Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small won reelection Tuesday despite allegations of child abuse against him that are slated to go to trial next month.
Small, a Democrat, defeated Republican challenger Naeem Ahmad Khan, making Small the first Atlantic City mayor to secure a second full term since Jim Whelan, who won three terms more than two decades ago. Small defeated Khan 62% to 38%.
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Though Atlantic City is heavily Democratic — it has elected only one Republican mayor in the last 35 years — Small faced headwinds in his bid for a second full term.
Last year, Atlantic County prosecutors charged Small and his wife, Atlantic City Schools Superintendent La'Quetta Small, alleging the two physically and emotionally abused their then-16-year-old daughter.
Prosecutors alleged Marty Small repeatedly punched his daughter in the legs and beat her with a broom so severely that she fell unconscious. They accused La'Quetta Small of repeatedly beating her daughter, dragging her by her hair, and striking her with a belt.
Both Smalls have pleaded not guilty. Jury selection for the mayor's trial is due to begin on Dec. 1.
Small became mayor when his predecessor, Frank Gilliam, resigned the position after pleading guilty to wire fraud. Prosecutors had accused Gilliam of stealing $86,790 from a youth basketball league he ran.
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