By Brenda Flanagan
Correspondent
“This is strictly meat and potatoes. This is a sacrifice,” said Atlantic City Council President Marty Small.
Small figures he can save his cash-strapped town $120,000 a year — just cut the City Council down from nine members to seven by eliminating two at-large seats.
“My intention is pure fiscal. At-large say, they cover the whole city, but they’re not accountable to no one in particular,” Small said.
This city government’s been castigated as top-heavy and profligate. Council’s got six ward-specific seats and under Small’s proposal, they’d remain untouched, but the three at-large seats would be cut down to one.
“It will go along with Senate President [Steve] Sweeney and Gov. [Chris] Christie’s mission of right-sizing government, making government more thorough and efficient and more importantly, more fiscally prudent. It will not — and I repeat, not — deter the residents from representation,” Small said.
Mayor Don Guardian couldn’t be reached for comment. Last night, he explained how the city’s working to draft a recovery plan and stave off a state takeover by hiring attorneys to help restructure some of its $240 million debt.
“This is a big nut. If we crack this, everything else becomes easier,” Guardian previously said.
The city’s already cut its workforce by 28 percent. Councilman Kaleem Shabazz says they should lead by example.
“If we ask the people to sacrifice, if we’re saying we’ve got to shrink government and go to privatization and shared services and layoffs, we need to be the first to do that,” he said.
Downsizing the council would require special state legislation — Small says Sweeney’s on board — and approval from Atlantic City voters on a ballot question this November. The three at-large members’ terms expire next year, but at least one’s opposed to axing two seats.
“I understand when you’re desperate, you do desperate things,” Frank Gilliam said, noting, “I’m not opposed to shrinking government [but] it’s a political direct hit at certain at-large members.”
“Anyone who would be against this, opposed to this, would be just for self-preservation purposes,” Small said.
The entire council will vote on the downsizing proposal tomorrow. Meanwhile, they’re hoping the casino unions can reach agreements in contract negotiations and avoid a strike on Friday. That would be just another hit for an already hurting city.