South Jersey Politics
We took a deep dive into the campaign finance filings for the recent Atlantic City mayoral primary and found some interesting details about who wants to influence the city’s future government (full story on Route 40 here). The Cumberland County Democratic Organization spent more than the Atlantic County equivalent, for one thing, and there were a lot of fascinating one-off contributions (including from a New York-based SoulCycle top exec – could we dare to dream SoulCycle is interested in South Jersey?) You can also download our database of the campaign contributions (it’s harder to sell ads for watchdog reporting, so data downloads help support our reporting costs. Don’t want Excel spreadsheets, but like our work? Become a supporting member!)
AC Firefighters
Judge Julio Mendez, who has the unenviable job of acting as umpire on the matter of the state’s takeover of Atlantic City, issued a ruling yesterday that opens a door to rolling back the state-imposed new work schedule if safety is compromised. Judge Mendez said the 56-hour work week did not reach the level of “retaliation” but he did have serious concerns about safety – Lynda Cohen has the details at BreakingAC.com.
Separately, Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo is pushing to pass a bill that would prevent the state from laying off Atlantic City first responders, unless early-retirement initiatives are offered first (read more here via The Press of Atlantic City).
A Jeffers Landing sunset via @memorieslostintime on Instagram.
Longport Parking
File under Local Government & Local News Are Both Broken: Longport residents are bothered by all the parking on Atlantic Avenue this summer, as the borough is permitting ocean-side parking while work on the Point revetment continues. The borough changed an ordinance to allow parking there, which meant it had to pay for legal notices in newspapers and discuss and vote on the measure at a public meeting. No one turned up to the June meeting to object to the change, but now it’s in effect residents say the parking is hazardous – and they didn’t know about the meeting in June (details via The Current).
In the rest of the day’s news, there are bargains galore at the Taj Mahal liquidation sale, here’s a neat feature on a local cyclist who’s competing internationally, and Carl Icahn’s Tropicana bought the Chelsea Hotel. All that and more below:
Florida Man Charged in Stabbing at Hamilton Blueberry Farm–Police on Wednesday arrested a Florida man accused of stabbing another man at a blueberry farm in Hamilton Township. Press of Atlantic City
Foraging for Treasure in Trump’s Atlantic City Ruins–Bargains galore from bed linens to chandeliers were on offer at the liquidation sale at the shuttered Trump Taj Mahal — but nothing bearing the president’s name. www.nytimes.com
Tropicana Acquires Atlantic City’s Chelsea hotel, Plans Skyway Bridge–An uncertain future for The Chelsea in Atlantic City was resolved Thursday with the hotel's acquisition by Tropicana Entertainment. In a move that will add room capacity to the boardwalk casino and resort, Tropicana completed the deal after majority owner Carl Icahn purchased The Chelsea's mortgage in May, according to the Associated Press. PhillyVoice
Local Cyclist Tom Gibbons Excels at National Championships–This time 15 years ago, Tom Gibbons was sitting on a couch at home in Middle Township, his bandaged big toe propped on a pillow. Press of Atlantic City
New ACFD Work Not Retaliation, Judge Rules, But Still Concerned for Safety–The new 56-hour workweek for Atlantic City’s firefighters does not rise to the level of retaliation, Judge Julio Mendez ruled Thursday. But he is still concerned about safety issues raised by the fire union. BreakingAC
Mazzeo Calling on Assembly to Reconvene, Vote on AC Public-Safety Bill–Assemblyman Vince Mazzeo has asked Speaker Vincent Prieto to call the Assembly back to Trenton next week to pass a bill that would block state-imposed layoffs for Atlantic City public-safety employees. The bill, which was approved by the Assembly State and Local Government Committee last month, would block state-imposed layoffs unless the state first offers an early retirement incentive. Press of Atlantic City
Longport Point Residents Object to Summertime Parking on Atlantic Avenue–Residents of Longport Point at the borough's southern tip objected July 5 to the governing body permitting parking in their neighborhood this summer. Shore News Today
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