Voice Your Choice: Geoffrey Dorsey Poised for Atlantic City Ward 6 Race
Atlantic City at-large council candidate Geoff Dorsey. Photo courtesy of Geoff Dorsey.
By Clyde Hughes | AC JosepH Media
ATLANTIC CITY — Local contractor Geoffrey Dorsey in June moved a step closer to becoming a member of city council with a win in the Ward 6 Democratic primary race, but his volunteerism community work dates back years.
The Atlantic City native and founder of Dorsey Construction, won the June primary with more than 65% of the vote to easily outdistance John Exadaktilos. Now Dorsey will try to unseat incumbent Republican Jesse Kurtz in the general election race in November.
This is Dorsey’s second time running for city council. In 2021, he ran as an independent for an at-large seat where he faced a slate of Democrats supported by popular Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small and a full slate supported by the Republican Party.
This time around, Dorsey has the endorsement of Small in taking on Kurtz the Ward 6 seat. The co-owner of the city’s successful minor league basketball team the Atlantic City Gambits, Dorsey said he purposely kept a low profile, opting to do more personal one-on-one campaigning in the primary.
READ: Geoff Dorsey Makes Independent Run in 2021
“Honestly, I didn’t do a lot of interviews because I wanted to do things differently than everyone else,” Dorsey told Front Runner New Jersey. “So, people are learning from what I’m doing not just what I’m saying. So, I have been moving forward quietly and doing everything grassroots and it’s worked well for me.
Dorsey calls himself a “normal guy,” a self-taught businessman who loves his community and has always made it a priority to give back to it for the better part of 20 years.
“I’ve been very active in the community in any way I could help, incrementally more and more,” Dorsey said. “I’m about results. I’m not about the glitz and glamour of it. Many people don’t know what I belong to or where I’m helping and I’ve always wanted it that way. It’s only now that I’m running for this political position that I’m kind of forced to come out of the shadows and behind the scenes.”
READ: Atlantic City Gambits — the Region’s Best Kept Secret
Dorsey has long been an advocate for the Atlantic City Boys & Girls Club and the Hispanic Association of Atlantic County. He said his associations as a businessman and those and other groups he’s been involved with have allowed him to learn what is going on in the city at a grassroots level.
“It’s new for me to be in front of the camera,” Dorsey said. “I know what’s going on in the community, though, and I’m very informed, I go to a lot of organizational meetings I’m involved with so many nonprofits that have given me a chance to connect with people and help them in different ways.”
Dorsey’s independent run in 2021 set the stage for him to run this year. After running against Small’s slate of candidates two years ago, he impressed local Democrats enough to run on the main line this time around.
“I fared very well for being off the line,” Dorsey said. “After my race concluded, I did all the things I was supposed to do, in joining committees and pushing supporting democratic values. The Democrats saw what I had to offer and they welcomed me with open arms. I proved myself to be valuable and they supported me when I expressed my desire to run again.”
Dorsey said it means a lot to him to have a chance to not only represent the city he grew up in but also the same neighborhood as well. As a member of the Atlantic City Housing Authority, he got to play a part in redeveloping Busby Village, where he grew up.
“I’m living just a few blocks from there and I still walk there with my grandson and take him to the park,” Dorsey said. “I’m enjoying being there with my wife. We used to swim across the bay at Raleigh Avenue.
“I always had a goal to be in business for myself and knowing this community, I know it’s important to have representation. I was a latchkey kid and I never imagined then all the things that I would be doing now.”
Dorsey said one of the messages he wants to resonate with voters this fall is that he is reliable and will be responsive as a council member. He said he learned that is a valuable commodity he learned as a small business owner.
“Whether it’s people calling me about issues in the community or issues with the boardwalk or issues with stop signs, we are here year around,” Dorsey said. “We don’t just wait until election time. I think that’s part of why the [Atlantic City] Democratic Committee and the mayor supported me.
“After I lost to his team, I joined in and started helping, regardless. Some people just took their ball and went home. Other people joined in and got to work. That’s just who I am.”
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