Governor Phil Murphy and the Department of Community Affairs have appointed Jim Johnson, a former U.S. Treasury undersecretary, as special counsel within the state’s oversight of Atlantic City specifically to provide “recommendations for the process of returning the city to local control.”
Johnson will work with the state attorney general and review ongoing litigation in Atlantic City, according to the announcement. He will be paid $1 per year for his work.
The announcement does not affect the state-appointed position of Jeffrey Chiesa, a former U.S. senator, who has been overseeing the city’s finances since November 2016. Chiesa’s firm has charged several million dollars to oversee the city government.
