Atlantic City mayor fights for political life

John Curran

Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2001 | 9:22 a.m.

ATLANTIC CITY -- He's a three-term mayor with incumbency and a big campaign war chest in his favor.

Not only that, he's never been indicted. That's no small accomplishment in this casino mecca, where former mayors seemingly have sought parole as often as re-election.

Still, Mayor James Whelan is anything but a sure bet in the Nov. 6 election, which pits him against Councilman Lorenzo Langford, a political nemesis who tried twice before to unseat him.

This time the odds look better for Langford, 46, a former casino dealer and pit boss.

More campaign money, more name recognition among voters and the endorsements of gubernatorial candidate Jim McGreevey and Local 54 -- the labor union representing 15,000 casino workers -- have buoyed his campaign.

"Atlantic City needs a change and I think I'm the right change," Langford said last week. "We've squandered opportunities to maximize our potential. We need a new way of thinking in the mayor's suite."

Last November, Atlantic City residents voted to do away with non-partisan municipal elections each spring in favor of June primaries and November general elections in which the candidates are identified by party affiliation.

The change, which was spearheaded by Langford supporters and approved in a binding referendum, drastically altered the political landscape by putting Independent and unaffiliated voters on the sidelines until the general election.

Those voters are thought to be a major part of Whelan's power base.

Unwilling to take his chances with Democrats, Whelan decided not to challenge Langford in the June 26 Democratic primary and instead chose to run as an Independent in the general election, the first municipal election to be run on a partisan basis since 1911.

As a result, the lifelong Democrat has watched as party loyalists lined up in support of his opponent.

"It is difficult being on the outside," Whelan, 52, said during an interview in his office. "Seeing people I've worked with like Sen. (Robert) Torricelli, McGreevey, our party chairman, Joe Roberts, on the other side, it's tough," Whelan said.

"I've always spent more focus on the government side of things, not the political side, and it's something Democratic Party people have criticized me for. But when I wake up in the morning, I don't say to myself, 'How can I solidify my base in the Democratic Party today?' I want to know how I can help the city."

The 6-foot-7 former lifeguard, who once swam 22_aghalf miles around Absecon Island to revive interest in the Around-the-Island Swim, can lay claim to some of the improvements in Atlantic City in recent years.

He sits on the board of directors of the state Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, a powerful agency that takes casino tax revenues and uses them for community projects in Atlantic City and elsewhere in New Jersey.

In the last seven years, the CRDA has underwritten a new minor league baseball stadium, built a waterfront aquarium and subsidized thousands of new housing units.

Then there's the new Atlantic City Convention Center, a new Public Safety Building, a sparkling new entryway into the city and the Atlantic City Expressway Connector -- aka, the Tunnel -- which have brought jobs and development.

Whelan doesn't take all the credit for the improvements, but he says his consensus-building has helped get them built.

Langford takes a different view. "Take away the CRDA and the other agencies involved, and what do we have? A baseball stadium and a new Public Safety Building? I don't think that's anything to jump up and shout about. Give me 12 years and I'll get more done than that," he said.

Langford says Whelan has sided with casino interests instead of looking out for residents when their interests are opposing.

Langford promises more tax stability and fiscal responsibility if elected to the $81,500-a-year position, which comes with a four-year term and oversight responsibilities for a $150 million-a-year municipal government with 2,000 employees.

Whelan said he anticipates spending $300,000 on his campaign, compared with $200,000 by Langford.

According to the most recent campaign finance statement Whelan filed with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, he had raised $309,137 as of July 16 but spent only $69,953.

Langford is not required to file reports detailing his general election finances until today. Whelan had to because he is running as an Independent.

Langford, who polled about 40 percent of the vote in the last mayoral election, says many former Whelan voters have told him they will vote for him this time around.

But Whelan remains confident.

"We're going to win this," he said. "I'm not overconfident. We're going to win this election."