Atlantic County Democratic Committee Chairman Mike Suleiman today informed Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small that the incumbent mayor and his team will have the party line this year.

“I’m tremendously happy for my running mates and I to get the support of the committee chairman – someone who’s fair and not going to be pushed around by someone’s personal agenda. It’s about performing the job – not a vindictive agenda.”

The chairman likes the job Small is doing as mayor. But also, Suleiman’s reasoning for backing the incumbent went in part to impair the movements of a shared antagonist of both the chairman and the mayor: cross-pollinating operative Craig Callaway.

The chairman’s letter included the following:

“The bylaws of the Atlantic County Democratic Committee require that our members ‘create and protect Democratic majorities at all levels of government.’ Recently, under Craig Callaway, this is not the case in Atlantic City.

“Mr. Callaway, a self-described ‘independent consultant,; aggressively garnered mail-in ballots for Trump-apologist Jeff Van Drew against Amy Kennedy last fall. He told Harry Hurley he campaigned for Republican Commissioner John Risley over Democrat Celeste Fernandez (who only lost by 381 votes). He calls Governor Murphy a ‘vicious racist.’ He won’t support Democrats Vince Mazzeo and John Armato but said he might support Republican Don Guardian for Assembly.

“Now, he’s been hired by Republican Senate candidate Vince Polistina to help the Republican legislative ticket get elected.

“If Mr. Callaway truly wants to be an ‘independent consultant,’ then he should register as ‘Unaffiliated’ and work for whoever he wants to. However, he wants to control the Democratic Committee in Atlantic City while at the same time openly opposing Democratic candidates from Governor Murphy on down–all because of his “paid work.” Expecting me to support his hand-picked municipal candidates while he continues to work for Trump Republicans is laughable.

“Therefore, I am putting Mayor Small and his Council slate on the Atlantic County Democratic Party line this upcoming June.”