Republicans propose stealing Trenton Water Works from capital city residents

In a move that critics are calling nothing short of a hostile takeover, Republican Assembly candidates proposed a full state seizure of Trenton Water Works (TWW)—a municipally owned utility that serves over 200,000 residents in the capital city, as well as in Hamilton, Ewing, Lawrence, and Hopewell and generates annual revenue upwards of $100 million.

Republican candidates Marty Flynn and Joseph Stillwell plan to strip the city of Trenton—a predominantly Black and working-class community—of one of its most valuable public assets and hand control over to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP).

Let’s call this what it is: theft.

NJDEP and Mayor Reed Gusciora’s proposal to regionalize TWW, which would give customers an equal share of decision-making power over the billion-dollar utility as Trenton residents, is also theft.

Trenton residents stand to lose either way but TWW, despite facing long-standing challenges and mismanagement, remains one of the last municipally controlled water utilities in the region.

The scheme benefits four other municipalities that get water without the default risk, debt obligation, reponsibility for improving quality, or directly helping Trenton residents.

The infrastructure, while in dire need of repair, represents billions in public investment—land, buildings, treatment facilities, underground mains, and workforce—all built and maintained by the ratepayers of Trenton over generations.

Flynn and Stillwell imaging this robbery would happen under the incoming Republican administration of gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli.

However, the GOP legislative contenders are on the same page as Democratic Governor Phil Murphy, a Wall Street multi-millionaire who has often neglected environmental needs in the state.

EmpowerNJ, a coalition of more than 120 environment, community, faith and grassroots groups, sued the Murphy administration for its failure to take enough meaningful action to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the face of the escalating climate crisis and follow state law and its own policies.

Now, Republicans want to swoop in during an election year and seize that infrastructure under the pretense of “clean water,” a crisis they conveniently ignored for decades while sitting on the Telecommunications and Utilities Committee doing absolutely nothing.

“Families not only in Hamilton Township, but all families in Trenton, Ewing, Lawrence, and Hopewell have a right to clean, safe drinking water,” said Flynn, feigning concern.

What he didn’t say: that his plan would effectively dismantle local democratic control, disenfranchise the residents of Trenton, and open the door to privatization—or worse, selloff of public assets to politically connected contractors.

Let’s be clear: the problems at TWW are real.

From falsified water tests to federal fines, to NJDEP Commissioner Shawn LaTourette’s chilling descriptions of “appalling” conditions—including broken equipment, leaking roofs, and bacteria threats—the system is in crisis.

But instead of investing in transparent, community-led reform, Flynn and Stillwell are pushing for a state power grab.

Worse, they’re exploiting these failures—failures that were created and worsened by decades of underfunding, political neglect, and white flight—to justify a plan that would take ownership of a critical utility away from a majority-Black city and place it in the hands of Republican appointees in Trenton and, potentially, private contractors.

“Our opponents have done nothing,” Stillwell declared. But what has he done? Other than use poor people’s suffering to pitch a shiny takeover plan just days before the election.

The real agenda here isn’t clean water—it’s control, contracts, and corporate interests. Once the NJDEP takes over, how long until the system is outsourced to Veolia or American Water? How long until rates skyrocket and local union jobs disappear?

If Republicans were serious about fixing TWW, they’d start with investment, oversight, and empowering local leadership—not bulldozing the entire system and declaring martial law over water pipes.

This isn’t reform. It’s looting in broad daylight—only this time, it’s not gold or oil, it’s water. And the people of Trenton should not stand for it.