By Michael Aron
Chief Political Correspondent
With Atlantic City’s municipal government government near bankruptcy and a political stalemate 90 miles away in Trenton, the Assembly speaker walked across the hall this afternoon at the State House for a private sit-down with the Senate president.
Afterward, each talked to the press.
When asked if he accomplished anything, Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto said, “Just dialogue, which I think is a good start, and we’re talking, which I think is good. Not that we weren’t talking before but we’re talking about this particular issue and then let’s see what manifests.”
The Senate president was more downbeat.
“I’m just really, really disheartened to watch this take place,” said Steve Sweeney.
The two Democratic leaders have been at odds on Atlantic City for months. Sweeney and the governor support a state takeover because they say Atlantic City spends too much. Prieto and Mayor Don Guardian want a two-year glide path for the city to right its ship.
Sweeney today said he recently read that Guardian would settle for the state to hold off on a takeover until December.
“What I offered originally, the day after, was 130 days to get your plan in order and then implement by the end of the year. That’s too fast? Well, you just said that’s what you’re going to accept. You know they’re not going to do what they need to do,” Sweeney said.
Prieto says Atlantic City deserves the state’s generosity because it gets less state aid than other cities.
“We help a lot of other municipalities with a lot of aid. They don’t get much, so I’m not saying we’re throwing money just into a pit. We are actually putting it into a place that has been very generous to the whole state of New Jersey, a place that we don’t let them collect their hotel tax, we don’t let them collect their parking tax. Those are taxes that go to other things,” Prieto said.
Yesterday the Christie administration took Atlantic City to court to try to force the city to disburse school aid money. The Atlantic County assignment judge ruled for the city and is now considering a counter-suit the city filed to get $33.5 million from the state in so-called PILOT money.
Meanwhile, the leaders bicker over the details.
“Collective bargaining cannot be the first thing on the chopping block,” Prieto said.
“It’s in the Assembly’s house. If Atlantic City goes bankrupt, I got to tell you, the Assembly’s responsible,” Sweeney said.
Through a payroll maneuver, Atlantic City has bought itself until late May or early June before it runs out of cash. That’s plenty of time for the forces here to keep struggling and potentially find the answer.