(Absecon) Atlantic County Democratic Chairman Michael Suleiman released the following statement in response to a report that Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson has been invited to participate in a task force on county taxes in Atlantic City:

“While I have the utmost respect for the Lieutenant Governor and think she’s done a fine job in helping Atlantic City, appointing the County Executive to a task force on Atlantic City’s taxes is like having the fox guard the hen house. Mr. Levinson can’t have it both ways: he can’t talk about how great Atlantic County government is yet bemoan others for the fact that county taxes skyrocketed in Atlantic City. He keeps bashing the three-year-old Atlantic City stabilization law for the county’s financial troubles when in fact the casinos will be paying more to the county due to an increase in gross gaming revenue. As a matter of fact, the County Executive has bragged about securing 13.5% of the payment in lieu of taxes. Why does he continue to flip-flop on this issue?

“The fact of the matter is that county government does very little to help Atlantic City. The county could play a pivotal role in tearing down blight, redeveloping Atlantic and Pacific Avenues, and coordinating public safety initiatives, but instead the county sits on its hands. They backed the bonds on the Stockton Atlantic City campus, a risk-less endeavor that had no chance of failing. But what else have they done?

“The first recommendation this task force can make in curbing county taxes is electing Susan Korngut as County Executive and electing a Democratically-controlled Freeholder Board.”