Famed newsman Walter Lippmann once said hard times are “for great or evil, the great occasions in a nation’s history.”

As our city, our industry and the world at large grapple with unprecedented change, we find ourselves increasingly drawn to stories about resilience, optimism, determination and sheer grit.

Here are 12 people who exemplify those qualities, and then some. Casino Connection’s People to Watch for 2009 are men and women of diverse interests and disciplines: political leaders and casino kingpins, advocates for the arts and activists for the downtrodden. They are moneymakers and risk-takers, people from the neighborhood and people from the halls of power. They’re dynamic, inspirational, entertaining—and maybe even a bit provocative.

So read on. Let us know if you agree with our choices. And here’s to a vigorous and prosperous New Year.

Man of the People
BOB McDEVITT • President, UNITE HERE Local 54
It was 13 years ago that Bob McDevitt was elected president of a union in tatters. Local 54 of UNITE HERE International was still in federal receivership after previous union officials were ousted on corruption charges.

McDevitt worked with the feds to assure them of his integrity and that of other elected union chiefs. Slowly he restored Local 54’s reputation, guiding it through turbulent times and several cycles of contract negotiations. Today, the union is one of the most powerful in the state, with influence that extends far beyond Atlantic City.

McDevitt deflects credit for the turnaround.

“I’m lucky enough to have a great staff, which does the vast majority of the work,” he says. “They do their jobs so well, all I have to do is focus on mine.”

Running the local is just one of McDevitt’s jobs. A father who is active in his community and his church, McDevitt was recently elected to lead the Democratic Committee in Atlantic City, a seemingly thankless job that’s devoured many a well-meaning individual. He took the reins of that organization, McDevitt says, because the powerful group has made a series of “bad decisions” in recent years.

“I wanted to take leadership in a way that makes a difference,” he says. “We’re a very small town—we’re not New York or Las Vegas—and the decisions made by this group affect everyone. The mayoral position has been a disaster. This government has made the wrong decisions every time it had the chance to make the right one. The school district is a complete failure. So they spend $360 million to run the city and the schools and this is what you get. It’s a disgrace.”

An Atlantic City resident, McDevitt was compelled to get involved, but says he’s not motivated by politics or any consideration other than to make things better.

“I have a simple goal,” he says, “to restore functionality to the Democratic Committee. It’s not the fault of the people in place now. It’s a hangover from the Callaway period, when he was running roughshod over the Atlantic City organizations, abusing them to do whatever illegal things he did. We have to sort of unlearn that. And I’ve never done this before, so I’m learning myself.”

With a mayoral primary coming up in June, along with several seats on City Council, McDevitt wants to see a fair and open process in selecting the Democratic nominees. And he wants the process opened up to casino employees and executives.

“As a person who has fed his family since he was 19 from the casino industry, it’s insulting when someone from North Jersey tells me that, as a waiter or pit boss, somehow I’m corrupted by the casino industry and can’t make decisions that are important to my city, my neighborhood or my family,” he says. “We never got away from the notion that gaming is dirty somehow.

“We’re not just talking about Atlantic City,” McDevitt says. “We need to open it up to the state offices as well. Our legislators, from our senator to our assemblymen, need to ‘man up’ and make this thing right. Maybe over time, people will stop thinking we’re dirty.”

McDevitt was a loud voice in trying to get City Council to reverse the total smoking ban. While he understands the health concerns of dealers and others, he says it just wasn’t the right time.

“First we had the increased competition from New York and Pennsylvania,” he says. “Then the economy went south. It just didn’t make sense to risk my members’ jobs by doing this at this time.”

Another issue that’s pitted McDevitt against council: a decision to allow Revel Entertainment to use the city’s credit rating to finance improved access to the future resort. While the city isn’t on the hook for any payment while Revel is a functioning entity, McDevitt says he has received no assurance that the city would not be liable for the entire $56 million bond should Revel go bankrupt. Local 54 collected enough signatures to send the measure to a referendum, but a judge later said the decision was not reviewable by a vote.

McDevitt has filed suit, alleging council exceeded its authority by making the agreement, and charging some members with ethics violations for meeting with Revel officials privately before voting.

