The League of Municipalities conference, its 96th year, dates back to the real-life characters portrayed in the HBO series 'Boardwalk Empire' Watch video
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (left) speaks with Senate President Stephen Sweeney before a luncheon for all delegates at the annual League of Municipalities meeting in Atlantic CityATLANTIC CITY — Josh Pruzansky’s head was spinning by the time he entered the Aqua Room at the Borgota on Wednesday night. A lobbyist for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, it was his first time at a League of Municipalities conference in Atlantic City.
"I’m just overwhelmed," Pruzansky said as drink-wielding politicians and hangers-on swirled around him.
His goal: line up 25 appointments before leaving the city. By 8 p.m. he only had 10, but there was a long night ahead.
The League conference is filled with seminars on local issues like taxes and utilities, but it’s better known as an epic schmoozefest as Trenton’s movers and shakers decamp to Atlantic City for a few days.
Lobbyists, lawmakers, companies and contractors dump thousands of dollars on parties at casinos and hotels, doling out drinks, hors d'oeuvres and political gossip. Everyone had a brother or a spouse or a client that they wanted a lawmaker to meet.
The conference, in its 96th year, dates back to the real-life characters portrayed in the HBO series "Boardwalk Empire," when Nucky Johnson gathered politicians for illegal booze and gambling. And the after hours scene remained an epicenter of trouble in the more recent past, complete with lowlifes peddling bribes, politicians taking cash and informants trying to catch them in the act.
Much like the annual Chamber of Commerce train ride to Washington, participants say the conference is more subdued than in the past, but it remains a permanent networking and deal-making fixture in the Trenton political scene.
Several Democrats including Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) holed up in a private room at the Palm restaurant at a party hosted by Capital Public Affairs, a lobbying firm pitching an offshore wind project.
A trio of up-and-comers — Jersey City mayoral hopeful Steve Fulop, Newark Councilman Anibal Ramos Jr. and Roselle's mayor-elect Jamel Holley — threw their own party on the fifth floor of the Chelsea hotel.
Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex) set up shop at the Borgota, where she entertained a conga line of Democratic officials who snacked on breadsticks, cheese and clementines. Other parties were hosted by engineering firms like CME Associates and Boswell Engineering and banks like PNC and Provident.
William Dressel, executive director of the league, said he's only responsible for events between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
After hours are another matter. The flashy Atlantic City casinos were filled with odd juxtapositions Wednesday night. At Harrah’s, a popular late-night destination, municipal employees in shirts and ties jockeyed for position at the bar with a bachelorette party. Outside, Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac waited in a velvet-roped line with a cast of characters seemingly ripped from the "Jersey Shore" reality show.
Even in daylight, opportunities to grab a business card or shake a hand were endless. The convention center’s exhibition hall was lined with smiling contractors hoping to entice roaming local officials. They hawked everything from a shiny new garbage truck to Christmas decorations for town squares.
Staff writer Megan DeMarco contributed to this report.
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