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[MOTIVATIONAL MUSIC] - H, everyone, Steve Adubato, we kickoff the program all the way from Atlantic City.

We have the mayor of the great city of Atlantic City, Mayor Small, Marty Small.

Mayor, good to have you with us again.

- Yes, my pleasure to be with you, Steve, and your viewing audience.

And it's a great day here in the city of Atlantic City.

Can we say great day?

- It is a great day, and listen, I was expecting that from you.

I went back and looked at the last interview we did and I said, "The mayor's always upbeat and positive.

He forces the rest of us to be as well."

And that's a good thing.

Mayor, do this for us.

Talk about food insecurity issues in Atlantic City, A and B, is there still no supermarket in Atlantic City, which is devastating on so many levels, please?

- Yes, we have currently food insecurities here in the great city of Atlantic City.

We had the EDA through the governor invest $5 million to help out the situation temporarily.

Last week I went out to the Back Maryland section of the city and they have a bus, which is a mobile grocery store and it will be out there two days a week.

The prices are fairly good.

Listen, to put it blunt, we failed with the supermarket.

When I say we, we as a collective hold with the city.

We had a deal in place with ShopRite.

- I know.

- Just didn't work with the rising costs of construction.

One thing led to another, and we let the residents down.

However, we did put out another request for proposal with CRDA, which came back insufficient.

And we still are committed to bring a name brand grocery store here for the good people of Atlantic City.

- And the CRDA, if I'm not mistaken, is the Casino Redevelopment Authority.

- Yeah, the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, yes.

- Mayor, talk to us about public safety.

There's a $5 million camera installation initiative in Atlantic City.

What is that initiative all about?

A and B, what impact would it have on reduction of crime, please?

- Yes, it's going to have a tremendous impact.

All major crime statistics are down.

We want to continue that.

When we look at the great city of Atlantic City, we are an international tourist destination, and we want to give our cops, the fine men and women in blue of the Atlantic City Police Department, all the tools that are conducive for clean and safe streets in the great city of Atlantic City.

And I believe that this project will do just that.

It has been previously discussed by prior administrations, prior city council.

And I'm just happy through our negotiations with the State of New Jersey that in the '23 budget we've had $16.8 million extra in supplemental transitional aid, and we earmarked $5 million.

The project is underway.

The contractor is JCT Solutions, and the cameras are going to be equipped with artificial intelligence.

So if something happened, you could say, "I'm looking for a person with a red, long-sleeve shirt," and all the cameras in Atlantic City that picks up a red, long-sleeve shirt will show someone with a red, long-sleeve shirt and you just narrow it by a process of elimination- - Well, Mayor, the other piece that, I'm sorry for interrupting you, is community policing is a big part of this.

Beyond the technology, there's a different approach to policing.

- Yes, we have a new deployment plan, which our officers favor very much.

We also were just successful for getting more cops.

We were awarded a COPS grant, which we will hire 30 new officers.

We are currently working with the Board of Education, my wife is the superintendent of schools, to talk about putting some officers in schools, which some of these grants, we're looking at a motorcycle unit.

And I wanna form a community policing, particularly on Atlantic and Pacific Avenue, where a lot of people loiter, and we need to clean that up.

So the Small administration is definitely putting their money where its mouth is when it comes to the Atlantic City Police Department.

- Mayor, help us on this.

By the way, if you just joined us, we're talking to the mayor of Atlantic City, Mayor Marty Small.

Mayor, I was just down in Atlantic City for a seminar that I was leading, and I thought, and I will admit this, I did stop in to the casino that I was at.

I enjoyed blackjack, moderate, moderate gambler.

But I gotta ask you, I was struck by the smoking situation there.

And help us understand why legislation that has been sitting around for a long time there to ban smoking in every area of the casinos to protect workers and protect customers, A, why hasn't that moved forward, and B, you've called for a compromise, why hasn't it moved forward?

And B, what's that compromise, Mayor?

- Well, listen, unfortunately, in the position that I'm in, when you make a decision, people are either wanna agree or disagree.

I'm not against the casino workers who rightfully express their opinion on that it shouldn't be smoke in there.

I'm coming from it with a global perspective.

Again, losing a mother and grandmother to cancer, I'm sympathetic and empathetic.

However, when you look at the statistics, when Atlantic City tried no smoking, it was a disaster.

It was at Revel, Revel went bankrupt several times before it closed for a while, then it was reopened as Ocean Resorts, which is now ironically one of the top three casinos here in the great city- - That's where I was, at Ocean.

So you're saying it's an economic, I'm sorry for interrupting there, you're saying banning smoking in casinos is an economic thing and we will lose to surrounding states.

