Mayor Vic Carstarphen said his city was ‘Camden strong.’ Here are some takeaways from his State of the City address

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Camden Mayor Vic Carstarphen struck a confident tone Thursday, declaring the city “Camden strong” during his State of the City address at the Walter K. Gordon Theater on the Rutgers University–Camden campus.

With the theme “Resilient & Rising” as the backdrop, Carstarphen once again recalled how Camden has evolved from being named the most dangerous city in America to “a city on the rise.” Interspersed in his speech were milestones for the city, some of which were announced in a January news conference, where Camden officials announced that crime was at a 55-year low and the city’s A bond rating.

In all, the mayor spoke for nearly 90 minutes, including a video presentation that included Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr., Camden County Police Chief Gabriel Rodriguez and others talking about how much better the city is now.

Leading up to the speech, Carstarphen received a chorus of praise from City Council President Angel Fuentes, New Jersey Community Affairs Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suárez and state Sen. Nilsa I. Cruz-Perez. Actor, director and Camden native Tasha Smith delivered the formal introduction, setting the stage for the mayor’s remarks.

Before the speech, teachers union asks, ‘Where’s the money?’

As attendees were making their way to the theater, members of the Camden Education Association stood outside holding up signs asking, “What happened to the money???” The question is in reference to the $91 million deficit forcing the Camden City School District to eliminate 289 positions. That includes 117 people being laid off.

Pamela Clark, president of the Camden Education Association, said her members are still feeling the impact of the announcement.

“Our kids are going to lose a lot of services, attendance, school-based youth services. Some of them, they’re going to lose familiar faces, like the dean of students,” she said.

The district blames the shortfall, in part, on falling enrollment. But Clark suggested that the tax breaks a number of corporations based in Camden receive are also at fault.

“Subaru is coming in sometime in the beginning of the school year, to make sure that they help people to get their rooms together and things like that. That’s not enough for me. We need money to bring our members back,” she added.

Carstarphen did discuss the budget deficit during his speech, referring to it as “the elephant in the room.” He reminded the audience that the Camden City School District is operated by the state.

Nevertheless, he said he reached out to Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer offering assistance from the city.

“I’m going to remain willing to talk about any strategies, whatever we can do, whatever we got to do,” he said.

Smith urges everyone to vote for Carstarphen

Though it was a State of the City address, Smith gave a full-throated endorsement of Carstarphen while introducing him. The mayor, a Democrat, is running for re-election this year.

She spoke about her experiences in Camden when she left at 19 years old: “My mother dealt with addiction. A lot of my friends dealt with addiction. A lot of my friends sold dope. A lot of my friends were murdered. A lot of my friends went to prison.”

“I honestly did not know I would ever come back,” she said. “I left Camden traumatized and broken.”

Smith added she came back to Camden because of Carstarphen.

“I honestly did not know that a place that caused me so much pain as a youth would bring me so much joy because of the work that I am seeing Mayor Victor Carstarphen do,” she said before urging those in the audience to “be clear about who you are voting for. Be clear of saying the name Victor Carstarphen.”

“Make sure everybody knows who to vote for, so that when they look at that ballot, they are not confused,” Smith added.

Carstarphen is being challenged in the primary by Theo Spencer, a software engineer who is running for mayor for a third time.

Due to the city being heavily Democratic, the June 10 primary is tantamount to the general election.

Carstarphen administration makes investments in infrastructure, technology and safety

The mayor said that though the topic “may not get the biggest applause,” the city spent $2 million to modernize Camden’s technology to protect it from cyberattacks. Carstarphen said the upgrades protected sensitive data from an attempted malware and ransomware attack last year.

Carstarphen also highlighted other investments: $2.4 million received from the American Rescue Plan to purchase new vehicles and heavy equipment for the Public Works Department, and $10 million spent to enhance the fire department’s operations, including a new ladder truck and used equipment (such as a 2007 ladder truck and a 2009 rescue apparatus).

The mayor added that the city will leverage funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to pay for repairs at fire stations, a new squad pumper and rescue vehicle. Carstarphen said that the grant is awaiting approval.

In addition, eight parks across the city will receive upgrades totaling $5.5 million.

“Real improvements, not just touch-ups,” Carstarphen insisted.

Carstarphen touts rebuilding the city

Carstarphen mentioned the $250 million overhaul of the Walter Rand Transportation Center, in partnership with the state. Across the street would be the Beacon Tower, a 25-story, 500,000-square-foot building that would be the tallest in South Jersey upon completion. He also spoke of the $3 billion expansion of Cooper University Health Care’s downtown campus, and Coriell Institute for Medical Research becoming home to a Strategic Innovation Center.

The mayor said these projects will benefit Camden residents and generate more economic activity in the city.

In addition, he touted new and upgraded affordable housing projects, like the $130 million renovation of Northgate One, the $165 million Ablett Village project and the $24 million Oliver Station project.

Carstarphen introduced a new portal to connect people to volunteer opportunities through Camden called the “Volunteer in Camden” portal.

“It’s called the VIC portal,” the mayor gleefully pointed out. “That’s my staff at it again.”