Some have questioned whether McDevitt is really wearing his union hat—Revel has yet to reach an agreement about its hospitality workers who will be represented by Local 54—but he denies it.

“There are too many questions that haven’t been answered in this deal to allow it to go through,” he says. McDevitt promises to be a gadfly who will force council to consult voters on every controversial issue. He’s particularly concerned about attempts to auction off Bader Field. He believes there are more pressing issues to consider before selling the city’s most valuable piece of land during an economic downturn.

“Pacific Avenue is a disgrace,” he says. “And there are still large tracts of land along the Boardwalk that need to be rehabbed or redeveloped before we even consider other projects.”

Wearing two hats is tough for McDevitt, but if he does the right thing, he says, he represents both of his constituencies.

“I don’t have two heads, and sometimes the goals of each group diverge,” he says. “I try to be honest about what I’m doing. If I make a decision that works for one side but doesn’t for another, it’s OK if it’s for the right reason.” —Roger Gros

Center Stage
STEPHANIE CLINEMAN • Director of Operations, Dante Hall
Just what does a director of operations in the non-profit sector do each day?

“I get the mail, pull the trash cans in, answer the phones, clean the bathrooms, put out the playbills and press releases,” she says. “When there’s a job to be done, you basically look in the mirror and go, ‘Are you going to do it?’”

But Stephanie Clineman could not be more delighted to be at historic Dante Hall, working in support of the lively arts. 

The Egg Harbor City native has spent much of her life in regional theater. She’s acted in independent films, and for a time was the only distaff member of an all-male improv comedy group. She was living in Las Vegas when she learned that Atlantic City was turning an old Ducktown parochial school into a performing arts center. 

“I said, ‘If I ever come back to New Jersey, I want to be part of that,’” Clineman says.
That’s just what happened. She came east and signed on at Dante Hall as a volunteer. When the first director of operations relocated, she was offered the job. “I was at the right place at the right time,” she says. “It was like I willed this to happen.”

Despite the struggles that come with a life in the arts, Clineman’s inspiration doesn’t flag, says Kim Butler, general manager of AC Outlets and a member of Dante Hall’s board of directors.

“Stephanie approaches every challenge with a positive zest,” Butler says. “She’s able to overcome the day-to-day hurdles because she sees the big picture.”

That big picture includes providing a showcase for up-and-coming talent, offering a full slate of comedy, kids’ programming and entertainment from jazz to opera, and creating a nucleus for other artistic enterprise in the area.

“I’d love to see galleries spring up in this area, and First Fridays where everybody is celebrating some form of the arts,” Clineman says. “I’d love people to think of our theater as an extension of what they do normally, a place to take classes in music, acting, art, dance. We want the doors to always be open, so people can feel this is their home.”

To do that, she must tap the financial resources that make it all possible.

“My husband jokes, ‘How hard can it be to work in a non-profit? You don’t have to make any money,’” Clineman says. “We have to convince people that, even though there’s so much else to do in the city, here’s a little gem they can take advantage of.”

As Ducktown evolves, Clineman’s hopes are sky-high. “We’re in a great location, and the redevelopment here is fabulous. We want to cultivate the idea of an evening out, with dinner, shopping and a show. We want to offer the kind of entertainment people go to Philadelphia or New York to see.”

Most importantly: “We want to have this building full seven days a week.” —Marjorie Preston

Fields of Dreams
RICHARD FIELDS • Chairman, Coastal Development
Even in the best of times, buying a casino in Atlantic City is a complicated maneuver.   

Lining up credit, gaining regulatory approvals, dealing with existing union contracts and considering renovation and re-theming are just a few of the issues that must be addressed. But when the economy is lagging and the credit markets are crashing, the job becomes even more complex.

So while many applauded the announcement that Richard Fields of Coastal Development was going to buy Trump Marina and transform it into Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, the progress toward that goal has been painfully slow. When an October deadline came and went, Trump Entertainment announced it had reduced the price of the property from $316 million to $270 million. As a show of good faith, Fields upped his advance payment from $15 million to $17 million, and the $15 million is already in Trump coffers. Fields now faces a May 28 deadline, at which time Trump can reject the offer and keep the down payment.

