Water Watch

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May 27: That’s the date the state’s designated overseer can start dissolving and “monetizing” Atlantic City’s water system by leasing it or selling it outright to a private corporation. In a speech in April, the executive director of the system, Bruce Ward, who is trying to keep the Municipal Utilities Authority under city control, talked about his hometown (he was born in Stanley Holmes Village) and the many assets he has seen slip away during his lifetime. Above Convention Hall, etched into the stone, was a declaration: The building was conceived as a “permanent monument” to the “ideals of Atlantic City—built by its citizens.” “But we don’t own it anymore,” Ward said. “The state does.” Ditto the city’s parking authority, airport, etc., and so on down the line. Water is the last asset the city has control over and the state’s circling that too.

More about: Atlantic City

Credit Ratings, Healthcare, Meet Us! – Friday’s Roundup

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Credit Ratings
The outlook for Atlantic County’s debt was raised to ‘stable’ from ‘negative’ this month by one of the global ratings agencies, the Press of Atlantic City reports. The credibility of the ratings agencies, which stamped approval on packages of toxic mortgage bonds in the run up to the Great Recession, is moot. But since the financial services industry still revolves around a debt machine that needs new issuance, we’re all still pretending the ratings agencies matter. So this is a good thing for Atlantic County. It’s another reason we don’t need to think about just how much the county’s financial health still depends on debt-swamped Atlantic City.

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Buena’s Problem, The Other Ventnor – Thursday’s Roundup

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Buena’s Problem
Buena is in the Pine Barrens, about as far on the other side of Atlantic County as it’s possible to get from our fading Queen of Resorts. Yet it is suffering a similar financial crisis. Mayor Dave Zappariello put it this way: “It is a dire picture,” said Zappariello. “Buena Borough does not have a spending problem. We have a revenue problem.

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Postcards From The Other Ventnor

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I grew up not far from the original Ventnor. It’s also on an island. Unlike Absecon Island, the Isle of Wight has gravely beaches and cliffs and winding roads. The weather isn’t reliable. It’s a 22-minute catamaran ride to Portsmouth on the mainland. It was the punchline to a lot of jokes where I lived.

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Bubba Mac, Beer Garden, Gyros – Wednesday’s Roundup

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Bubba Mac
Local musician (and restaurant owner) Herb “Bubba” Birch died Tuesday. Birch’s Bubba Mac Blues Band, which featured some of the best of the best South Jersey musicians, last performed at the Ocean City Spring Block Party on May 6. Read (and watch) SNJ Today’s piece on his career here. Beer Garden
The first beer garden on the Atlantic City Boardwalk could open for July 4, The Press of Atlantic City reports. (I’m calling it the first beer garden, since surely we could replace

some of the vacant lots or shuttered souvenir stalls with more outdoor drinking and eating establishments?) Anyway.

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Bill’s Gyros To Reopen in June – Probably

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Bill’s Gyros, a Boardwalk fixture in Atlantic City, has been closed a lot this winter. There was a sign on the door that said go to My Friend Diner, another block north along the boardwalk. Sometimes, even My Friend Diner was closed. The blue-fronted gyro spot claimed it “never closed”. But people were asking about it, worried about Bill.

More about: Atlantic City, Voices

Expensive Elections, CRDA, Sober Living – Tuesday’s Roundup

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Expensive Elections
The Senate and Assembly primary races are on track to become the most expensive in New Jersey’s history, NJ Spotlight reports. One of the battlegrounds is here in South Jersey: Stephen Sweeney and his running mates have raised $2.4 million, spent $1.4 million and have $970,000 left in the bank. Not bad for a part of the state with above-average unemployment and poverty rates. CRDA
What has the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority been up to? The State Auditor’s Office began a probe of CRDA’s finances and performance last year and it is – just about – wrapping up, after a longer-than-expected investigation, Route 40 reports.

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State Auditor Wrapping Up Complex CRDA Report

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The State Auditor’s office is in the final stages of a probe of finances and performance at Atlantic City’s Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, after a longer-than-expected investigation. Auditors from the office began looking into CRDA’s books and records last year for the first time in the Authority’s history. “It’s taking a little bit more time than we initially thought,” said John Termyna, assistant state auditor, in an interview last month. “It became more comprehensive,” he said, adding the extended investigation was “because of some of the things that we got into.” Termyna said he would not go into details about the findings of the audit before it is published.

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Flooding, Mazzeo’s Tax Plan – Monday’s Roundup

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Flooding
After a beautiful day yesterday and a sunny start to the week, it’s easy to forget the torrential rain we experienced on Saturday. If you live on Absecon Island, though, what is your personal limit for those days? Those days when you are either directly housebound because of flooding on your street, or you know that if you need to drive anywhere you’ll be risking your car through brackish water somewhere along the road. The Atlantic City marina saw some of the state’s highest rainfall on Friday. In just one day, the island saw almost the entirety of May’s average monthly rain.

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Meet Omar

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“Hey!” he says. “Come and take a picture of me!” He is waving a gold microphone from his seat behind the wheel of a hospitality van. He’s stopped at a traffic light on Pacific Ave behind the looming Revel.

More about: Voices