TRENTON - Nelson Gonzalez was washing down his porch in the city's Wilbur section when Mikie Sherrill dropped by.

Gonzalez said he's lived in the neighborhood for more than 50 years; things have changed and not necessarily for the better.

A lot of it has to do with absentee landlords.

"Some of the owners, they just want the money in their pocket," he said dismissively.

But rehabilitation is not that simple.

As gubernatorial candidate Sherrill walked the neighborhood Friday afternoon, she saw abandoned buildings, vacant lots where homes once stood (they are now parking lots), and some general despair.

Then again ...

As with Gonzalez' properties, many homes were clean and well-kept.

Contrary to what Gonzalez said, a woman a block over said things in the neighborhood are improving.

Reed Gusciora, the city's mayor, was on the tour. He happily led Sherrill and the requisite entourage accompanying a candidate for governor to a small park. It was created when abandoned buildings were demolished. It included a grassy field, a basketball court and new playground equipment.

Not everything was this rosy, however.

Gusciora also pointed to three attached buildings nearby, only one of which was occupied. He said bureaucratic reasoning has kept the relevant state agency from demolishing the structures and building anew.

A bit indelicately, the mayor said the state's thinking is "f.... up."

Gusciora, by the way, was a state Assemblyman before becoming mayor.

Handling such matters will fall to Sherrill if she wins the fall election.

She spoke about seeing the "bones" of a good neighborhood.

"You see a lot of pride. ... People want - and really desire - nice neighborhoods to raise their kids in."

Urban decay is not uncommon in older cities, but Trenton, obviously, is a special case. It is the state capital.

That also means many of its buildings are owned by the state, and as such, are tax-exempt.

Sherrill said that makes it imperative for the state to actively support revitalizing its capital city.

Of course, she has to win to get a chance to do that.

This brings us to Shanique Taliaferro, the founder of a group called Black Women NJ, which was formed to empower black women.

Taliaferro, a city resident, was a supporter of Ras Baraka in the primary. She said she talked to Sherrill after her primary win and urged her to visit Trenton.

As has been pointed out, Sherrill got less than 50 percent of the vote in the six-person primary field. So, unification for Democrats is key.

Taliaferro said it may not be there yet, but things are moving in the right direction, as seen by Sherrill's visit.

The problem isn't that some Democrats are going to vote for Jack Ciattarelli, who has embraced the MAGA movement. The problem is some may not vote at all.

Later in the day, Sherrill visited the Razor Sharp barber shop, a locale bustling with patrons, barbers and just visitors.

Sherrill made the rounds, engaging in small talk and was then introduced by Tennille McCoy, a local Assemblywoman, as our "next governor."

She spoke of the "opportunity" the United States has traditionally offered its people.

Now things are different.

She said the Trump Administration's view seems to be that if you are doing well - great. But if not, you need to be satisfied with the crumbs.

A pledge to stand up to Donald Trump. That remains an overall theme of the Sherrill campaign.