During the current credit crunch, it’s difficult for even the largest gaming companies to get financing, so it’s not surprising that Fields can’t confirm that the funds have been lined up for this purchase. At one point, Fields said he had arranged to get the money, but when the price reduction was announced, a spokesman said that Fields “believes it will be there when needed.”

Making the deal even more complicated is the tie-in to a lawsuit settlement between Donald Trump and Fields. Trump had accused Fields of misleading him in the development of casinos for the Seminole tribe in Florida. While Fields was eventually involved in the transaction (Cordish Company worked with the tribe to build two Hard Rock casinos in Hollywood and Tampa), Trump contended that Fields cheated him out of the deal. Fields claimed he had ceased working for Trump before he approached Cordish. A four-year legal battle ensued—a battle that ended with the Trump Marina purchase.

Another issue is the relationship between Buffett and Harrah’s in Biloxi, where Harrah’s is also building a Margaritaville. A slowdown in construction on the Gulf Coast was attributed to the slumping economy, but sources say it also may have something to do with an agreement between Buffett and Harrah’s to brand another casino with his signature logo.

Finally, Fields must navigate the regulatory approval process in New Jersey. He has disclosed a bankruptcy suffered over a New York City comedy club, and the Division of Gaming Enforcement is continuing an investigation into his background.

Fields hopes to renew a property that has been treated like an ugly stepsister over the past few years. He believes that a new theme and new leadership will help the property to re-emerge as a “must-see” attraction. His aim is to reinvigorate the staff and regain lost market share.

And Fields will fit into Atlantic City very well. His philanthropic efforts are well known in New York, where he gives his time and money very generously. The Fields Family Foundation supports the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Good Shepherd Services, the New York City Police Foundation, Farm Aid, the American Quarter Horse Foundation, the University of Rochester Medical Center and other worthy causes.

He is also the largest shareholder in Suffolk Downs, a racetrack in Massachusetts, now being considered as a casino site should the state legalize gaming.

If he can surmount the hurdles in his path for purchasing Trump Marina, there probably is nothing Richard Fields can’t do. —Patrick Roberts

The New Original
JOHN PASQUALONI • Chief Operating Officer, Resorts Atlantic City
When John Pasqualoni returned to Atlantic City last summer to take the top job at Resorts Atlantic City, he knew he was walking into a challenge. Resorts has struggled through the economic downturn as much as any other casino in town, and things are bound to get worse before they get better.

Pasqualoni, though, brings a résumé to Resorts that makes him better suited than most to steer the casino through the hard times. After working for the Trump organization in Atlantic City during the 1990s, he ran the gigantic and very profitable slot floor at Foxwoods in Connecticut, then was president of Seneca Gaming Corporation in Niagara Falls, New York.

At Seneca, Pasqualoni learned a thing or two about building a loyal customer base while keeping costs down. “Our competition was across the river in Canada,” he recalls, “but it’s difficult getting across the border, especially with cash in your pocket. So, we concentrated on the local market—the Buffalo market and points about 150 miles south. We concentrated on the bottom line, we watched our margins, watched what we were spending on programming, and brought in great entertainment.”

This experience is now being applied at Resorts Atlantic City. Just look at Boogie Nights, the ’70s-themed dance club that’s packed with people on any given weekend—a great idea applied with minimal cost to create something customers just love. “If I could Boogie Night the whole casino and have that same kind of fun and action, it would be a major home run,” Pasqualoni says.

Going forward, Pasqualoni says he’s confident that Resorts’ constantly refreshed slot floor, the remodeled property itself (including the four-year-old Rendezvous Tower), and above all, a constant focus on customer service will keep players of all ages coming back to Atlantic City’s original casino.

“Customer service is as important as anything we do,” Pasqualoni says. “I like to think of us as Cheers, where everybody knows your name, as the song goes. Personally, I’d rather go to Cheers than to an establishment where no one knows or cares who I am.”

Pasqualoni is betting there are a lot of other people who want to go to Cheers, particularly in these tough times. —Frank Legato

Giving Back
KAY SEELIG • Owner and President, Globe Vending Co.
Kay Seelig admits to a bit of trepidation over the state of the economy. After all, her 35-year-old business, Globe Vending Company, depends on the casino industry—if you’ve seen a soda machine in a hotel in Atlantic City, chances are Globe supplied it—and grows as the industry grows.

