Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson is once again asking for intervention from the State Attorney General’s Office regarding legal complaints brought by Atlantic County Prosecutor William Reynolds against Atlantic County, County Executive Dennis Levinson, former County Administrator Jerry Del Rosso, County Counsel N. Lynne Hughes and Assistant County Counsel Arthur Murray.
The prosecutor filed multiple legal actions in January 2026 seeking the use of outside counsel rather than county attorneys who he believed were compromised and could not provide unbiased counsel. This followed the unanimous acquittal of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small in a case brought against the mayor by the prosecutor.
The prosecutor contends that Levinson was trying to exert influence through county attorneys when they passed along the county executive’s suggestion to reconsider pursuing similar charges against Atlantic City Superintendent of Schools Dr. La’Quetta Small and Atlantic City High School Principal Dr. Constance Days Chapman.
Levinson made the suggestion referencing the loss of nearly $4 million of taxpayer monies for ill-advised lawsuits brought by Atlantic County prosecutors.
Within a month of Levinson’s suggestion, the prosecutor dropped the charges against Dr. Small and Dr. Days Chapman.
Reynolds also filed tort claim notices against Atlantic County and the aforementioned county officials as well as Mayor Small, Dr. Small, Dr. Days Chapman, five city council members and the Atlantic City Board of Education. Tort claim notices indicate plans to file suit within six months. The taxpayers would also be on the hook for the cost of litigating those cases.
“It is now July and we are still in a holding pattern while the fees by outside attorneys continue to mount,” stated Levinson. “Win or lose, the taxpayers must bear the costs of these unnecessary legal actions.”
The county also had to hire an outside attorney to represent the prosecutor in three interest arbitration cases this year.
Levinson said, “I had to testify and I argued for what was fair and reasonable. I am satisfied with the outcome, though once again the county taxpayers had to cover the costs of an outside attorney when our own legal team could have, and normally would have, handled this matter at no additional cost.
It is confounding that the prosecutor has never before had a problem with the Ms. Hughes or Mr. Murray’s representation but suddenly takes issue with them. Meanwhile the three other constitutional officers (County Clerk, Sheriff and Surrogate) have been very satisfied and have offered nothing but praise for the services provided by Ms. Hughes and Mr. Murray. I will go as far as to put my own reputation on the line in their defense.
Ms. Hughes and Mr. Murray provide sound advice and legal guidance. They have impeccable integrity, extraordinary experience and have earned the highest respect of their legal counterparts. I’m not sure if it’s paranoia, but the prosecutor threw out of his office a county employee who was there to complete a work order submitted by his office.
He said he did not want anyone from the county doing work in his office because we were ‘at war.’ If we are ‘at war,’ his opponent is not me, but the taxpayer.
I have nothing to do with the day-to-day operations of the Prosecutor’s Office. He is given a budget by the county to do pretty much as he pleases. He answers to the State Attorney General, not me.
His current budget is approximately $18 million which includes an $800,000 increase for salaries,” the county executive stated. “Yet he went public to complain that his staff was overworked and underfunded. Most people are not aware the prosecutor’s staff work from home two days a week. And for the record, his $18 million budget is comparable to that of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office which serves a population 2.5 times as large as that of Atlantic County!
My bottom line is the protection of our taxpayers from unnecessary waste that could be better spent on programs and services to enhance and improve the lives of our residents. The longer this continues, the more damage is inflicted upon our taxpayers through no fault of their own.”
