Black History Month: Mayor Marty Small Ready to Move Atlantic City, Family Forward
Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small sits behind his desk at City Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. Photo by AC JosepH Media
In a candid, wide?ranging one-on-one conversation, Mayor Marty Small Sr. reflected on life after November’s trial, his vision for Atlantic City as he begins his second full term, and the gratitude he feels toward residents who continued to support him throughout the process.
BY CLYDE HUGHES | AC JosepH Media
ATLANTIC CITY – It was a scene that would have ended most political careers when the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office raided the home of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr. during their investigation of child abuse charges involving his teenage daughter in April 2024.
Fast forward to this month where Small gave a rousing State of the City address after being re-elected by more than 60% of the vote last November and being found not guilty on all charges brought against him in the case connected to that raid.
Since the trial that exonerated Small, the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office has dropped charges against his wife, Atlantic City School Superintendent La’Quetta Small, and Atlantic City High School Principal Constance “Mandy” Chapman connected to the same case.
Unbowed, confident and energized, Small said it is time to turn the page, embrace his family and move forward after a nearly two-year cloud over the family head.
“Law enforcement officers stood outside my house and came with rifles, battering rams like I was some drug lord or a violent person,” Small told Front Runner New Jersey.com last week as he exposed the details of the high-profile 2024 raid.
“I’m not a violent person. I made a bold claim then if you watch the video. I said, if you think that this is going to turn the people of Atlantic City against me, you’re sadly mistaken. And I said, if the election was held tomorrow, meaning April 2, 2024, we would win the election in a big way.”
Small said despite the past strife, he was humbled by the support from the residents of Atlantic City and how many rallied around his family.
“I mean, I’ve never felt that type of support in my entire life,” Small said. “I remember saying to my wife, when I would go out on the campaign trail, wards one through six, every neighborhood in between, all types of people would come up to me and say, I’m in your corner. I understand how you feel. I know how it is to raise teenage daughters so you are not alone.
“That was the sentiment, like you are not alone. I really felt strong about the election, but like to get that amount of support, it was crazy in the primary, and we did again in the general.”
Atlantic City has big projects ahead of it — the Bader Field redevelopment, repavement of Atlantic Avenue, and bracing for the impact of New York casinos. Small said, however, that family is his most important priority, and he clearly understands the challenges in doing that in the public eye with plenty of public demands.
Family In Public Eye
One of the Small’s challenges is being a mayor in one of the highest profile cities in the state while trying to heal his family in that spotlight. Small said even his family continues through counseling and going through the rebuilding process, there are some who still points fingers.
“A lot of people had me [guilty] before the first hearing,” Small said. “That’s unfortunate because at the same time, a lot of those people that were saying that I’m guilty, and that my wife and I and Mandy should be thrown under the jail, were the same people that voted for Donald Trump, who’s a … convicted felon.”
“Before I was a parent, I was a career youth professional. I’m known for working with kids, known for working with seniors, and to be cast as someone that is a child abuser was far from the truth.”
Small said he did not want to relive the details of the case that dominated headlines since mid-2024. He said it’s time for his work as mayor to speak for itself and the residents of Atlantic City.
Atlantic Avenue
One of the big infrastructure projects Small said will happen this year is the repaving of Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Avenue down to Albany Avenue. The streets are the city’s main thoroughfare and routes to most of the city’s casinos and nightlife.
“This administration has obtained a quarter billion dollars in infrastructure money that doesn’t cost the taxpayers anything,” Small said. “I am disappointed that Atlantic Avenue [repaving] hasn’t started yet, but I would say within the next month [construction] should be happening.”
Small said once agreements are signed, the improvements will move forward on both roads, along with the implementation of synchronized traffic lights.
Crime and Perception
While the perception of Atlantic City being unsafe remains stubborn, Small pointed out that the Atlantic City Police Department solved all its homicides in 2025 and crime is down by double digits.
“That’s never happened before in the history of Atlantic City,” Small said about the solving homicides in a one-year time span.
“Over the last three years, crime has been down 12 and a quarter percent, and our investment in technology has assisted in us doing it. It doesn’t pay to do crime in the great city of Atlantic City. We got cameras all over the city. We have the license plate readers that helps with everything.”
Small said he has taken that perception fight straight to investors who continue to hold on to those visions of the city.
“A lot of people still think it’s cool to say, ‘Atlantic City’s dirty. Atlantic City’s not clean. Atlantic City is not safe,'” Small said. “I told the investment community look, we don’t govern on feelings and emotions. We govern on the facts and the data. The stats don’t say that.
“That’s not Mayor Small’s stats. That’s the State of New Jersey’s stats that show that shootings are at 59% compared to other municipalities. We’re the leader in the clubhouse and I also announced at the State of the City [speech] that we’re going to improve our technology by adding autonomous drones. It will be like having a helicopter in the city.”
To fight Atlantic City’s perception challenges, Small said he has beefed up the government’s communication efforts, taking advantage of social media and text messages. All of the town’s city council meetings are streamed live and the city’s communication’s department has a robust text alert system.
Small, who has a degree in communications from Stockton Univeristy, also leads the publication of its own newsletter to residents called the “Great Day Gazette,” playing off his often-used catchphrase.
“We’re putting things out there,” Small said. “Some people just don’t want to believe it. At the end of the day, it’s not going to stop us because we know what we’re doing here.”
Bader Field
While Small said he was “not in love” with the automobile aspect of the long-awaited new development at Bader Field, he is looking forward to the construction and what it could mean for Atlantic City.
The Renaissance at Bader Field is a proposed $2.7-$3 billion redevelopment of the former Atlantic City airport, turning it into a 142-acre, eco-friendly community. Spearheaded by DEEM Enterprises, the project features a 2.44-mile Formula 1-standard racetrack, 432 motor-centric condos, luxury housing, retail, and a $15 million community center, with completion targeted to open about 2030.
