‘There’s no corruption’: Atlantic City mayor addresses home search and allegations over ‘family issue’

Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. called a news conference Monday to address the recent search of his home by officers with the Atlantic County prosecutor’s office, saying that “there’s no corruption” and that warrants served on his electronic devices were related to a “family issue.”

News of the search came Thursday, the day that the principal of Atlantic City High School was charged with failing to make a report to a state child welfare agency about an allegation of child abuse, according to the Atlantic County prosecutor’s office.

Small and his attorney, Ed Jacobs, did not disclose information about the nature of the investigation involving Small, which Jacobs said the mayor has been aware of for several months. Prosecutors have also not described the investigation.

A team of law enforcement officers descended on Small’s home Thursday morning to execute the search warrants, removing two cell phones and a handful of laptops that Jacobs said were personal and did not belong to Atlantic City government.

In an emotional address prefaced by messages of support from local religious and civil rights leaders, Small said that the issue “confirms I’m human.” The mayor denied rumors that he said had been raised about his teenage daughter, including allegations that Small had attacked her over a pregnancy and that his wife, superintendent of Atlantic City Schools La’Quetta Small, had reacted violently.

“She’s never been pregnant,” Small said of his daughter.

The gathering offered a window into a lawmaker navigating a potential public-relations crisis, with the mayor making uncensored remarks, such as: “The most egregious rumor to date is that my daughter was pregnant with twins, and I beat the [expletive] out of her so bad that I killed the babies and I’m going to be charged with double murder.”

It was unclear whether the investigation is connected to the arrest of Atlantic City High School principal Constance Day-Chapman several hours after the search of Small’s home.

The 37-year-old Day-Chapman — who served as Small’s campaign manager during his 2021 reelection campaign and as the Atlantic City Democratic Committee chair — is alleged to have ignored an unnamed juvenile student’s report of parental abuse at home, according to the Atlantic County prosecutor. When the student reported the abuse to another school staff member, Day-Chapman allegedly denied knowing about the first report, and said she would contact the Division of Child Protection and Permanency. But instead of reporting to the agency, Day-Chapman allegedly went to the student’s parents, prosecutors said.

Jacobs said the conference was called to provide Atlantic City residents with context and balance over the search, which began around 8:30 a.m. Thursday and saw five warrants executed on Small’s vehicles and home where he lives with his wife, their two children, and his mother-in-law.

The investigation and search had not caused Small to lapse on his duties as mayor of Atlantic City and had “nothing to do with public matters,” according to Jacobs. The attorney said that there have been “no thefts, no extortions, no payoffs, no acts of dishonesty which have unfortunately tainted prior administrations.”

Small took office in 2019 after former Mayor Frank Gilliam — the fourth Atlantic City mayor since 1981 to face charges — resigned and pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

In 2009, Small and five others were accused of tampering with ballots during the Democratic mayoral primary. Small was acquitted on that charge in 2011.

“The city of Atlantic City remains in good hands under the administration of Mayor Small,” Jacobs said. “It is unfortunate that personal family matters have drawn the attention of the county prosecutor.”

Small, a Democrat who is up for reelection next year, suggested the investigation was politically motivated. He said that “people don’t like the fact that this mayor has given minorities opportunities in city hall that they’ve never had before.” The statement that was met by applause from supporters.

Small also described the search as “aggressive” and said it lasted several hours, despite officers retrieving just a handful of devices.

Law enforcement “conducted themselves in the highest professional manner,” the Atlantic County prosecutor’s office said in a statement Monday.

“Standard operating procedures and protocols in executing residential search warrants were utilized to ensure the safety of all occupants of the residence, neighbors, and law enforcement alike,” the statement said. “These procedures are put in place for safety reasons and these procedures do not deviate regardless of one’s political, professional, or social status. Both Mayor Small and Dr. Small were treated with dignity and respect during the entire process.”

Small and Jacobs declined to divulge details when pressed about Friday’s search. The attorney declined to answer a question about whether the search of Small’s home was related to the child abuse complaint at Atlantic City High School.

“We’re not here to try a case that’s never been brought,” Jacobs said of the investigation, in which no charges have been filed.

When Jacobs was asked whether he believed charges would eventually be filed against Small, the attorney said: “If common sense prevails, no.”