 "Photo: photo by Matt Arnold")
For 14 years, Trenton resident Brian Hill has been a Christmas Santa, featured in Trenton's annual Thanksgiving parade. Last year, Trenton's mayor Tony Mack publicly acknowledged Hill during the parade, saying, according to an article in The Trentonian, "‘Let's give it up for Santa. We love you. We've got a lot of great plans for our city, and we cannot do them without [Santa].'" Less than a year later, Hill was laid off from his job as the director of the Ellarslie city art museum director by the mayor's office.
In a recent interview with The VOICE Hill explained the situation as he sees it. He said, "From 1989 to fiscal year 2010, the budget of $13,570 [for Ellarslie] never changed. On that budget, [I] raised annual attendance from 4,000 to 21,000, [between 1998 and 2010.] Ellarslie became something wonderful."
The layoff of the familiar Santa comes during a tumultuous time for the mayor's office. He is facing a bitter recall and has been accused by many residents of cronyism and poor management of the city.
David Ponton, Jr., Chairman of Committee to Recall Mayor Tony F. Mack said of the Santa lay off: "The decisions that Tony Mack made in regards to Brian Hill is a disgrace to the city. The museum is not what it used to be."
This year, following his layoff, Brian Hill did not volunteer to play Santa in the Trenton Thanksgiving parade and at the city's tree lighting. When the city found itself Santa-less Jason Rodgers, a city sanitation worker, was asked to step into the roll.
According to Lauren Ira, a mayor's office spokesperson, "Existing city employees were solicited to play Santa" by "a committee of City employees and faithful volunteers."
Two days before this year's parade, Jason Rodgers, a city sanitation worker, was contacted and asked to pinch hit as Santa for the parade.
When asked who had contacted him, Rogers told The VOICE, "That I cannot answer. I got a phone call, and I accepted." He added, "I'm the chairperson of Fathers and Men United for a Better Trenton. We do a lot of community service, so that might have been why I was chosen."
According to The Trenton Times article "Honoring Outstanding Trentonians," printed Sunday, October 2, 2011, Rogers was awarded the public employee if the year award by the Trenton Council of Civic Association. The article also notes that "Until 2004, Jason was in and out of trouble and in and out of incarceration." Rogers apparently turned his life around while in prison, receiving a GED and completing 26 college credits.
According to Facebook, Rogers (known as "The Wise One") is also a member of The New Name Alliance, a spiritual group that describes itself as "an association of different innovative ministries and programs that help people find purpose and empower them to transform their oppressive situations into opportunities for liberation."
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