The location between the Atlantic City Expressway and Albany Avenue would become the first image travelers would see coming into the resort town for years to come.
New York Casinos
Small have been asked (a lot) about the dawn of New York City casinos and how that will impact Atlantic City. New York residents have long traveled to Atlantic City casinos and some see the casinos as a direct threat.
Small said while Atlantic City government is not in the casino business, they are an important part of the city’s economy and the city will do its part to make the environment on the Jersey Shore welcoming, inviting — and competitive.
“We’ve been doing all we can to make this city as safe as clean as possible,” Small said. “We’re not in the casino business. The professionals are doing everything and we’re doing what we can control. From the government standpoint, we’re going to do everything we can.”
The Rest of the Story
Here are other topics Mayor Marty Small touched on during the FRNJ interview.
FRNJ: I raised a teenage daughter. I’ve been in your shoes before. I shudder to think if I had to do that in the public eye. How are you doing?
Mayor Marty Small, Sr.: Listen, man, I’m blessed, stronger than ever, motivated more than ever. I wanted to be an example while dealing with this. Yes, family is the most important thing to me. I also have a tremendous responsibility to the people of Atlantic City who have been a blessing to my family and I wanted to be a strong leader, to show how you can govern in a crisis. If you didn’t Google or read the headlines, you couldn’t tell that anything was going on. We just kept pressing forward. … I had to remain largely silent for over two years, while being labeled as a child abuser or you know someone that beat and hurt their child.
FRNJ: You know that African American men who have been in this position [Atlantic City mayor] have faced an incredible amount of scrutiny, and some have failed in that scrutiny. Does that change your perception and approach to the job at all?
Mayor Marty Small Sr.: Absolutely, but the people who know me and the people who have gotten to know me, know that all I want is for Atlantic City to win. That’s how I govern each and every day. It’s time to move forward. It’s the time for healing. My daughter and I, our relationship is getting back to normal, which is what I said, the most important thing to me. It’s time to move on. This is a big year for the city and a big year for my family. Our theme is Faith, Resilience, Redemption: The Future is Ours. I really, really, really believe that there’s always that notion that it’s hard being a black man, and this is Black History Month, but the support that I have and the coalition that we built all over the city, it isn’t about race. They embraced me for who I am. I am unapologetically who I am. That has worked for me. It has worked for the city. Everybody is not going to be on your side, and I truly understand it. It’s been almost two months [since the end of the trial] and you still have people out there [talking about the case] on social media.
FRNJ: You talked about Atlantic City’s bonds are now “investment grade.” Some people may not understand that, particularly because it’s not something that you can touch or see. Can you explain to people what that means for Atlantic City in its simplest form?
Mayor Marty Small, Sr.: It’s like a credit report once you get to good credit. When you go to borrow money, you’ll get a mortgage, credit cards, auto loans, at a level where you can get a decent interest rate. In the past, if the city had to go out to the market, our bonds were junk, where we would probably need a cosigner, so to speak. Now we have investment grade. … Now, the investment community looks at Atlantic City Government with a great, strong picture.
FRNJ: Can you talk about the continued tax relief for residents in Atlantic City and that progress.
Mayor Marty Small, Sr.: That’s what I’m all about. When I took this job, I said that the taxpayers were going to be first my priority. I know that you know a lot of politicians, you hear things or it’s in a stump speech, a campaign speech [about high taxes], but we put our money where our mouth is. I’m the only mayor to ever give money back to the taxpayers during COVID-19. For six straight years, we’ve had a tax decrease. We’re looking at a seventh this year.
FRNJ: How much longer do you see the city’s finances being under State control?
Mayor Marty Small, Sr: There’s a bill for six years, but the state of New Jersey doesn’t run the day to day [operations] of Atlantic City, right? The State of New Jersey doesn’t provide a roadmap to success in governance. I do. We’re going to play the hand that we’ve been deal with, and we’ve been playing that hand tremendously well.
FRNJ: You’re in your second full term in office and part of another. How have you changed over those years?
Mayor Marty Small, Sr.: I’ve definitely evolved as a person. I remember when I first ran for mayor, the word was, ‘Oh, all he does is party.’ He’s too young. I took offense to that because I’m like, ‘Okay, well, I do two events a year, and people party more than that.’ It was a blessing how everything happened, all the trials and tribulations. When I look back, if I would have ran for mayor and won in 2009, it would have been an epic disaster. Knowing what I know now, what I’ve been through, I’ve sat back and watched my stock with the people of Atlantic City rise. I just got the most amount of votes of any mayor, and I did it under criminal indictment. Not that I want to wear that as a badge of honor, but it just goes to show the people’s belief in me. We’re always going to be in your face. We always want to be out there. We always want to invest in human capital. That’s what this administration is about. This administration is one of hope and opportunity. We’ve shown that we just don’t talk it.
FRNJ: What is your political future? Anything beyond Atlantic City?
Mayor Marty Small, Sr.: No, this is where I want to be. I’m Atlantic City born, I’m Atlantic City bred, and when I die, I’m gonna be Atlantic City dead. In last year’s gubernatorial race, I could have been a candidate for lieutenant governor, but with all the distractions going on, that wouldn’t have been fair to the candidate that I supported. It’s just one of those things that I’m honored and flattered, that people see me in that light, I’m going to continue to put Atlantic City on the map. I’m going to increase my presence by joining the National African American Mayors Association. We want to put the Atlantic City story on a nationwide lens. We’re doing great work here. There’s still a lot to be done, and if anybody ever questioned if I’m built for it, these last couple of years have shown it.
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