Contracts to supply new hotels like Pinnacle and the MGM Grand are on hold right along with the projects themselves, and Seelig says she’s “as worried as the next person” about the state of the economy.

But that worry is overwhelmed by Seelig’s overall optimism about Atlantic City. “It’s going to take a lot of us putting our shoulders together to move forward,” she says, “but Atlantic City will bounce back. We’re headed for some tough times, but I also think we have some pretty great people in the industry. It’s not going to be today or tomorrow, but the recovery is coming.”

Globe has had to cut costs like any business, but there’s one area in which neither Seelig nor her husband and business partner, AC Coin & Slot founder and CEO Mac Seelig, never skimp: both are local legends for giving back to the community.

The list of foundations and charitable organizations to which Seelig and her husband have donated over the years is as long as your arm, but perhaps none has been more appreciated by more people than Just 4 Kids, which just wrapped one of its most successful annual toy drives. Every year, toys pour into Globe’s Atlantic City headquarters from across the region. This year, even Wachovia Bank helped collect the toys, placing donation boxes in all its branches.

Seelig works with Sister Grace Nolan of Catholic Social Services to identify needy families. “I get first names, age, and whether it’s a boy or girl, and the children get five toys each,” she says.

These are brand-new toys, still in their factory wrappings, and the high-ticket items are included. “A woman I know in a toy store in Strasburg, Pennsylvania, sent me down five complete Thomas the Train sets,” she says of this year’s bounty. “The plastic’s still on them—they cost $94.99 apiece. That means my poor kids are going to have the same toys that my grandchildren have. That’s very exciting to me.”

Kay and Mac Seelig were giving back to the community long before Just 4 Kids was started 15 years ago (it was an outgrowth of another charity event Kay Seelig ran for a decade, Atlantic City Beachfest). Even in 1973, when the couple started Globe Vending with seven machines for pre-casino hotels, the Seeligs were involved in charity. “We did a lot more hands-on things back then,” she recalls, “because we didn’t have the money to be able to afford do give financially. But we still volunteered.”

Nowadays, with AC Coin one of the most successful vendors in the casino business and Globe Vending serving a mature industry, the Seeligs have the resources to do things that have broad-reaching results.

Seelig acknowledges that the giving may be tough this year. But it will occur. “With Just 4 Kids, I always know things are going to work out,” she says.

And so it does—not only for Globe’s employees, who help the mission every year—but for all the kids who depend on Kay.

Atlantic City will come back. But Kay Seelig has never left. —Frank Legato

The Connoisseur
ANJOLEENA GRIFFIN HOLST • Sommelier, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa and the Water Club
Anjoleena Griffin Holst was on the fast track to a medical career when she pulled a quick about-face. The year was 2000, and it happened over dinner.

“I was studying chemistry and biology,” she says. “I thought I was going to be a physician.” Then one night, a wine connoisseur placed a glass before her and asked what she smelled.

“I went off on a weird tirade about my great-grandfather’s ranch in Mendocino, and the hay, and the bull outside kicking up dirt,” says Griffin Holst. “He looked at me and said, ‘You’re a freak.’”

It was a compliment. Her assessment of the wine’s characteristics was uncannily correct. The connoisseur urged her to explore her talent in earnest, and she soon abandoned her medical studies for a career in wine.

Today, Griffin Holst plies her trade as sommelier at Borgata and the Water Club, overseeing 43,000 bottles and countless varieties and vintages. This year, she hopes to earn the title Master Sommelier; she will be one of only 17 women in the world to achieve the distinction.

But more important than titles is the pleasure of sharing her enjoyment and understanding of fine wine.

“What makes a good sommelier is taking care of people,” says Griffin Holst. “You are the translator who helps lift their experience. I especially love teaching a group of students, letting them explore… I’m lucky to be able to smell and describe and drink and enjoy what I do.”

Griffin Holst can scarcely speak of wine without sounding rapturous. Certain wines are “big and jammy and luscious.” Others are “crazy and powerful.” But she dispels the reputation for snootiness that sometimes goes with being a wine expert.

