Hurley Opinion: Atlantic City Needs To Step Up It’s “Cleaning” Game

There’s an age old expression that “Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”

Atlantic City has a lot going for it these days.

The Atlantic City Casinos are working harder and smarter then ever before and are doing very well.

MEET AC is selling Atlantic City at a proficient, very high level … booking out for many years to come.

Philadelphia Developer Bart Blatstein and others are bullish, investing and betting on Atlantic City.

Dr. Harvey Kesselman and Stockton University have also bet heavy on Atlantic City.

Atlantic City must be a safe place to work, visit, play and stay. Soon-to-be Police Chief James Sarkos is well on his way to fixing the public safety perception. This is an imperative.

That brings us to one more critical area that Atlantic City must step up its game. Atlantic City must present itself cleaner then is currently the case.

A friendly suggestion to Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small. Take New Jersey Assemblyman Don Guardian, R-2 to lunch and pick his brain and pick-up the check.

Atlantic City was undeniably cleaner when Guardian was Mayor then it is now.

Small is a good guy, but, he doesn’t have any background running complex public works operations.

Guardian was effective and successful in keeping the City clean. He has a full career and a proven track record leading the Atlantic City Special Improvement District.

Guardian displayed a relentless approach and focus regarding keeping Atlantic City clean.

Another really good guy that Small should treat to lunch and ask for his help is Rick Santoro, the current Executive Director of the Atlantic City Special Improvement District.

Rick is a great guy and he also possesses a wealth of experience at the highest senior executive level.

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Ask anyone who’s being honest. They’ll all say the same thing. Atlantic City must improve in overall cleanliness.

Residents deserve this and guests visiting Atlantic City also see it and it helps to cement the perception that Atlantic City is a dirty, unkept town.

That perception is unacceptable and must be reversed.

When the cleanliness issue corrected, it will pay measurable dividends. Property values will increase and the City will “show” so much better as MEET AC and the various casino and non-casino hotels aggressively sell Atlantic City.

When Atlantic City is both safe and clean, the sky is the limit for “The World’s Play Ground.”

The budget is there to do it. The talent is there to get the job done. It’s simply a matter of commitment, focus and execution.

Mayor Small has shown focus on always remembering to remember to say “It’s a great day in the city of Atlantic City.”

When you telephone City Hall, this positive phrase is recited nearly 100% of the time.

We’re imploring Small to use this same level of focus upon keeping Atlantic City clean.

We’re all routing for you to make this happen. When you succeed, we all succeed.