By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
LINWOOD – Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson has announced he intends to run for reelection in November.
Levinson, who has been the top administrator for Atlantic County since 2000, said he is proud to head “the finest run county in New Jersey.”
“I have been a good and productive employee who has help move Atlantic County forward, but my work is not yet done,” Levinson said in a statement posted on the Atlantic County GOP Facebook page. “I trust our resident will vote to rehire me so we can achieve even more and provide an Atlantic County that future generations will be proud to call home.”
Levinson said the county’s conservative fiscal policy, low debt, stable tax rate, top tier credit ratings and perfect annual audits are the accomplishments that “did not occur in a vacuum.”
“They are the result of the hard work and dedication of our county workforce, as well as the cooperation of our elected officials and community partner,” he said.
He pointed to the county’s efforts to diversify economy through the expansion of the National Aerospace Research and Technology Park in Egg Harbor Township. He said the county “took a risk” and built the first aviation research building, which has been fully occupied by companies serving the FAA and NASA.
“We are now growing interest from additional companies that see the opportunities and advantages of working in proximity to the FAA and the (Atlantic City International) airport,” he said.
The county plans to break ground on a second 40,000-square-foot building in 2023, he said.
Levinson pointed to successful litigation over the Atlantic City PILOT program, which has shortchanged Atlantic County taxpayers, as another reason he should be reelected.
According to Levinson, the state amended a 2018 settlement under “the guise of needing to help the casinos recover from the COVID-19 panemic.” The county sued the state and although three Superior Court rulings found in the county’s favor, the state continues to appeal the rulings, without concerns about the cost to taxpayers.
“We are without the benefit of nearly $10 million owed to us by the state over the past two years,” he said. “As well as we are doing, imagine how much better our taxpayers could be with an additional $10 million.”
Other initiatives touted by the county executive include placing defribrillators in all emergency response vehicles, support for the Atlantic County Institute of Technology, bringing Stockton University to Atlantic City at no cost to taxpayers, saving 200 jobs at Boscov’s department store, and establishing the state’s first program to assist inmates at the county jail dealing with opioid addiction.
Levinson lives in Linwood with his wife. His children and grandchildren also reside in Atlantic County.
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