ATLANTIC CITY - Walk along the Boardwalk here and you pass the Ritz Condominiums. A plaque on the building speaks of when it was the glitzy Ritz Carlton Hotel and lists some of its past occupants - Warren Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Nucky Johnson, or to recent TV fans, Nucky Thompson.

Yes, so much of this city has to do with history and a time when it truly was a jewel on the Atlantic. Those days are gone. Rather than seeing presidents, one is more apt to encounter folks on the Boardwalk asking if you can spare a few dollars.

It's truly sad.

That makes the annual League of Municipalities Convention and its countless parties a throwback of sorts to the time when the partying elite were an everyday occurrence.

The League does offer many worthwhile seminars and sessions on just about everything a town official needs to know - housing, recreation, budgeting, communications to name just a few, and now, AI.

But when you put thousands of politicians and the like in the same place for two days, one can not overlook the parties that seem to go on from morning until midnight.

As I traversed a number of them Tuesday, I could not resist a corny joke along the lines of:

"So, you're missing the seminar on sewer assessments too."

This is not the time for substantive conversation - more like a quick word with someone and then they - and you - melt into the crowd.

The election was just two weeks ago, so there is some looking back.

At a party at the Cardinal Restaurant on New York Avenue hosted in part by Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz, some Morris County Democrats on hand were still enjoying the glow of an election that saw them win control of Parsippany and win - for the first time in almost 50 years - an Assembly seat in LD-25.

But there was still a bit of regret.

"We should have run someone against Jim Gannon," one active Dem said.

Gannon is the Republican sheriff who ran unopposed for reelection, even though he also ran for lieutenant governor with Jack Ciattarelli. Go figure.

Owing to Gannon's local popularity, Democrats have not challenged him in the last two election cycles. The thinking here was that a Democrat on the ballot against Gannon may have helped the entire county ticket - and maybe even win some commission seats.

Well, maybe.

Speaking of sheriffs, Jimmy Davis, who was just elected sheriff in Hudson County, was making the rounds. He said being elected sheriff was almost a relief. A former police officer, he said he's happy to have a job back in law enforcement.

He has been mayor of Bayonne. And he held the job for about 12 years, so he probably liked it - at least a little.

The League is also a time to look ahead.

The premier Tuesday night parties at the Tropicana Hotel were hosted by InsiderNJ and a number of suburban county Democratic organizations.

One was at the Cuba Libre from 8 to 10 p.m. and the other at Il Verdi from 10 p.m. to midnight.

There are about 20 Democrats (at least) seeking party nominations in CD-7 and CD-11 and just about all of them were at least one of those parties. No, we are not going to list all who were there, simply because we'd probably miss one or two. And you know how candidates hate not to be noticed.

Again, this was not a time to expound on federal monetary policy or health care costs. It was just a time for candidates to make sure party activists know who they are.

We will, however, comment on a candidate who may not yet be a candidate.

Reports began circulating last week that Tahesha Way, the lieutenant governor, plans to enter the CD-11 race. She's from Passaic County.

Asked about her plans in one of the busy Tropicana corridors, she gave a classic political response.

"I am contemplating getting into the race."

No commitment. At least not yet.

Back on the Boardwalk, another artifact is worth mentioning.

Outside the old Convention Hall - once home to the Miss America Pageant - is another plaque. It notes that back in 1977 on that very spot, then-Gov. Brendan Byrne signed the bill legalizing casino gambling in Atlantic City.
That was a good thing, right?