They saved Dennis Levinson for last.
After hearing from economists, casino executives and elected officials at a recent press conference about the challenges facing Atlantic City, Levinson finally got the microphone.
The 80-year-old Atlantic County Executive, a Republican first elected in 1999 and now serving his seventh term, spent nearly 30 minutes ripping Trenton, warning about poverty and crime, and pleading for state action.
A former history teacher, Levinson took office three years before the Borgata Casino opened in Atlantic City’s Marina District of Atlantic City.
Here are some of the more memorable moments from his remarks and our conversation afterward.
He warned that the status quo isn’t working.
The county executive acknowledged Atlantic City’s importance to the regional economy but said decades of missed opportunities have left the area vulnerable.
“We had close to a 50-year head start. We squandered it.”
“If we keep doing things the way we’ve done it, we’re sunk.”
He said Atlantic County is running out of time.
Levinson said Atlantic County cannot afford to wait years for solutions while residents struggle with poverty and an economy still too dependent on gambling.
“We need to get started and we had to get started yesterday.”
He noted that 35,000 county residents live below the poverty line and argued that government leaders need to move with greater urgency.
He put much of the blame on Trenton.
One of his recurring arguments was that the state exercises significant control over Atlantic City and shares responsibility for many of its struggles.
“The state has controlled it and made plenty of money off of us since 2016. They’re still here. And what do they have to show for it?”
He likes George Norcross.
Norcross and his adult children recently purchased the former Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino site along the Atlantic City Boardwalk. The Norcross family first invested in Atlantic City more than five years ago with the purchase of the historic Formica’s Bakery.
Levinson said he is “thrilled” with the latest investment.
” I am thrilled with George Norcross believing in Atlantic County in general, in Atlantic City in particular. It’s refreshing, and I do believe once he gets started, it will be symbiotic. More people will want to start building here.”
“If he does half of what he did for Camden’s waterfront in Atlantic City, we will be in great shape.”
He used National Aerospace Research & Technology Park (NARTP) as proof that government can get things done.
The press conference took place in the main lobby of the NARTP, created by the county to diversify the regional economy with the development of an aviation industry. The building, next to Atlantic City International Airport, opened in 2019. Tenants include NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, General Dynamics, Woolpert Engineering, Thunderbolt Software, and the National Institute of Aerospace.
“This building is yours because we thought outside the box, and what a success it’s been.”
He turned to Occam’s Razor for a policy lesson.
Trying to explain what he sees as a straightforward solution to Atlantic City’s public safety concerns, Levinson invoked Occam’s Razor, the centuries-old principle that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one.
“If you hear hoofbeats behind you, don’t look for unicorns. There’s a very good chance they’re horses.”
He challenged elected officials to take risks.
Levinson repeatedly urged lawmakers to be more aggressive in fighting for South Jersey.
“Do something. And guess what? Fail if you have to. And then do it again.”
His answer to crime was blunt.
Levinson said Atlantic City is clean but not safe.
“What do we do about a dangerous city? Hire more cops. Period.”
He said visible policing is essential to making residents, visitors and investors feel comfortable in Atlantic City.
He paid his own way.
“I was given my car but I paid for my own gas, and telephone. My employees have to spend $5 a gallon. I pay for my own gas.
“Not one other elected official pays for their own gas, their own phone. I have never put in a voucher for reimbursement. I pay for all my meals.”
He has no plans to leave office.
“You never know when you’re done.”
“I’ll keep going as long as the people appreciate me.”