“You’re an expert if you know what you like,” she says. “My title and my experience mean nothing if I try to talk you out of something you love.”

Though there are no rules when it comes to wine, Griffin Holst is happy to offer guidelines. For example: “I find that a lot of people in the U.S. drink their Bordeaux very, very young. The wines are delightful, but with a little bit of age, they express much better.”

And if there’s any rule at all, says Griffin Holst, it’s to enjoy wine instead of being intimidated by it. “Play with it,” she says. “It’s fun.”

Eight years after veering off her former career path, Griffin Holst seems glad she went for the fun. “From the minute I had that glass of wine, I knew that’s what I wanted to do when I grew up,” she says. “I pinch myself every day.” —Marjorie Preston

Extraordinary Joe
JOE WEINBERG • President, Gaming & Resorts Division, Cordish Companies
Joe Weinberg had a busy 2008. He was involved in a racino in Indiana, a bid for a Kansas casino license and a proposal to buy the Tropicana in Atlantic City.

The Kansas deal fell through, but the Tropicana bid is speeding toward completion. Since Cordish is the only bidder, the company should become the owner of one of Atlantic City’s largest casino resorts.

Weinberg’s 20 years with the Cordish Companies have been rewarding. He’s involved with all its notable developments, including the Inner Harbor and the Power Plant in Baltimore; the Walk outlet shops in Atlantic City; Woodbine Live in Toronto; and many others, including the Seminole Hard Rock Casino Hotels in Hollywood and Tampa, Florida.

In 2009, Cordish is poised to become one of the most important new companies in the gaming industry. In addition to a permanent casino at Indiana Live and the possible Tropicana buy, the company is eyeing a plan in Baltimore to build a recently authorized slot parlor on city-owned land between Cordish’s Inner Harbor and two city sports stadiums.

“We’re closely examining this opportunity,” says Weinberg. “We’re concerned about the high tax rate and a few other issues, but we’d like to play a role in Baltimore.”

In addition, Weinberg says his company is in a good position to purchase any of the casinos that larger casino companies in financial difficulties may want to divest.

“Our company is more liquid than most,” he says. “We’ll take a look at any possible deal, and if it works for us, we’ll go forward.”

Along with Cordish’s operations partner, former Tropicana president Dennis Gomes, Weinberg believes his company will be a major player in the casino industry. —Roger Gros

And The Winner Is…
JACQUI CAROLE • Director of Visitors Services Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority
Fortune magazine says thanking employees for a job well done is sometimes more important than paying them more—“and a pat on the back is free.”

No one knows the value of a hearty “thank you” better than Jacqui Carole, who founded one of Atlantic City’s most popular traditions: the annual Host Awards.

The awards were created in the mid-’90s to honor the best and brightest in the hospitality professions. Now in its 13th year, the gala has grown to include 24 categories, from food servers and front desk staff to bartenders and room attendants—everyone whose performance, courtesy and high
Carole says she can’t take all the credit for this very bright idea: “I stole it from the Academy Awards. And it could not happen at all without the support of the Host Awards Advisory and Selection Committee, the ACCVA and its foundation, and the hospitality industry, which welcomed it with open arms.”

Acknowledging wait staff, bell people and other rank-and-file workers is vital, says Carole, “because these front-line people are a very big part of why we have repeat business.”

She, too, is also a part of that success. Carole’s résumé reads like a catalogue of community service: past president of the Mainland Rotary; past chairwoman of the March of Dimes; acting chairwoman of the City Planning Board; a former member of the teams that presented Harborfest, the Seafood Festival, and the wildly popular St. Patrick’s Day Parade; past legislative aide... and the list goes on.

She’s also in charge of the friendly staffs of the city’s two information centers and the concierge post at the Convention Center—people who meet and assist more than 200,000 visitors a year.

Of her day-to-day job, the effervescent Carole says, “It’s not an ‘it’s-time-to-make-the-donuts’ kind of thing. As our tag line says, we’re ‘Always Turned On.’ You have to be upbeat and have a positive attitude; a good sense of humor doesn’t hurt.” Also essential: good organizational skills, and of course, appreciation for the hard work of others.

