ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Four people want to lead Atlantic City through immense challenges as the seaside resort’s next mayor.
The winner’s tasks include leading the East Coast gambling resort through the coronavirus pandemic that shuttered its casinos for 3 1/2 months and left thousands out of work; healing from a spasm of violence that left stores looted, and turning around a city with a history of corruption so long and colorful that HBO based a hit TV series on it.
The state still has control of most major decisions, competition from casinos in nearby states remains fierce, and it’s anyone’s guess when smoking, drinking and eating bans will be lifted inside the gambling halls.
Three Democratic candidates will seek their party’s nomination Tuesday, while a single Republican is running unopposed.
Most of the voting has been done by mail, although some in-person polling places will be open, and it’s possible a winner might not be known for days.
Democratic incumbent Marty Small is seeking a one-year term. The former City Council President took over as mayor last October when his predecessor, Frank Gilliam, pleaded guilty to stealing $87,000 from a youth basketball program he founded. Gilliam remains free pending sentencing, which is tentatively scheduled for later this month. Small, 46, served on the City Council since 2003.
Pamela Thomas-Fields, 52, is a longtime city worker whose current position is in the planning and economic development department. She formerly ran Main Street Atlantic City, a group devoted to helping the city’s downtown.
James Whitehead, 63, is a Navy veteran and humanitarian aid organizer. He held several federal appointments under Republican and Democratic presidents.
On the Republican side, Tom Forkin, 57, a school teacher and surfing instructor who formerly was the city’s assistant solicitor, is running unopposed for his party’s nomination.
Atlantic City’s voter base is heavily Democratic, and the winner of the Democratic primary has usually gone on to win the November general election. But that’s not always the case; Republican Don Guardian won an unexpected victory in 2013 before losing to Gilliam four years later.
The winner of the November general election would then face a campaign for a full four-year term in Nov. 2021.
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Follow Wayne Parry at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC
