Rowan Warns of ‘Atlantic City Fatigue,’ Calls for Coordinated Plan to Revitalize Resort

Atlantic County assemblywoman says years of talk without enough action are hurting the city’s future, as she pushes legislation to support Convention Center improvements and protect tourism business.

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — State Assemblywoman Maureen Rowan says Atlantic City has made progress but remains held back by years of uncoordinated efforts, insufficient investment and a growing sense of frustration among state officials who have heard repeated promises of improvement.

The first-term Democrat, who represents Atlantic County's 2nd Legislative District and lives in Atlantic City, says the resort needs a comprehensive strategy rather than a collection of disconnected projects.

And she believes the city may be running out of time to get it right.

"I don't think there's much disagreement that Atlantic City has come a long way, but it still has a way to go," Rowan said Wednesday during an appearance on Off The Press with Scott Cronick on News Talk 1400 and 92.3 WOND.

"And I am laser focused on trying to get that done because, with all due respect to the people that came before me, I think it's a lot of talk and not enough action."

Rowan's comments come as Atlantic City confronts an uncertain future for the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel, concerns about the condition of the Convention Center itself and increasing competition for convention business.

The assemblywoman says those issues are connected to a larger problem: Atlantic City lacks the coordinated approach necessary to address its challenges.

"I think there's too many cooks in the kitchen," Rowan said. "There's no coordinated effort."

‘Atlantic City Fatigue’ in Trenton

Rowan, a retired Philadelphia attorney who moved to Atlantic City, said she remains optimistic about the resort's potential.

But she acknowledged that some officials elsewhere in New Jersey may be growing weary of hearing about the city's problems.

"I think there's a little bit of Atlantic City fatigue that we keep talking about it and we seem to be saying the same thing over and over again," Rowan said.

"And again, I repeat, nothing gets done, and it's very frustrating to me."

Rowan emphasized that she was offering her own impression rather than claiming to know what other lawmakers think.

She also said her experience in the Legislature has been more bipartisan than many residents might expect.

"The committees are very cordial," Rowan said, describing her interactions with lawmakers from both parties as encouraging.

Still, she believes Atlantic City's challenges require greater urgency.

Among her priorities are improved street lighting, attention to deteriorating properties and a coordinated plan for redevelopment.

"We need lighting," Rowan said. "We need some improvements. I think we need a plan."

Without that larger strategy, she said, individual improvements risk becoming isolated projects that fail to produce meaningful change.

Rowan Has Introduced Convention Center Legislation

Rowan's concerns are not limited to public statements.

On Sept. 10, she introduced Assembly Bill A5408, legislation that would authorize the New Jersey Economic Development Authority to provide financial assistance for certain projects involving the Atlantic City Convention Center.

The measure also calls for an assessment of how certain proposed developments in the Meadowlands could affect Atlantic City's convention business.

The legislation was referred to the Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee. It has not been enacted.

During Wednesday's interview, Rowan discussed her efforts to identify funding for improvements to the Convention Center.

"I'm working on some legislation that might provide some financing," she said.

"That's still a little up in the air, but again, everything costs money."

Rowan said the state has a responsibility to maintain the Convention Center as a competitive facility.

"The state owns the Convention Center," she said. "So the state, in my opinion, has an obligation to make sure it's brought up to us."

Her remarks echo concerns recently raised by state Sen. Vince Polistina and Casino Reinvestment Development Authority board member Frank Formica, both of whom have called for substantial improvements to the Convention Center.

Formica told WOND this week that Atlantic City is already losing opportunities to attract conventions because of conditions at the facility.

Polistina has similarly warned that the resort risks losing additional convention business without major reinvestment.

Rowan's legislation provides another potential avenue for addressing those concerns, although it does not establish an approved financing package or guarantee funding.

Sheraton Must Remain a Convention Hotel, Rowan Says

Rowan also weighed in on the increasingly contentious debate surrounding the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel.

The 502-room hotel, directly connected to the Convention Center, faces a possible Dec. 15 closure unless its financial problems are resolved.

Its owner, LINY Investor LLC, has proposed an approximately $100 million redevelopment that would retain 252 renovated hotel rooms while converting part of the building into 130 age-restricted apartments.

The project depends on substantial state tax credits.

Rowan strongly opposes reducing the property's hotel-room inventory.

"No, it's a mistake. It's a total mistake," she said of the proposed residential conversion.

She argues that the Sheraton cannot be considered separately from the Convention Center and the adjacent Atlantic City Rail Terminal.

Instead, she believes the three facilities should be treated as an interconnected economic asset.

"The Sheraton, the Convention Center and the rail terminal, the train station, should be considered, as I called it, an integrated tourism ecosystem," Rowan said.

"They're like a campus. They're all dependent on each other."

Rowan said state financial assistance should be tied to preserving the hotel's role in supporting conventions.

"In no way should he be given tax credits unless it's kept as a 500-room hotel," she said.

"It is vital to the convention business."

The hotel's owner has argued that the existing business model is not financially sustainable and that converting part of the property to residential use would provide revenue necessary to support a major renovation.

Developer Tom Scannapieco has said the Convention Center does not generate enough multiday convention business to sustain a 500-room hotel without continuing financial support.

That disagreement remains central to the debate over the property's future.

Rowan acknowledged the complications involved in dealing with a privately owned hotel.

"The Sheraton is a little tricky because it's a private owner," she said.

But she believes state officials understand the importance of preserving the property.

"I do believe the state, the governor, has gotten the message," Rowan said.

Convention Planners Raise Concerns About Atlantic City

One of Rowan's most revealing observations came from a recent meeting involving people who make decisions about where conventions are held.

Rowan said Visit Atlantic City President and CEO Gary Musich invited her to participate in a customer advisory meeting where convention planners assessed the resort.

The participants identified several positive attributes, including Atlantic City's beaches, Boardwalk, entertainment and casinos.

But they also raised concerns about conditions elsewhere in the city.

"It was a little depressing," Rowan said.

"They found good things with the city, the beauty of the city, the ocean, the Boardwalk, the entertainment, the casinos. But they also found a fair amount of detrimental things that they did not like."

Among the concerns were cleanliness, perceptions of public safety, vacant lots and deteriorating properties.

Rowan said the feedback reinforced the need to address the city's appearance.

She stressed that she personally does not feel unsafe living in Atlantic City.

"I do not feel unsafe," Rowan said.

But she argued that the perceptions of convention planners and visitors matter regardless of residents' personal experiences.

"Perception is reality," she said.

"You have to take into consideration people's perception."

Rowan said the city's vacant properties and visible deterioration can contribute to negative impressions.

"There's too much blight and abandoned properties," she said.

"I think that plays into it."

She believes better lighting, beautification and improvements to neglected areas could help change those perceptions.

Convention Business Remains a Major Economic Driver

The stakes extend beyond the Convention Center and Sheraton.

According to Visit Atlantic City, the resort hosted 205 meetings, conventions and trade shows in 2025, generating approximately 328,000 room nights and attracting more than 533,000 attendees.

The organization estimated the resulting economic impact at more than $362 million.

But convention business has shown signs of weakness in 2026.

Through July, convention-related room nights were down 19% compared with the same period in 2025, according to figures published by Stockton University's LIGHT tourism research project.

Attendance and estimated delegate spending were also lower.

Those figures do not establish that the Convention Center's condition caused the declines, but they underscore the importance of maintaining Atlantic City's competitiveness.

Rowan said the Convention Center needs improvements to its technology infrastructure, including internet connectivity and cellular communications.

"The Wi-Fi is terrible," she said.

The Convention Center does offer wired and wireless internet services, including complimentary Wi-Fi in public spaces and meeting rooms. Officials' concerns appear to involve the quality and reliability of those services rather than a complete lack of connectivity.

Rowan said improvements must address the needs of modern convention organizers and attendees.

A Growing Call for Cooperation

Rowan's comments come amid an increasingly public discussion involving state, county and local officials about the future of Atlantic City's convention industry.

Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson recently said the county would consider participating in efforts to preserve the Sheraton, although he emphasized that taxpayer funding would require financial safeguards and state cooperation.

Formica has called for a coordinated effort involving the county, Atlantic City, CRDA and the state to develop an alternative to the proposed reduction in hotel rooms.

Polistina has urged officials to look beyond the Sheraton and address the Convention Center's broader needs.

Rowan said she believes those discussions could become the foundation for a more comprehensive approach.

She pointed to support among local officials for preserving the Sheraton and improving the Convention Center.

But she also cautioned that the city's problems cannot be solved by focusing on one building.

"Sometimes a catastrophe has to happen to open people's eyes and realize that, OK, man, we have to stop. We have to pay attention to this," Rowan said.

"And maybe something like this with the Sheraton had to happen for people to realize it's not just the Sheraton."

For Rowan, the challenge is turning that recognition into action.

She believes Atlantic City has the assets necessary to remain a major tourism and convention destination.

What it needs now, she says, is a unified strategy and the willingness to follow through.

"We need a plan," Rowan said. "We need coordinated efforts."

Assemblywoman Maureen Rowan appeared Wednesday, Oct. 7, on Off The Press with Scott Cronick, heard Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. on News Talk 1400 and 92.3 WOND.