“What do I enjoy most about my job? My staff. They have outrageous personalities. But as far as work, I love the Host Awards,” scheduled this year for May 13 at Boardwalk Hall.

Carole is already planning the big night, when the workers she calls “beacons of hospitality” get to really shine. —Marjorie Preston

On the Waterfront
JACK KEITH • Executive Director, Historic Gardner’s Basin
Jack Keith looks back with satisfaction at the changes wrought at Historic Gardner’s Basin—and in Atlantic City at large.

In the 1970s, Keith says, visitors here “were confronted with nothing but urban blight.” But today, especially at Gardner’s Basin, where Keith is executive director, there is “a gem of a completely rebuilt neighborhood and community. There have been some challenges, but we’ve come a long way.”

As a marine scientist and unofficial local historian, Keith is uniquely suited to his role overseeing the Basin, home of the Atlantic City Aquarium and Crafter’s Village.

“When Gardner’s Basin started, it was a couple of historic buildings, a restaurant and some minor exhibits,” Keith says. “Fast-forward 30 years and there are two marinas, two restaurants (with a third coming in the spring), a number of shops, and the aquarium, where our attendance goes up 10 percent to 15 percent every year.

“People don’t expect to find this quaint, quiet little place at the end of the island.” Their typical response, he says, is simple: “Wow.”

The city did not always treasure its waterfront, and much of it was dilapidated by the time the city’s Historic Waterfront Foundation was incorporated in 1976.

“Find me a resort where the beach block remains vacant,” says Keith. “This group saw the value in the waterfront. They understood it and they took steps to save it. They deserve great credit.”

So does Keith, who has been instrumental in the development of Gardner’s Basin as a center for fun, entertainment and education. The aquarium’s Ocean In Motion, a traveling marine show complete with touch tank, has taken its collection of small sharks and stingrays to school districts across the state. Its website offers instruction materials that meet core curriculum standards. But there’s nothing like an in-person visit to see the exhibits of moray eels and iguanas, jellyfish and anemones.

Gardner’s Basin is “getting stronger and stronger year-round,” says Keith. But he tempers his hopes for a growth with respect for the neighborhoods that have come back to life in the Inlet. 

“There continues to be talk of a pedestrian thoroughfare to connect the Boardwalk to the Basin,” he says. “But we have to be careful to have a balance of attractions and community. There is a very strong, viable community in the Inlet. We don’t want to step in with a lot of commercialism.”

Spoken like a true preservationist. —Marjorie Preston

Renaissance Man
KARLOS R. LASANE II • Regional Vice President of Government Affairs, Harrah's Entertainment
Karlos LaSane knows Atlantic City. He also knows Las Vegas, entertainment, gaming, the arts, sports, politics and business. As regional vice president of government affairs for Harrah’s Entertainment, he’s made powerful friends all over the country, and has years of experience bringing important issues to public officials in many gaming jurisdictions.  LaSane brings together people of all political persuasions to further sound public policy.

Having grown up in Atlantic City, LaSane now lives in Las Vegas, and works in Harrah’s corporate offices.

While he has not indicated a desire to pursue political office, LaSane repeatedly appears on the short list of potential candidates for a number of offices. His name has consistently been brought up as a prospective candidate for the unenviable position of mayor of Atlantic City. 

As a Harrah’s executive, LaSane monitors the politics of both Nevada and Washington, D.C.  His insights into the community and relationships are invaluable to his Harrah’s superiors.

LaSane is involved with many charitable organizations, such as the Atlantic City Boys & Girls Clubs, 100 Black Men of America, Dante Hall Theater of the Arts, Atlantic City Art Center and ONE Nevada.

He was also a founding board member and entertainment director of the Kentucky Avenue Renaissance Festival, a citywide event that brought jazz and R&B back to the street that transformed Atlantic City into an East Coast entertainment mecca.

Previously LaSane served as a member of the New Jersey Development Authority for small businesses and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. In 2006 he served on Nevada Governor’s Business Transition Team. Recently, LaSane was appointed to the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada Advisory Committee.

In addition to supporting the bill that permits casino employees to run for office, LaSane wants to encourage all casino workers who have the desire to get involved in the process.

