New Jersey election 2025: What Atlantic City voters need to know about the mayoral race

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Atlantic City has a reputation for low voter turnout, especially in nonpresidential election years. That makes the Election Day ground game vital. Another factor is that there is a hotly contested race for the Atlantic County Commissioner’s District 1 seat, which covers Atlantic City and smaller suburbs.

Democrat Rev. Collins Days, Sr., who was appointed to replace the late Ernest Coursey, is going against current Atlantic City at-large Councilman George Tibbitt, a Democrat who recently filed to run as a Republican.

The Atlantic City turnout for that race could have an effect on the mayor’s race, but it is not clear who that would favor.

Democratic Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. is running for his second full term against Republican businessman Naeem Khan in one of the most closely watched mayoral contests in the state.

Small, who became mayor on Oct. 3, 2019 after then-Mayor Frank Gilliam resigned over a federal wire fraud charge, now faces state charges of his own. He and his wife, La’Quetta Small, are going to separate trials over child endangerment and other charges in connection with their teenage daughter.

That did not stop the Atlantic City native from winning the Democratic primary in June, beating former casino union leader Bob McDevitt with 62% of the vote. Khan, who did not have an opponent in the Republican primary, said he has been part of his family-owned Atlantic City business for more than two decades.

The trials for the Smalls will begin after the Nov. 4 general election.

Who is Marty Small Sr.?

Small has been a fixture in Atlantic City politics for more than 20 years. At age 29, he became  the youngest person to ever represent anAtlantic City ward when he won a city council seat in 2004. While serving as city council president, he became mayor after Gilliam’s departure and won his first full term in 2021.

Born and raised in Atlantic City to a single mother, Small was a standout basketball athlete at Stockton University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in communications in 1993. Small has said his experience growing up in Atlantic City made him want to serve and make the city better.

Small has served as the southern New Jersey vice president for New Jersey Urban Mayors Association and was the Atlantic County representative for the New Jersey State League of Municipalities. He has been an influential “king maker” with his endorsements in recent council races.

Marty Small Sr.’s top issues

Small is hanging his hat on his accomplishments of bringing Atlantic City back from casino closures and the state takeover of its finances more than a decade ago.

He said he has been working with state officials to “ween” the city off of state aid, which has benefited Atlantic City since 2016. He said that Atlantic City’s finances are greatly approved and taxes have gone down under his watch. Small said his collaboration with state officials continues to pay dividends for the city.

“The city’s finances are as stable as ever,” Small said. “When Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s [global financial rating system], two Wall Street agencies who have written horrific reports about the great city of Atlantic City, they have praised our finances and we’re a step below investment grade and we will be investment grade.”

When asked if the current indictments and upcoming trials have compromised his ability to serve, Small called the charges by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office “politically motivated.” He claimed that he and his wife will be “vindicated at trial,” adding that the public proved they support him by voting for him by a nearly 2-to-1 margin in the Democratic primary.

“The residents of Atlantic City know me,” Small said. “I went back to work, and I haven’t skipped a beat. That’s how you know that your leader can handle a crisis. I handled the city crisis with COVID, and I’m handling a personal crisis for myself. I show up for work each and every day and I’m more motivated than ever.”

Small said his administration is striving to diversify the city’s economy, pointing to the growing footprint of Stockton University, the new waterpark at the Showboat Hotel, and the upcoming redevelopment of Bader Field, the city’s former airport, along with condominiums in the Orange Loop district.

“We have not been afraid of introducing new industries to the great city of Atlantic City,” Small said. “We know we’re in competition and that we have to bring family entertainment here. All of that is happening under my watch.”

He added that if people did not think the city was safe and believed the government was ineffective, companies “wouldn’t have invested anything.”

Small said Atlantic City suffers from “Greyhound therapy,” which is when other cities send their unhoused residents to the resort town. He said that he has a team that goes out to locations under the city’s boardwalk and other hard-to-reach locations to offer services to the city’s unhoused population.

In January, DEEM Enterprises reaffirmed its commitment to the $3.4 billion project called Renaissance at Bader Field, turning the abandoned airport to a “lifestyle hub,” complete with a racetrack, entertainment center and condominiums.

