the rix mix

A peculiar political story in New Jersey: Atlantic City (now ex) Mayor Robert Levy disappeared for a couple of weeks, then resigned. He'd been mayor for less than two years. Turned out he had checked himself into a mental health facility for a week.

Before this story unfolded, I knew little about him except that he was a pal of the former mayor & had, for reasons known only to himself, lied around town that he had been a Green Beret. It's not against the law to bullshit people about one's military service unless one fraudulently obtains undeserved benefits. Levy is being investigated regarding this possibility. Why he inflated his service record is a mystery.

Bob Levy became a lifeguard as a teenager; graduated A.C. high school; married an African-American woman - unusual in the 60's. He enlisted in the Army & by all accounts had a long, diverse, & interesting career including two stints in Vietnam. He retired honorably. No need to exaggerate what he did, it's in the record. He was appointed Chief of the Atlantic City Beach Patrol, traditionally a large, colorful crew run by old lifeguards from town, then made Director of Emergency Services. He was elected mayor. Whether or not he was a good mayor, I don't know. But when he got into trouble, he sure didn't have a deep well of support on the island or upstairs in the Democratic Party. One suspects he was something of a "figurehead."

Some things never change about being mayor of Atlantic City; you have to distribute patronage, & you have to squeeze as much money as you can out of the boardwalk & "hospitality" businesses & use it to pay the bills for the rest of the city. Hopefully, you appoint competent cronies administrators to run the city departments. What has changed is that the legal gambling & entertainment industry isn't a matter of local control; casinos are too important to the State of NJ. Atlantic City Hall is expected to be cooperative, helpful, & stay the hell out of the way when the big deals go down; if you want to be a player you got to have powerful friends in Trenton, or work there yourself. So the Boss, Gov. Corzine, was of no mind to let this local psychodrama work itself out. Not when MGM was about to announce it's spending 5 billion to develop 72 acres of swamp.

So Bob Levy is out & City Council President William "Speedy" Marsh is Acting Mayor.

(Photo of Mayor Levy with former lifeguards at the 2006 ACBP swearing in ceremony. As a kid, I had to figure out which lifeguards on my beach were too quick with the whistle. An experienced lifeguard could remember the "regulars" & decide if you deserved a looser leash. They're a lot more cautious now.)

Labels: Atlantic City