David Slays Goliath

The people of Trenton, New Jersey have spoken. If you listen closely, you can hear the shouts of an emphatic, “No!”  79 percent of Trenton residents who voted on a referendum to sell the suburban portion of their water infrastructure to New Jersey American Water Company, have now made it quite clear that they are against privatization.  The “no’s” won it 6,986 to 1,812.

79 percent of Trenton residents who voted on a referendum to sell the suburban portion of their water infrastructure to New Jersey American Water Company, have now made it quite clear that they are against privatization. The vote final was 6,986 to 1,812.

Meir Rinde of The Trenton Times described a David and Goliath scenario. In fact, Rinde painted an accurate picture when he reported in May, at the start of the campaign, that the Stop the Sale group – representing residents against the sale – had spent $6,986 while Goliath – New Jersey American Water Co. – had spent $178,000 to encourage the $80 million deal.  In the end, American Water ended up spending close to $1 million dollars trying to trick citizens into this sale.

The reality here is that David didn’t merely beat Goliath; he worked harder and outsmarted him in every arena of the fight.  David was represented by Trenton residents who had to adapt to the legal challenges, council meetings, endless paperwork and the critical deadlines that Goliath threw his way.  On election day, close to a 100 Trenton volunteers knocked on thousands of doors, worked the phones, and distributed flyers and signs. As a result of these efforts, we were able to watch the defeat of a corporate giant.

This battle pitted a large, well-funded company and a few local politicians against a small group of organizers with little capital, but valuable experience in mobilizing communities to protect control of their public resources.

This victory prevented one company from exploiting a vital resource.  Hopefully, it will capture the attention of other communities and encourage them to fight to protect their local assets.

-Rich Bindell