw an unusually-large procession of business administrators.[2] The first resigned after a month, saying the mayor didn't believe in "good government." Another resigned just ahead of pleading guilty to embezzlement while employed in another, previous position.

His housing director quit after a prior theft conviction was revealed. His chief of staff was arrested trying to buy heroin.[13] His half-brother, whose authority he elevated at the city water plant, was arrested on charges of stealing.[13] Subsequently, his law director resigned after arguing with Mack over complying with open-records laws and potential violations of laws prohibiting the awarding of city contracts to large campaign donors.[14]

Conviction and resignation

As part of an FBI investigation, his home was raided on July 18, 2012, and some offices at city hall were raided on the following day.[2][13][15]

Mack was arrested on September 10, 2012 along with eight others including his brother and his close associate, steakhouse owner Joseph A. "JoJo" Giorgianni.[4][16][17][18]

Mack was found guilty by a jury of all counts on February 7, 2014.[6] He was sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison.[19]

Release

On May 23, 2018, Mack was released from prison.[20]

Electoral history

2010 Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey election runoff[12]
CandidateVotes%
Tony Mack7,25762.25%
Manuel Segura4,37537.75%
Majority2,88224.5%

Personal life

He is a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, The Urban League Guild; a former member of Laborers' International Union of North America Local 595 and a former president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 2281.[7][21]

Notes

  1. ↑ Mack was convicted of a felony on February 7, per state law he was to be removed from office on the date of conviction. He was not ousted until February 26, 2014.

References

  1. 1 2 Zdan, Alex (February 9, 2014). "Convicted Trenton Mayor Tony Mack, a comeback specialist, falls short". NJ.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "F.B.I. Raids the Home of the Mayor of Trenton". The New York Times. Associated Press. July 19, 2012. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012.
  3. ↑ "Tony Mack Investigation: FBI Seeks Evidence Against Trenton Mayor". Huffington Post. 2012-07-24.
  4. 1 2 Mulvihill, Geoff (10 September 2012). "Mayor of NJ's capital arrested in corruption probe". Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ↑ "Trenton Mayor Tony Mack is Found Guilty of Corruption". NJ.com. 2012.
  6. 1 2 Pizzi, Jenna (February 26, 2014). "Live coverage: Convicted Trenton Mayor Tony Mack fights ouster in court". NJ.com.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Galler, Joan (19 July 2012). "Profile: Mack's rise from city youth to mayor" (mht). The Trentonian. Trentonian.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Former Bison Elected Mayor". Howard Bison: The Official Athletic Site of Howard University. Howard-bison.com. 17 June 2010. Archived from the original on 6 May 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  9. 1 2 "2007 Hall of Fame Class". Howard Bison: The Official Athletic Site of Howard University. Howard-bison.com. 2007. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "Mayor Tony Mack". Retrieved 2011-09-19.
  11. ↑ Meir Rinde (January 4, 2009). "Mack: I'm 'done running' for now". The Times. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  12. 1 2 "Former county Freeholder Tony Mack is elected Trenton mayor". Associated Press. June 16, 2010. Retrieved 2011-09-24.
  13. 1 2 3 Zernike, Kate (July 21, 2012). "Woeful Trenton Sees Mayor Add Insult to Injury". The New York Times.
  14. ↑ "A year of turmoil, stumbles for Trenton's mayor". The Associated Press. NJ.com. New Jersey On-Line. 9 July 2011. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  15. ↑ Warner, Dave (2012-07-19). "FBI searches Trenton City Hall after raiding mayor's home". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. Reuters. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Trenton Mayor, Brother, and Associate Arrested and Charged with Conspiracy to Extort Bribes (Press Release)". FBI.gov/newark. Federal Bureau of Investigation. 10 September 2012. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  17. ↑ Dienst, Jonathan; Prokupecz, Shimon; Valiquette, Joe (10 September 2012). "FBI Arrests Trenton Mayor, Others in Corruption Probe". NBCNewYork.com. NBCUniversal, Inc. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  18. ↑ Avilucea, Isaac (2022-02-21). "Trenton's infamous JoJo's Steakhouse torn down as officials look to future". Trentonian. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
  19. ↑ "Former Trenton Mayor Sentenced to Prison in Corruption Case". The New York Times. 16 May 2014.
  20. ↑ "Ex-Trenton Mayor Tony Mack released from federal prison". The Trentonian. May 23, 2018.
  21. ↑ Fair, Matt (18 April 2012). "Trenton council calls to suspend acting public works director". The Times. NJ.com. New Jersey On-Line. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
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