- No, it's not about losing to surrounding states, because everybody's chipping away at what Atlantic City used to be.

And I'm the one that always said we need to diversify our offerings, more family entertainment, et cetera.

As far as the gaming situation go, I'm looking at numbers.

When any disaster happens at a casino, let's just take COVID, yes, the casinos survived, but for a long time we were operating at 25% of the casino floor.

You can't hire 100% of the workforce if you're operating at a 25% capacity.

So when we look at the smoking situation, Revel, now Ocean, came in with that mantra that it was gonna be no smoking, it was a smoke-free casino.

So unfortunately, way before my time, gambling and smoking goes hand in hand.

However, we are not letting the casinos off the hook.

Can the air filtration system be better?

Absolutely.

Can there be something that can be done that could strike a compromise?

I want everybody to win.

I want the workers to win.

We value their health and safety.

And at the same time, our biggest industry, you have to understand the casinos are the biggest tax payer in the great city of Atlantic City.

They provide the most amount of jobs.

And I went through it all.

We went through Sandy, when we had to tell the world that the boardwalk didn't wash away, it was another local area where the boardwalk washed away.

We saw four casinos close.

We saw people write Atlantic City off.

We went through a state takeover, and now the city is excelling, the government is getting raped, abused by Moody's and Standard & Poor's and we're collecting over 98% of taxes.

Any dip in that is gonna hurt the great city of Atlantic City, casino workers are gonna be outta jobs, people are not gonna pay their taxes as much.

And more importantly, when you look at the totality of this situation, it'll be a detriment to the same State of New Jersey that depend on the casino industry.

We here in the great city of Atlantic City, we don't get luxury tax, we don't get parking tax.

We don't get anything off of the taxes from the casinos.

The State of New Jersey's own report in 2018 showed that $154.5 million left the great city of Atlantic City, not a penny, and went to the State of New Jersey for senior programs and the other services provided from the benefit of the industry.

- You're listening to Mayor Marty Small of Atlantic City.

Mayor, as always, you honor us, thank you so much.

- Thank you so much.

- You guys stay with us, we'll be right back.

To watch more Think Tank with Steve Adubato, find us online and follow us on social media.

- We're now joined by David Walker, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Visions and Pathways.

David, great to have you with us.

- Thank you, Steve.

Great to be here.

- And we'll put up the website.

Tell everyone what Visions and Pathways is.

- We're a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Been in business for over 50 years.

We help abuse, neglected, homeless, and runaway youth.

We provide housing and social services.

We help youth become self-sufficient.

- In 2024, how serious is the problem of young people who are homeless or on the verge of being homeless?

How serious is that problem in our state and nation?

- It's a problem throughout the nation, problem throughout the state.

A large percentage of our kids are aging out of foster care, and any year, 800 kids are aging out of foster care.

And unfortunately, very often they have no place to go.

So there's a large correlation between aging out of foster care and becoming homeless.

- Define aging out.

What are we talking about specifically?

- Yeah yeah.

With foster care, it's either 18 or 21.

So at 18 or 21, that's the age which the state no longer provides care.

So if they're in a foster home, the foster home will no longer receive payment for taking care of them.

If they're in a group home, we run several group homes.

If they're in a group home, the state would no longer cover the cost associated with taking care for a young person that's been abused and neglected all their lives.

- We ask virtually everyone who comes on, with the impact of Covid or the impact of Covid on the work they do and the people they serve.

What would you say the most significant impact has been on these young people who find themselves aging out of the foster care system vis-a-vis Covid?

- Yeah, our kids are similar to kids throughout the nation.

An increase in depression and anxiety.

So our kids that have been abused and neglected already was a population that experience a high level of anxiety and depression.

It's just become more acute.

- What do they need?

What do these young people need from an organization like Visions and Pathways?

What do they need?

- They need stability, and that's what we provide.

They're homeless.

They have no place else to go.

They've gone from foster home to foster home.

So they need that stability and support.

It starts there so that they know that they have a safe place to live.

A place where they're getting nutritious meals, a place where they'll be accepted.

So once they have that stability, they need the support to acquire the skills that they need to become self-sufficient.

- What happens if they don't?

What's happening to a lot of these young people who don't get the services, the help, the support, the stability that you just described?

Not that they're all the same, but what do many of these young people face?

- Yeah, unfortunately, the aging out population, the outcomes unfortunately vary, are not positive.

Higher incidence of incarceration, higher incidence of drug use.

So what happens is if they do not get that support, they go down the wrong path.

And that's why we're here, to make sure that they get support they need, they get the guidance that they need, they learn about careers, and that they know that there's a loving community that cares about them and wants them to thrive.

