Disaster! Name-Calling! and our first ‘Noncommittal Headline of the Week’ in today’s Roundup

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Mature discourse continued to characterize discussions over the Atlantic City fiscal crisis, with Steve Sweeney labeling Mayor Don Guardian’s warning/threat about a possible bankruptcy, “idiotic” and Gov. Christie telling Guardian he should, “do his job.”

Christie, btw, is in New Hampshire, running for president, as a winter storm bears down on the state where his job is located. The Howler notes our guvnor has a peculiar gift for selecting rhetorical zingers that seem to refer back, in some weird subliminal way, to himself. FWIW, Sweeney, a little over a week ago, said he would support a bankruptcy filing for the city, but that was during a different hand of the poker game. Elsewhere, Mayor Guardian said the city made 300 job cuts and millions in budget cuts last year, and if Christie didn’t know about those, he should fire his chief of staff.  “She knows 300 families are no longer working for the city, and that we cut $25 million from the budget.”

Our Crumbling Infrastructure
The likely carcinogen perfluorooctanoic acid has been found in twelve New Jersey water systems at levels at or above the “guidance level” set by the state as the upper limit for safe consumption, NJSpotlight writes.

More about: Roundup, Atlantic City, Chris Christie, Don Guardian, perfluorooctanoic acid, South Jersey, Steve Sweeney

Mayor Calls B.S. On A.C. ‘Fatigue,’ and the Many Vetoes of Chris Christie

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Atlantic City officials are “threatening” (NJ.com’s Brent Johnson’s word) to declare bankruptcy for the beleaguered municipality a day after the governor vetoed* legislation designed, allegedly, to stabilize city finances, thus paving the way for further state control (i.e. takeover) of city government—for the next fifteen years. Given the city’s been on double-secret probation for some time now, it’s unclear what another “takeover” would actually entail exactly (“We couldn’t mismanage a paper clip without a review”), as Mayor Don Guardian points out in a rather long, impassioned op-ed in the Press of Atlantic City: Though that didn’t stop him and other city leaders from vehemently opposing the takeover. Among the many important points the mayor gets off his chest in the Press of A.C. op-ed, the Howler’s favorite facts include the $21 billion the city has sent to the state in taxes in the past thirty years (state officials aren’t really “fatigued” by the city) and the “600 parcels of land” the state owns around town, which add to the general post-apocalyptic charm of the place, and aren’t the city’s fault.

The Howler, peering into his crystal ball, thinks Atlantic City’s going to look like a much different place in five years, let alone fifteen, with far fewer of those vacant lots and far more conventional, city-type things like houses and businesses. He wonders if state pols aren’t already getting in line to take credit for the A.C. renaissance. Of course there could be something much more sinister afoot.

More about: Roundup, Atlantic City, Chris Christie, Don Guardian, opiate, South Jersey, Steve Sweeney

Checkmate Atlantic City and more on the Hillcrest Tavern in today’s Roundup

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A.C. Takeover: Checkmate? Governor Christie vetoed the PILOT* (“Payment in Lieu of Taxes”) bill designed to stabilize Atlantic City’s municipal budget, precipitating an acute crisis for the city, whose many problems the state proposes to address through a more aggressive takeover of local government. This is a metaphor, the Howler can’t help thinking. The indefatigable Amy Rosenberg of Philly.com has many details on the implications. Christie’s move comes a day after leaders from around the city and the state gathered at St.

More about: Homepage Featured, Roundup, Atlantic City, Chris Christie, Don Guardian, Hillcrest Tavern, Steve Sweeney

Privatize the AC Fire Department, State Manager Says, and More in Today’s Roundup

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Atlantic City Austerity
Emergency manager Kevin Lavin released his final report on the state of Atlantic City at five p.m. on Friday, the same day a Reuters story reported his team had cost taxpayers $2.6 million in the past year with little to show for it. Laving recommended the city privatize its fire department and regionalize the police force with neighboring towns, blaming “parochial politics” for hampering progress, though the Howler notes parochial politics didn’t cause the tax base to fall by $13 billion in five years. It also said the city should sell Convention Hall (or Boardwalk Hall), though not Bader Field on the water authority. Read more here. Lavin endorsed a state takeover of the city, saying he supports “legislative efforts underway in Trenton,” Philly.com’s Andrew Seidman reports, saying sales or privatizations of Bader Field and the utilities authority were among the recommendations, as was a sale of Gardner’s Basin.

More about: Roundup, Atlantic City, Bader Field, Fire Department, Kevin Lavin, Pine Barrens, Stockton, Wawa

Daily Roundup

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Greystone Hospital, Hefty Price Tags For Managers and the Casino Union Weighs in on the AC Takeover Plan, in today’s Route Forty Roundup
Local 54 President Bob McDevitt issued a statement supporting the state’s takeover of Atlantic City, saying he did not want the town to “flat-line any longer.” Meanwhile an appeals court ruled the Taj Mahal casino could break its contract with union workers. $2.6 Million
That’s the amount Atlantic City’s state-appointed emergency managers are charging for a year’s work, according to invoices compiled by Reuters. “It is not clear what taxpayers have to show for it,” Hillary Russ reports. North Jersey Casino Plan Advances
The state senate budget committee voted 9-2 in support of a proposal to expand casino gambling to North Jersey, NJ.com’s Brent Johnson reports. Senator Jeff Van Drew, D.-Cape May, said Atlantic City would become “a dust bowl” if North Jersey casinos become reality.

More about: Roundup, Atlantic City, Bob McDevitt, Greystone Hospital, Local 54

Daily Roundup

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A.C. Fights Back, Lucy Loses A Friend and Our Crumbling Infrastructure in Today’s Route Forty Roundup – BETA
The Press of A.C. reports on the widespread opposition across Atlantic County to Steve Sweeny’s takeover plan. Marty Small said the plan robbed the city of its “sovereignty” noting no municipality in the country faced the problems Atlantic City had, while Mayor Don Guardian challenged the narrative the city was at war with the state, saying he and his colleagues were voted to be “diplomats.”

Moody’s said the plan to expand casino gambling would be “bad news” forAtlantic City and cause more casinos to close there, NJ.com reports. Because it’s helpful to have the banker perspective on every issue. Meanwhile, city gambling revenue has been cut in half since 2006, Politico reports (subscription). Rebecca Forand reports on the “swanky” Mullica Hill house Rowan University bought for its president, supplying many photos of the $975,000 spread, which, spoiler, resembles a bog-standard McMansion outfitted to the tastes of Marshal Tito. Meanwhile Rutgers is asking the state for $98.5 million.

More about: Roundup, Atlantic City, Atlantic City takeover, Don Guardian, Lucy the Elephant, Mainland Regional, Marty Small, St. Augustine Prep