A new law in New Jersey requires a larger percentage of names on a petition to force a referendum on changing a municipality’s form of government and comes as a petition drive to do just that is underway in Atlantic City.
Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, serving as acting state chief executive while Gov. Phil Murphy was out of the state, signed a bill that raises the percentage of valid signatures needed to submit a petition under the state’s laws from 10 percent of votes cast in the last General Assembly election to 25 percent.
For the Atlantic City petition drive, that raises the number of signatures needed to force a referendum on changing the government form to about 2,472 signatures as opposed to 989 under the previous structure, according to a report in the Press of Atlantic City.
The petition drive is being conducted by Unite Here of Local 54, the city’s largest casino workers union. Local President Bob McDevitt said the increase will not stop efforts to make the change.
“It doesn’t change our plan,” McDevitt told the Press. “We were already going to get 3,000 signatures anyway.”
The union and other supporters want the city to change from an elected mayor and council to a city manager form, which under New Jersey law would put the city under the control of an elected committee which would hire a professional city manager.
A majority of the Atlantic City Council, the Atlantic City Democratic Committee, Atlantic County’s two state Assembly representatives, Atlantic City’s freeholder representative, the city’s police and fire union presidents, and the chair of the state Legislative Black Caucus have all come out in opposition to the change in government proposal.
The state bill was not in response to Atlantic City’s petition drive, but to moves to change the government form in other state municipalities. Supporters said they believed the 10 percent threshold was simply too low.
In another story, the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority gave preliminary approval to spending $10.4 million to renovate parts of Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall for the Atlantic City school board to use rent-free for its offices.
According to the Press, some CRDA board members questioned the cost and appropriateness of the plan and the board will do more research and hold a public hearing before a final board vote.
If the project moves forward, it would save the city’s Board of Education about $650,000 a year the school board now pays in rent for its offices at 1300 Atlantic Ave.