- How'd you find your way into this work?

- Well, I'm a retired attorney.

I worked in New York City for a number of years focusing on human rights and human services issues.

And my journey led to community-based human services is where the rubber meets the road.

If you really wanna have impact on people's lives, communities' lives, young people, making sure that young people thrive, it's community-based organizations like Visions and Pathways that makes the difference every day.

- So again, every not-for-profit leader because you mentioned you're a 501(c)(3).

For folks who don't know what that means, it's part of a tax code.

You're a 501(c)(3).

We do not pay, we're a 501(c)(3).

We don't pay taxes if you will as if you were a for-profit business.

But we are in a business that is constantly securing the funding that allows us to do what we do.

Your funding comes from where, David?

- It's a mix.

We receive a significant amount of government funding, foundation support, charitable contributions.

For the more creative things that we do, our wellness program, our nutrition program, we depend very heavily on charitable contributions.

So it's a real dynamic mix of government support and corporate foundation support and individual contributions.

- Let me ask you this because housing costs are ridiculous in this state and in the nation, this region in particular, but in the state of New Jersey.

Your organization is currently raising funds for a 10 unit complex in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

Talk about what that is and why it's so significant as it relates to affordable housing.

- Exactly, we're very excited about, it's called the Bridge House Project.

And what Bridge House will be is 10 units of affordable housing for youth who have aged out of foster care, I should say young adults who have aged out of foster care and similarly situated individuals.

And it gives them that stability that they need to thrive.

And as you said, the affordable housing, there's a scarcity and it's just critically important.

So once we have a safe place to live where there's support, clinical services, behavioral health services, wellness, nutrition, then that young person, that young adult has that foundation that they need to go on, come self-sufficient, and contribute mightily to our society.

- Have you touched on the Street Smart program?

Is that a subset of what you do?

- Street Smart is one of our programs.

Street Smart is really intervention, and the name kind of tells you what it's all about.

It's hitting the street and identifying young folks that may be having problems at home before they run away, before they're kicked out of the house, so that we can make sure that they get that support before they become human trafficking victims and be exposed to detrimental aspects of our society.

So that's what Street Smart is all about.

Hit the streets, keep an eye on our youth, at home if possible, if not at home, find a safe place for them before they become homeless and they hit the streets.

- Dave, before I let you go, we've been putting up the website, we'll put it up one more time.

If people want to be helpful to the work of Visions and Pathways, they go on your website.

How can they do that?

- They can go to our website, we have a mentoring program.

We depend very heavily on volunteers and charitable contributions.

We have a number of properties throughout Somerset County and some in the other counties.

Just upkeep of those properties, it's quite expensive, but we have corporations, faith-based organizations that come in and do painting, beautification, help us cut expenses.

So our mentoring program, helping us to maintain our properties, and just really working with our youth hands-on.

There are a number of things that people-- - Real quick, again, before I let you go, you said mentoring.

What does that mean?

Define that for folks.

- We have three mentoring programs, Journey to Manhood for young men, Jewels for Young Women, and Skittles for our LGBTQ.

And a large percentage of homeless youth, they're LGBTQ and it's groups.

So it's about people sharing their experiences.

A number of our mentors have come from similar backgrounds as our youth.

So they tell about their life journey, the hardships that they encountered, and how they have overcome those hardships to be successful.

So it was all about, I've been down that path too, I know you can make it because I made it.

- David Walker and his team are doing important work every day.

He's the CEO and Executive Director of Visions and Pathways, part of our Making a Difference series featuring not-for-profit organizations and leaders making a difference every day, particularly in the lives of those who are struggling and been dealt a pretty terrible hand.

And they just need someone to reach out and be helpful.

Thank you, David.

We appreciate it.

We'll continue the conversation with you in the future.

- Thank you so much.

- You got it.

Stay with us, we'll be right back.

To watch more Think Tank with Steve Adubato, find us online and follow us on social media.

- We're now joined by Christine Guhl-Sadovy, who's the president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, otherwise known as the BPU.

Christine, good to see you.

- Good to see you, Steve.

- So let's start with this.

Joe Fiordaliso, the late great president of the BPU, longtime friend of ours, we had him on so many times.

You worked with him, you knew him well.

We saw each other at Joe's wake.

What made Joe Fiordaliso so special and a great public servant?

- Steve, it's hard to put into words, I think what made Joe such a great public servant, a great mentor, and a great friend.

He had a wonderful sense of humor.

He was approachable, he was open-minded.

He was so committed to the goals of the BPU, and Governor Murphy's clean energy policy goals, and he was so incredibly supportive of staff like me, I was his chief of staff, among other things, and all of the staff of the BPU.

