They entered the hallowed halls of the New Jersey State Senate in the same decade, Senator Ray Lesniak (D-20) in 1983, and Senator Ronald L. Rice (D-28) in 1986, agreeing on some things as members of the same party, but also disagreeing significantly on issues like the death penalty, same-sex marriage and the maintenance of government.

One’s a cop turned statehouse rebel. The other’s a nonconformist turned statehouse operator.

Based in Elizabeth, Lesniak forged an alliance with South Jersey and the power structure otherwise known as the political province of George Norcross III; while Rice – a key Senator Dick Codey ally – routinely bucked Norcross, and successfully resisted the Essex County Democratic machine thrust to get rid of him in 2007.

Retiring in 2017, Lesniak undertook a kamikaze bid for the governorship that same year before founding the Lesniak Institute for American Leadership; while Rice, having gritted his teeth through the Cory Booker era of local government in Newark, happily fulfills the role of respected elder statesman in the Newark renaisssance envisioned by Mayor Ras Baraka.

Now the two dockside products find themselves once again bitterly straddling different sides of the divide with a week to go in the scheduled May 12th election in Atlantic City.

Lesniak backs the change of government on the (VBM) ballot in that crumbling gaming mecca.

Rice emphatically doesn’t.

Neither lives in Atlantic City, but if they did, Lesniak would vote “yes” for the change of government, and Rice would vote “no.”

Even if they aren’t still navigating around each other anymore in the close quarters proximity of the senate cloackrooms, each is aware of the presence of the other, not shoulder to shoulder on their neighboring home turfs – but in a fast-approaching seaside showdown on a life-sized barrier island Monopoly board.

“We’re not in government to be weak people or confused people,” said Rice, as he called on Assemblymen Vince Mazzeo and John Armato (D-2) to forcefully oppose the referendum in the closing days of that all-VBM contest. “This is a testing ground, this race in Atlantic City. It is a testing ground to deny towns self-governance. For years, Atlantic County has been sucking up the casino resources and now the casinos want to blame the people of Atlantic City and the people they have put in offfice.

“This election is very simple,” Rice addded. “It’s about the people versus the casinos. I don’t think casinos should be involved in elections, but so be it: casinos versus the people. State legislators should stand behind the people and with the people and should not duck that bullet. Power exerted by the casinos takes power away from people. It sets up the precedent that Atlantic City is not about the taxpayers, it’s not about the people, but the casinos. I stand behind Mayor Marty Small down there.

“The casinos are blaming what they have wrought on local government,” the senator from Newark added. “We allowed organized gambling down there, which is legalized crime. The county started to suck up the resources. Those in office should have made sure those resources were fairly shared with Atlantic City. This has nothing to do with a government by and for the people, but with casinos and polticians like Ray, who made a lot of money, and still wants to make money.”

Lesniak struck back.

His allies are on the ground in Atlantic City working with Bob McDevitt of Unite Here! to pull off Tuesday’s referendum.

“What has Ron Rice done for Atlantic City?” he wanted to know.

“What has Ron Rice done for Atlantic City?”

Lesniak insisted that he has helped repair New Jersey’s depleted pleasure dome.

“I brought them sports betting and internet gamingg and created 10,000 jobs,” said the retired senator. “He has no idea what he’s talking about. This form of governent removes power from municipal bosses. It’s forwarded by academics and people outside of New Jersey who knoew its beneficial effects. What it does is it gives the people the ability to elect five people citywide as commissioners. Those people have to be responsible because they are accountable to the whole city. They appoint a professional manager who runs the city. The form of government avoids what exists now, which is nine council people putting their hand in the pie.”

Lesniak said he doesn’t disagree with Rice that casinos have contributed to the troubles in Atlantic City.

But “corrupt local government” has compunded those troubles, he insisted.

“Change is needed,” he added. “Look at all the mayors who have gone to jail down there.”

The late Senator Jim Whelan (D-2), a colleague of Rice and Lesniak, wasn’t one of them. he served as mayor of the city and finished his tenure without exiting under a cloud of scandal. “He was one of the good ones, but there have been precious few of them,” Lesniak said. “At least this government puts a professional manager in place who is not going to be ruled by local bosses. Ron Rice, when he criticizes me, is talking about a champion for Atlantic City who has brought back 10,000 jobs.

“We disagree seriously, and we have before, on many issues,” added Lesniak, who is confident his side will prevail when the votes are tallied because, in his words, “people are simply fed up.”