“We can make a difference,” he says. “Everyone should play a role in how our local governments are run.”

As for casino executives, LaSane says, “We need to be visible and diligent in our communities. Our industry has the ability to make our communities vibrant places to live and work. More of us need to take active roles in our communities to ensure continued success.” —Patrick Roberts

The Crusader
CHRIS CHRISTIE • Former U.S. Attorney, State of New Jersey
The scorecard is impressive: 132 wins, 0 losses. That’s the number of flawless cases that U.S. Attorney Chris Christie brought against criminals during his almost seven years in office. He stepped down December 1, and instantly became a presumptive candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2010.

New Jersey is known as the capital of political corruption in the United States (with possible contenders Louisiana and Illinois). Christie took his shot to help eliminate the pervasive “pay to play” rules that were in effect when he became U.S. attorney.

While Christie is playing his cards close to the vest as it pertains to any political aspirations, his record in bringing down crooked politicians includes Senate President John Lynch, Newark Mayor Sharpe James, Hudson County Executive Robert Janiszewski, state Senator Wayne Bryant and others.

Ironically, Christie had no courtroom experience when nominated by President George Bush in 2001. His candidacy was openly opposed by members of the state Bar Association. But his results are indisputable. Christie paid close attention to Atlantic City, one of the most corrupt cities in the most corrupt state. His involvement in bringing down the Callaway organization cannot be overstated. He directed and approved all the activities that brought down the former city council president, two councilman and several of their cohorts.

Christie will not say if he’ll run for governor. When asked his intentions, he says, “Only the people of New Jersey, not Chris Christie, can save their government.”

Yet if he chooses to run, Christie is likely to emerge as the leading candidate, even in a state where Democrats far outnumber Republicans. —Roger Gros

http://www.christiefornj.com/

Breadwinner
FRANK D. FORMICA • Baker, builder, community activist
In 1902, 20-year-old Francesco Formica traveled from Italy to America in search of his American dream. He settled in Atlantic City’s Ducktown section, opened a grocery store, and within a few years launched Formica Bros. Bakery. Almost 90 years later, the Arctic Avenue store has become a local landmark.

The immigrant drive that propelled Francesco lives on in his son and namesake. Frank D. Formica is the catalyst behind several initiatives to invigorate the city’s downtown, and if anyone can spearhead the movement, it’s Formica, a tireless proponent of all things Atlantic City.

A Vietnam War veteran and former casino administrator, Formica came home to Ducktown in 1990, when his father told him the family business would close if he did not take over.

“In a brief moment of insanity, I left the casino business and went back in the bread business,” Formica says. “Then I saw it was time to do something about the neighborhood.”

The place had changed a lot since he was a kid. Back then, “Ducktown had four Italian bakeries, six grocery stores, three or four tailor shops, at least two fish markets and about eight restaurants,” he says. As the city declined, the number of businesses dwindled to less than a dozen. But the ones that endured were dogged in their commitment to the region. 

“You’ve got to give credit where it’s due,” he says. “White House Subs is an icon. Angelo’s Fairmount Tavern is an icon. Angeloni’s is more iconic in a metropolitan sense. Dock’s has been here for 104 years, Rando’s going on 95.”

When the city built a connector through the neighborhood to link Brigantine and Atlantic City, “Some people thought it would be a detriment,” Formica says. “Well, it put us on Broadway.” In fact, Atlantic City Outlets stands where Formica once proposed an “Italian Village” shopping district.

Formica continues to do his bit to improve the city. He is co-founder and president of the Ducktown Revitalization Association, which has funneled nearly $2 million in grants to the neighborhood. He built the residential complex AC Estates, hoping to spark more local investment. He’s a member of the Greater Atlantic City Economic Development Commission, and on the board of Dante Hall. He foresees a future that is more like the past, “when blue-collar people from this neighborhood could put their kids through medical school on a waiter’s salary.”

Formica is not a shy man, nor is he unduly modest, given his accomplishments. But when asked about his designation as the unofficial “mayor of Ducktown,” he laughs and says simply, “That’s me. I’m the head duck.” —Marjorie Preston

By Casino Connection Staff