And he didn't miss an opportunity to talk about the wonderful staff of this department.

- Check out our Remember Them series in which we honor, recognize Joe Fiordaliso, a great public servant.

Now, let's switch gears.

And also, let me also disclose that the Caucus Educational Corporation, our not-for-profit organization, has received a grant from, not directly from the BPU, but from the advertising agency that does public awareness around clean energy issues.

We have all kinds of folks with different points of view on this.

But in this case, Christine, I want to ask you this.

Orsted leaves on November the 1st, they leave the state, and please check out our interview with Governor Murphy where we talk extensively about that.

They leave the state.

They're the leaders as it relates to wind energy.

What now?

- Well, Steve, that was certainly a setback, and we acknowledge that, but we are more committed than ever to moving forward, not just in offshore wind, but all of Governor Murphy's clean energy goals to get us to a hundred percent clean energy.

Offshore wind is a cornerstone, the cornerstone, of the clean energy goals that we have, and we are committed and we will move forward in spite of that setback.

- So Atlantic Shores, now that is... Did they pick up all of the... Atlantic Shores is another company that does wind energy.

Did they pick up all of that work, Christine?

- So Atlantic Shores is a separate...

They're a separate entity, separate project.

- Separate project.

- Yeah, separate- - So someone else has to pick up the Orsted.

What Orsted left, someone else has to pick up that.

- So we are... As you may know, the governor directed the BPU to advance the fourth solicitation originally scheduled for the end of 2024.

We are now moving it up to... you know, to the early part of 2024.

And I think that that really demonstrates our commitment to, you know, get through this setback and move forward towards our goals around developing offshore wind.

- Christine, let me ask you this.

To those who are critical, and we've had many legislators, particularly Republican legislators, who've come on and said, "You know what?

The economics don't work.

Wind energy's not proven.

Plus, look what's happening to the whales that are washing up on shore.

That's got to have something to do with wind energy."

What do you say to those folks and those who are questioning the power of wind energy?

Please.

- Sure, so wind energy is a proven technology around the world.

It's not a new technology.

Offshore wind is, again, the cornerstone of our clean energy policies in New Jersey and is poised to bring significant economic development in addition to the clean energy generation that it is going to bring to the state of New Jersey and help us to mitigate climate impacts.

There's a lot of misinformation out there about the impacts of offshore wind and, you know, we understand that there is opposition, but we are working based on evidence.

And there's no evidence of any connection between offshore wind and the marine mammal strandings.

So we are moving forward in a responsible way and continue with that commitment to offshore wind.

- Talking to the president of the Board of Public Utilities.

The BPU regulates a whole range of industries.

Tell folks what you regulate, so everyone understands the powerful role of the BPU.

- Sure, we regulate the state's public utilities.

That includes, you know, in addition to electric, gas, water, cable, telephone, and then we are also the Office of Clean Energy, the state's Office of Clean Energy.

- Let's talk about electrifying transportation.

What the heck does electrifying transportation even mean?

- So what it means for, you know, the administration and Governor Murphy's goals is focusing on transportation as a source of emissions, a significant source of emissions in the state of New Jersey, and making sure that we're moving towards electrifying the whole transportation system, including residential vehicles.

The BPU, we just actually closed our incentive program because we expended all the funds for the year.

It will reopen in the next fiscal year.

And it's really about incentivizing people who want to switch to electric, who are ready to drive electric to help support them and make sure that they are able to afford electric vehicles if they wanna make that switch.

- And how confident are you about the charging stations being in place to do that?

- We have...

So much work is being done to expand charging stations.

We understand that, you know, that range anxiety exists at this department, at the BPU, at the DEP, but also really importantly, federal funding coming in from the Biden administration to support the expansion of charging stations throughout the state.

So that in addition to those people who have the ability to have a charger at home, there will also be public charging stations as there already are, and that will continue to grow throughout the state.

- Christine Guhl-Sadovy is the president of the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, otherwise known as the BPU, and important conversations about climate change, wind energy, electrifying, if you will, cars, and a whole range of other related topics.

We'll continue that conversation in future interviews.

Thank you so much, Madam President.

- Thank you so much, Steve.

- Thank you for watching, folks.

We'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] Think Tank with Steve Adubato has been a production of the Caucus Educational Corporation.

Celebrating 30 years in public broadcasting.

Funding has been provided by PSE&G, Johnson & Johnson.

Kean University.

PSEG Foundation.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

Atlantic Health System.

NJM Insurance Group.

New Jersey Sharing Network.

And by Veolia, Promotional support provided by The New Jersey Business & Industry Association.

And by BestofNJ.com.

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