(NORTHFIELD) – In response to the recently launched petition aiming to restructure Atlantic City’s form of government, Assemblymen Vince Mazzeo and John Armato (both D-Atlantic) issued the following statement today:

“While Atlantic City has struggled with government corruption and special interest greed in the past, we feel that at this point in time, transitioning to a non-partisan local elected body would only further embed patronage and closed door decisions into our government. Particularly during the current State takeover, the community should be able to continue fairly electing council members who they feel represent their interests.

“Changing our form of government now would be throwing a wrench into the takeover process.Fixes take time, and it’s certainly taken time for our community to adjust to being controlled by the State. However, in the last few years under State control, Atlantic City has taken an undeniable turn in a positive direction.

“We urge local leadership and residents to be weary of such grand scale changes taking place in the middle of our economic turnaround. The focus should be on Atlantic City reaching a true point of economic stability. From there, we can look at what long term changes may be best suited for the city once the takeover is lifted.”