Under The Boardwalk…Empire

Governor Chris Christie's commitment to restoring Atlantic City's competitive edge through the Tourism District initiative demonstrates his vision of the city as the cornerstone of New Jersey's rebuilding economy. His methods, however, leave new furrows in the brow of the city's top executive.

As a lifelong Atlantic City dweller, Mayor Lorenzo Langford has lived through its roller coaster of ups and downs. In an informal discussion, he pointed out that he's far from ungrateful for the city's high priority on the Governor's agenda. But he frets over the segmentation of one section of it for special attention and state funding.  Langford's concern is an invisible line of demarcation, separating the city's blue-collar backbone from its glitzy face east of Atlantic Avenue.

State funding and contributions by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority aside, Atlantic City's slow but steady progress indicates the ingenuity of city officials and private-enterprise commitment. High-end retail storefronts complement the Boardwalk skyline. A scenic and pedestrian-friendly project known as The Walk greets visitors at the terminus of the Atlantic City Expressway.

These kinds of improvements reinforce the idea that the city's government is a far cry from the bad old days glorified in "Boardwalk Empire." Which is why Langford bristles at the thought of state officials imposing their ideas and values without understanding the people whose property taxes keep the city's financial engine from sputtering and conking out.

The Governor's approach to education and tax reform gets standing O's from people who will no longer cast blind eyes at how their money is spent. But it causes bewilderment and alienation among people who are finding their lives as radically overhauled as their job conditions.

Langford welcomes innovations that will help his city combat stifling competition in surrounding states and turn it into a destination where families want to stay for a week, not just overnight. All he's saying is, remember everyone who'll still be there when the visitors go home.