“Bader Field will be the gift that keeps on giving,” Small said. “People say we need a new industry. Mayor Small is providing a new industry, the automotive industry. It puts down the rumor that no one wants to invest in Atlantic City. These people don’t need Atlantic City.”

Who is Naeem Khan?

Khan is the owner of Garden State Fuels in Atlantic City. His  Facebook page says he is from New York City, but Khan’s campaign material said he was raised in Atlantic City. At the recent mayoral debate, Khan said he rose from being a fuel attendant to owning the business.

“Everything I have: my family, my businesses, my life, was built right here in Atlantic City,” Khan said on his campaign page. According to WPG Talk Radio, Khan has self-funded his campaign and refused campaign contributions. The article mentions that Khan owns multiple properties.

Naeem Khan’s top issues

Khan’s campaign has repeatedly turned to safety along Atlantic City streets and cleanliness as its top priorities. He said everything – from investment, tourism and quality of life – hinges on those issues.

In a recent mayoral debate, Khan questioned why Small hasn’t done more to eliminate state funding over his six years as mayor and why city taxes are still some of the highest in the state.

“That’s why I am running for mayor,” said Khan, charging that Atlantic City needs fiscal independence. “We don’t need money from the state. We need an independent city, and we haven’t had one for the past six years.”

While light on specifics, Khan said he wants to build a strong enough economy in Atlantic City so it is not solely dependent on the summer tourism season, particularly with the new threat of casinos opening up in New York City.

“As you’ve seen for the last 10 to 15 years, the [residential population] is getting less,” Khan said in the debate. “The local economy is not that strong. A lot of the cab drivers and casino workers know because not too many tourists come here in the winter. A strong local economy can create a lot of jobs for youth and everyone else.”

Khan said the city is not doing enough and questions why homelessness is a pronounced problem in Atlantic City. But he has not offered his own plan for tackling the issue.

Khan said the Bader Field project is another development that will never happen and will become another pipe dream.

“For almost 20 years, I heard that the casino was coming to Bader Field, the racetrack is coming to Bader Field. Now we’re hearing the condominiums are coming to Atlantic City. Over the past six years, nothing has ever been done. That’s a major property in Atlantic City. I’ve been hearing all these things. I don’t think it’s going to get done,” he said.

Safety is a top priority for both candidates

According to the New Jersey State Police Offense Report, overall offenses in Atlantic City were down by more than 11% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Homicide and nonfatal shooting investigations also decreased.

Khan, said that the Atlantic City Police Department is about 100 officers short of being effective and claimed investments and visitation would take off once people feel secure. He dismissed police statistics as unreliable.

“Would you allow your daughter to walk along Atlantic Avenue to go into any convenience store and would they feel safe? I have a good business record,” Khan said. “Yes, I’m new to this but it’s not rocket science.”Safety is a major concern in Atlantic City. As mayor, we have to make sure everyone that comes here feels safe. We have to create jobs. We need to bring more people here so we can create more job opportunities for the residents.”

Small scoffed at Khan’s claim that the police department is short on staff, saying the levels are currently at the levels approved by Police Chief James Sarkos. He said statistically, crime is down and the city has been aggressive in addressing homelessness. Small said that recently installed city cameras have helped solve murders this year.

Cannabis

One thing that Small and Khan agree on is that Atlantic City is saturated with cannabis outlets. Khan called for a “full stop” on cannabis dispensaries, saying that the Atlantic City market is currently overrun with businesses selling marijuana.

“How many more dispensaries do we need in this city?” Khan said. “We have more dispensaries than casinos. The residents of Atlantic City are fed up with these dispensaries. They are almost on every corner. I’m afraid we will have more dispensaries than convenience stores.”

Small said while the city was open to providing an open door to a new industry, he is ready to curb the outlets.

“We’re not going to prevent people from living the American dream and cut them off at the local level,” Small said. “It’s about opportunity and that’s all we did. We’ve put a cap on it and the ones that are there will be there.”

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