Jenna Figueroa Kettenburg is the new South Ward Councilwoman

By Carlos Avila

TRENTON.- Jenna Figueroa Kettenburg is the newly elected councilwoman in Trenton, New Jersey. Figueroa Kettenburg obtained 323 votes to become the first female to represent the South Ward of Trenton in its current districting scheme. She beat Damian Malave who thought he had it in the bag in the first-round when he finished ahead but not enough to avoid a run-off. Malave stubbornly sought to win the election via the legal system by filing several claims including one challenging Figueroa Kettenburg’s use of her full last name on the ballot so as to prevent her appeal among Latino voters, but nothing came of those suits.

Figueroa Kettenburg is a native Trentonian, raised on Lamberton Street, and a graduate of Trenton Central High School’s class of 1999. After TCHS, Figueroa Kettenburg received a Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice, with minors in Communications and Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Caribbean Studies from Rutgers University. After receiving her master’s degree in Criminology from Boston University, Figueroa Kettenburg served as an investigator for the State of New Jersey for 18 years.

Figueroa Kettenburg has offered up similar promises of past politicians including demanding better security in high crime ar- eas, holding absentee landlords accountable, and offering cleaner streets. Very little is on her website about how she will achieve these generational challenges, however, a segment of the electorate has put their trust in her and she has four years to prove herself.

With Figueroa Kettenburg being elected, three of the four ward seats are now filled including East Ward Council Joe Harrison and West Ward Council Teska Frisby, wife of popular politician Samuel Frisby. The North Ward race is tied as of print without a clear winner and the At-Large seats will have their run-off on January 24th.