Marty Small called it last year.
As he stood in City Council chambers for a press conference April 1, 2024, addressing a raid at his home, the Atlantic City mayor said no attempts to cast him as a criminal would keep his constituents from voting for him.
Tuesday’s primary proved just that as his slate declared victory over a ticket headed by longtime foes Robert McDevitt and Steve Young.
In doing so, he became the first candidate to win a mayoral race while under criminal indictment in the city’s history.
He does not wear that as a badge of honor, he stresses. But instead, he believes it shows the faith the residents have in him, and the work he’s done to move the city forward.
Others seem to have agreed.
Despite some rough relationships in the past, he got the backing of both the Atlantic City police and fire unions, whose endorsements noted he was the one who fought to turn around the issues they claim public safety suffered after the state takeover.
“The people believe in me,” Small told BreakingAC after an exhausting night. “The people of Atlantic City have stood with me through the ups and down, and the trials and tribulations.”
There likely will be at least one more trial the mayor will have to endure before November’s election and a swearing-in he guarantees will happen in January.
Small and his wife, Superintendent Dr. La’Quetta Small, are set to go to trial for allegations that they abused their teenage daughter. The mayor also is accused of witness tampering for allegedly trying to get the girl to take back her claims.
The mayor has insisted it was a family matter that has turned into an attempt to hurt him politically. At one point, even the governor who has long backed Small suggested he might step down due to the distraction of fighting criminal charges.
“Yes, this case is a distraction,” Small said, “but it’s important not to be distracted.”
“No matter what anyone says about me on social media, no matter what the BreakingAC commenters say that don’t live here, the people that matter overwhelmingly chose me in spite of my personal circumstances,” he said. “They chose me to lead the great city of Atlantic City.”
He then had a message for those who would attack him in the comments: “You don’t matter, the people of Atlantic City do.”
Regardless of his confidence in the support he has, Small insists he will continue to campaign to win.
“Ultimately, I told my team: I work extremely hard no matter who I campaigned against,” he said. “I don’t have anything in the bag. If your name is on the ballot, you can win. That’s how I ran this campaign.”
The plan now is to regroup and get ready for November. He leaves his court fight to his defense attorneys and the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office.
“I’ve never started a political fight,” Small said. “I’m the ultimate counterpuncher. All I want to do is my job in peace. All I want to do is see Atlantic City and its people win.
“To the ones who didn’t vote for me, hopefully you will change your mind by the general election,” he said. “We’re going to keep making the progress we’re making in the great city of Atlantic City.”
