Being a part-time mayor in the county with the highest foreclosure rate in the country is a tricky balance that leads to many sleepless nights, missed meals and extra headaches. Lunch breaks from full-time jobs can be spent in city hall getting messages or can be used to meet with business owners who are looking to move in and out of the town.
Now, Atlantic County, through its newly formed Economic Alliance, is taking steps to ease the burden on its part-time mayors by being a single point of contact for business owners. The steps are part of a larger goal laid out in the Atlantic County Economic Development and Action Plan Report that pointed to business addition and retention as a major key to pulling the county out of a prolonged economic downturn.
“In North Jersey … a lot of those towns have full-time mayors and staff,” said Max Slusher, the interim Executive Director of the Atlantic County Economic Alliance. “(The alliance) is now here full time, so we can help towns attract and maintain businesses by talking to owners and getting them the contacts they need.”