Back at the Mayor's Office Thursday, Langford said he has seven goals he believes he can realistically accomplish in the short time he is guaranteed as mayor. He declined to detail them, instead choosing to wait until his State of the City address in January.

The mayor said he plans to be cautious about providing early information publicly about his plans, which he thinks could benefit others looking to obstruct him.

However, he did discuss some issues that will be of high priority, including overseeing the current bid process for the sale or lease of Bader Field.

Bids for the 143-acre tract, recently rezoned for casino development, were solicited under the Evans administration and are expected back in January.

"I'm looking forward to having an opportunity to be the shepherd over that process," he said.

Langford said during his campaign that the city needs the "biggest and best use" for the site, but also wants assurances that the development does not take away from Boardwalk business. He also second-guessed the current plan to send land-sale proceeds to a tax trust fund for tax relief. Instead, he wants to set up a tax rebate to put proceeds directly into taxpayers' hands.

He said another of his priorities is restoring credibility to the city.

"It is vitally important for us to send the message that we are beyond reproach," he said.

He said he believes his new administrative appointments could go a long way to doing that. Langford plans to officially appoint his business administrator and head solicitor at a news conference Monday. He said that both of his choices have already accepted the position.

He declined to say who his picks are before Monday, but did say his business administrator will be a female. That continues speculation that he will choose Redenia Gilliam-Mosee, a former executive at Bally's Atlantic City. Gilliam-Mosee, who was present at Thursday's ceremony, served as vice president in charge of governmental relations.

The rest of his Cabinet will likely be announced throughout the week. Langford said he has made offers for other positions and is about two-thirds of the way through.

Pending those announcements, Langford spent most of his first full day on the job meeting with staff and accepting floral arrangements and praises from well-wishers.

He took some time getting acclimated to City Hall's seventh floor, including searching for the proper light switch to brighten a dim mayor's office he left three years ago.

"There's a whole bunch of, I don't want to say house cleaning, but... technical stuff," Langford said as he struggled to stay upright in his desk chair. "Looks like the chair lost a spring, too."

E-mail Michael Clark:

Michael.Clark@pressofac.com