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ATLANTIC CITY — A former City Council vice president, indicted this week for allegedly using her political influence to purchase city-owned properties for below-market costs, has a large collection of valuable resort parcels she bought for extremely low prices.

City land records show former at-large Councilwoman Cassandra McCall-Clark paid a total of $786,503 for the 21 resort parcels she currently owns, despite those properties now being valued at more than $3.7 million.

That significant gap adds more questions about McCall-Clark’s land dealings after her recent indictment.

“That disparity is ridiculous,” said Lester Argus, former president of the Board of Realtors for Atlantic City and Atlantic County. “I don’t know the properties and I haven’t done the assessments myself, but it’s obvious something is really wrong there.”

The state Attorney General’s Office says McCall-Clark orchestrated a secret deal with a straw purchaser to bid on two city-owned lots for sale in 2002. She allegedly paid the buyer $6,000 for the properties, who, in turn, bid the same amount. McCall-Clark then voted to approve the sale. The properties are now assessed at more than $110,000.

McCall-Clark, who currently lives in Linwood, also bought a bayfront parcel on North Delaware Avenue from the city in 1999, about three years before she joined council. A council resolution shows McCall-Clark paid $5,000 for the property, which is now valued at $695,000.

A large home still sits unfinished at the site, where pieces of lumber, wheelbarrows and tools are strewn on the lawn around it. Within the measure approving the sale, the city required McCall-Clark to garner a certificate of occupancy before allowing it to be sold. There are no records of a certificate being approved by the city, but a for-sale sign is standing in front of the property.

The real estate agent on the sign is city Realtor Frank Barbera, whose telephone listing is out of service since the federal government convicted him for bribing elected officials, charges unrelated to McCall-Clark’s case.

McCall-Clark owns some of the 21 properties herself, others through her company, Rose Garden Research and Development LLC, and five more are co-owned with her husband, Austin Clark.

It is unclear whether McCall-Clark is currently employed. She has owned a jitney for years, which remains parked outside one of her properties on North Delaware Avenue. Her husband works as a redevelopment assistant in the city’s Community Development Block Grants division, an office also under criminal investigation by the state. Austin Clark, hired a year after his wife became a councilwoman, earns $54,443.75 a year.

Among the parcels in her collection of city land, valued at a total of $3,722,100, all were bought within the last decade. None of the properties was bought at or above the current value. The closest was a $12,799 difference for a parcel at 406 N. Delaware Ave. — she bought it for a dollar.

Six of the properties McCall-Clark owns are listed as being managed by Saul H. Cohen, a resort Realtor. Cohen said Thursday he no longer manages any properties for McCall-Clark. He said the two ended the business relationship after she lost a re-election bid in 2005.

“She was no longer on council,” said Cohen, whose office at 412 Atlantic Ave. was also once owned by McCall-Clark. “She could handle it herself.”

Before quickly ending a phone interview, Cohen said he never noticed anything irregular about her land deals. McCall-Clark could not be reached for comment.

The official misconduct charge filed by the state carries a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $150,000 fine. Officials at Atlantic County criminal courts have not set an arraignment date.

Copies of measures passed by City Council show McCall-Clark abstained when council passed an ordinance to advertise the sale of the land cited in the indictment but voted to approve a resolution when a bidder was selected.

The measure approving the sale shows the bid amount, but does not identify the bidder. Authorities also did not name the bidder. However, deed documents show Lucille Barbour, a former civic association president who died in 2006, bought the property in 2002 and transferred the title to McCall-Clark soon after. The bid City Council approved was the only offer made for the land.

E-mail Michael Clark:

Michael.Clark@pressofac.com

12 comments:

• sybil770 (7) posts 3:44 pm

  edgehill is her father she has always been a sneaky person, wanting to be noticed by her father is what truly caused her to want to be "rich" he wasnt married to her mom, and this has always bothered her. You are all correct in your comments on her and the council. Its sad she was caught earlier. Federal crime though is much more difficult to wrangle out of.

• brownspark (14) posts 11:04 am

  Hey I guess this is what you call affordable housing

• tiredofitall (34) posts 8:02 pm

  Gee, another story of the never ending saga of another criminal who happens to work for Atlantic City. Are the locals really that out of touch with the politics of that town??

• SaszyGurl (0) posts 7:17 am

  I am sorry to read this story, but Sandy didn't you know that paper leaves trails. Shaking my head. Greed never gets anyone anywhere far. May the God's blessing be with you as you go through this difficult time that lays ahead.

• TARFUR (9) posts 8:11 pm

  At least she wasn't robbing a liquor store. Nice to see some sophistication from her lot.

• HeavyP (12) posts 3:34 pm

  I will be really disappointed if the Fed's do not lock her up. She approved the sale and then 3 days later the land is being transferred over to her. That is pretty clear cut. The sad part is that all of this is expected behavior of our mayor, council men & women. Just par for the course. Send "them" all away.

• omgwtf (0) posts 1:12 pm

  Michael Clark should spend more time proofreading and using a dictionary and/or thesaurus than chasing after married litigants. You do realize that you caused them to divorce. I hope you are proud of yourself.

• NewsResearcher (0) posts 10:03 am

  What I don't understand is how the other councilmen and councilwomen and other political officials would not have been suspicious of this. Was everyone asleep?? Also, any realators reading this familiar with the Atlantic City market, how did you not get suspicious and raise alarm?? You see the comps, you know what fair market value is. I would like a real and serious answer. Thanks! Scott

• ruberooster (5) posts 8:39 am

  you know that in trump circumstances, this is considered another,"art of the deal". the lady may be a walking genius! try to google how the schiff bros acquired the dominant parts of the ac boardwalk and you'll end up with a headache. somebody hates when the little guys succeed.ac is in the book of revelations...

• dave202 (81) posts 8:29 am

  Barbera and the council woman.... Perfect together.... Behind bars!!!

• BernieSchwartz (645) posts 7:48 am

  Me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me.

• littlelob (1) posts 11:30 pm

  Where are the copy editors? They aren't wheel barrels, they are wheelbarrows!

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