Black mayor of Atlantic City, NJ calls white councilman a ‘ghost’

Atlantic City Councilman-at-large George Tibbitt took to the Townsquare Media airways and directly responded to potentially racially divisive public comments made toward him by Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small.

At the Wednesday regular meeting of the City Council, Small called Tibbitt a "ghost."

It caused people to start drawing comparisons to “Casper the Friendly Ghost.”

Mayor Small is African-American. Councilman Tibbitt is white.

It calls into question whether it was an attack on Tibbitt’s whiteness.

About 120 people attended the City Council meeting and it is available to watch by using the digital Zoom technology.

Is this a racially charged comment made by Small and directed to Tibbitt by Small in open public session?

The question has been raised … What will be done regarding Small making a potential racial attack of Councilman Tibbitt?

During our Thursday, Feb. 16 live on-air interview, Tibbitt said that, “I have always shown respect to the office of the Mayor. I didn’t say one negative thing about Small,” said Tibbitt.

Small’s frustration boiled over as City Council was preparing to reject Small’s scheme to place a trash-to-steam plant in the Venice Park section of Atlantic City.

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Tibbitt strenuously supported the Venice Park residents in their opposition to the proposed development project.

The residents of Venice Park rejected this same bad idea two years ago.

Last week, the City Council voted 9-0 to reject the proposal. Even the two co-sponsors of this unwanted scheme, council members Kaleem Shabazz and Stephanie Marshall voted against it in the end.

This change of heart for the 5 regularly aligned council members with Small came after every single resident who spoke at the city council meeting was vehemently against the trash-to-steam proposal.

The Small administration told their council allies before the vote that the residents of Venice Park were in favor of the trash-to-steam plant.

This was a false premise, which quickly unraveled.

“Small came into my house (city council chambers) and verbally attacked me and I will not allow that,” said Tibbitt.

Tibbitt also stated that Small is engaging “in more political retaliation than ever before."

Political retaliation lawsuits against Small are starting to pile up … John Devlin, Fred Bor, with more expected to follow.