Sixth Ward Atlantic City Councilman Jesse O. Kurtz wanted to represent the priorities of Atlantic City, his lifelong hometown, in the legislature, and though he did not win at Saturday’s convention, he is happy that former Mayor Don Guardian will represent the GOP on the 2021 ticket, and looks forward to continuing his work at the local level in conjunction with a successful Republican ticket.

Kurtz, the lone Republican voice on a 8-1 Democratic Party-controlled local governing body in the seaside gambling mecca, possesses unique government and political skills that will not doubt keep him in contention in the coming years. For the moment, Guardian snagged 456 votes on the GOP Committee’s first ballot at the convention, putting Kurtz in a second ballot rundown with Northfield attorney Claire Swift. Kurtz had beaten Swift on the first ballot, 227 to 171; but lost on the second ballot 582 to 272.

The councilman had spent several months laying the groundwork and working the 17 towns that fall within the 2nd Legislative District. Finally, he could not control the direction of the organization, following former Assemblyman Vince Polistina’s (R-2) entry into the senate race, which displaced fellow Atlantic City resident Guardian to the Assembly level of the contest and placed pressure on the GOP to diversity the ticket. His unique history as a Republican in 3-1 Democratic Party-advantage ward gave him his own unique selling point – until Guardian became a competitor with the younger Kurtz.

“I work with people regardless of party,” the councilman told InsiderNJ.

Disappointed by Saturday’s results, he nonetheless focused on the positive. “I think the good part of the process is it forces someone from one of the 17 towns to reach out to the whole district,” Kurtz said. “I learned a lot in a short period of time. I feel positive about being in the middle of a four-year term, remaining time on the city council to work those issues important to the people in my ward and in my city. On the down side, I was sorry to see some folks unwilling to stand on their own two feet [at the convention; and merely subscribe to the edicts of the party]. But I don’t want to give the sense that this is primarily what happened. Plenty of people did stand up and were not afraid, I would just encourage more of that.”

As for the direction of the GOP at this moment of time, Kurtz said he understands that Republicans  “have to reach out to a broader coalition. I couldn’t agree more.” That said, he also wants to make sure the GOP does not lose the hard ideas war and the war for principles.

“I took on an overbearing hobby of articulating a conservative message over the years,” said the father of seven. “I’ve shown you can be successful with people and private associations first. My ward is obviously not a Republican bastion. But my [six years in office] proves the value of courage and authenticity, and the value of never turning to the worst side of our nature” but to the ideas and idealism of at the heart of the country.

“The danger is that we will take the easier route and use more divisive tactics or cut deals that are of short term political benefit but that in the long term do not exemplify cohesive ideas and principles that appeal to the best in people and can unite us as a party,” Kurtz added. “That’s a better long term investment. Of course, you have to do both – build coalitions throughout the community and also build that long term framework of ensuring the survival of conservatism in government. I’d like to see a conservatism that really highlights success stories.”

Online gambling and its impact on the residents of Atlantic City continues to preoccupy the councilman, and he looks forward to working with whoever wins the 2021 election – hopefully the Republicans, he said – to rectify an awful situation.

Democrats in office now are not getting the job done, he noted.

“The silence from Trenton regarding Atlantic City has been deafening,” Kurtz said. “Atlantic City has been clobbered and crushed more than any regional economy in the country.”

Democrats rely on votes in Atlantic City but then don’t do the job, he said, while Republicans typically don’t rely on the city politically and so leave it unaddressed when they assume office with suburban priorities.

Guardian presents “a huge opportunity for Atlantic City. For the first time since the late Jim Whelan we’ll have an Atlantic City resident in that spot. Having worked with him I would hope in the event we’re successful to again work together. When you put into focus that we have a governor who did not live up to the promise of ending the takeover, and you contrast that with Mayor Guardian and [Republican gubernatorial candidate] Jack Ciattarelli, who at our convention made it clear he would like to do away with the takeover, we have a good opportunity all the way around.”

Critically, Kurtz said he wants to use his a unique position to articulate the complicated dynamics on the PILOT, AC takeover and the painful repercussions of online gambling, where the rebound casino revenue figures mask a community crushed by a policy in desperate need of improvement, he said.

Kurtz wants lawmakers to revisit online gambling regulations so that in-city, on-the-ground residents benefit from the profits. In short, he wants Trenton to make sure online ambling does not continue to undercut the constitutional basis of gambling.