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Joined by his attorney, Ed Jacobs, and family members on Monday, April 1, Small held a news conference in the city council chambers to address the search warrants executed on Thursday, Mar. 28.
He said the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office searched his home — where he lives with his wife, Dr. La'Quetta Small, the superintendent of the city's public schools — and vehicles.
The raid happened the same day that Atlantic City High School principal Constance Days-Chapman was charged for failing to properly report a student's claim of abuse at the hands of their parents. Mayor Small did not say whether or not Days-Chapman's charges were related to his children who attend ACHS.
He did, however, say the raid was part of a three-to-four-month investigation into a "family matter."
"There's no corruption," Small said. "We don't have Atlantic City Housing Authority money in our house. We don't have City of Atlantic City money in our house. I didn't steal anything. My wife didn't bring Atlantic City Board of Education money to our house as alleged.
"No, we don't have drugs in our house, and no, we don't have guns."
The mayor said neither he nor his wife have been charged in the investigation.
"There's no book and no course that we took in college to show you how to be a parent and more importantly, how to deal with the struggles of raising teens," he said.
Days-Chapman was the mayor's campaign manager in 2021 and she's the chair of the Atlantic City Democratic Committee. The county's Democratic committee asked her to take a leave of absence from her position after she was charged.
Mayor Small said Days-Chapman, whom his kids call "Aunt Mandy," is a close family friend.
"We confide in her about personal details in our household and she does the same with us, so if you think that you're going to drive a wedge between us, it's not going to work," the mayor said. "We support you, Mandy. You did absolutely nothing wrong."
Jacobs said by law, the nature of the investigation can't be publicly disclosed, and that the Small family has done nothing to obstruct the investigation and they were fully aware of it happening.
Jacobs also criticized the raid, saying it was very unusual to see search warrants issued in family matters.
"This was done in a very aggressive and a very public manner intentionally," Jacobs said.
Small said about 20 officers with guns, rifles, and battering rams descended on his home at around 8:30 a.m., shortly after the mayor finished a radio interview. He and his wife were about to bring his sick mother-in-law to a medical appointment when he was served with the search warrant.
The scene shut down part of Presbyterian Avenue for more than three hours during a very rainy day in Atlantic City.
"They did all of this just for a cell phone and laptops because they want to think that there's some communication going on," Mayor Small Sr. said. "We did not deserve that."
Jacobs said there may have been "improprieties" in securing the warrant. Investigators seized two cellphones and at least four laptops but no city property was taken in the raid.
The search was also one day after the mayor announced his proposed 2024 city budget. The proposal includes a 10-cent tax rate decrease and a $4,500 raise for city employees.
The mayor also suggested the investigation could be racially or politically motivated, saying: "They can't beat me in an election."
"People don't like the fact that this mayor has given minorities opportunities that they've never had in city hall before," said Mayor Small Sr.
Rev. Steffie Bartley Sr., the northeast regional director of the National Action Network, attended the news conference. He said the civil rights group is making sure that "everything is done decently" and that there's no discrimination.
Rev. Bartley Sr. also defended the mayor's character.
"He's an outstanding individual and the work that his wife does with the school is outstanding," Rev. Bartley Sr. said.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office issued a statement immediately after the news conference ended, supporting the actions of its investigators during the raid.
"These procedures are put in place for safety reasons and these procedures do not deviate regardless of one’s political, professional, or social status," the prosecutor's office said. "Both Mayor Small and Dr. Small were treated with dignity and respect during the entire process. As an example, detectives took great effort to ensure that any juveniles living at the residence were clear of the residence and not present during the execution of the search warrant."
Small also denied "horrific" rumors claiming his teen daughter was pregnant and had a miscarriage after being beaten by him or his wife. The mayor also accused an unnamed Atlantic City police officer of creating a rumor that claimed a drug dealer in the Stanley Holmes neighborhood "knocked up" his daughter.
The mayor said despite a large emotional toll on his family, the investigation and false rumors haven't stopped him, his wife, or his children from being successful at work and school.
"Would you be able to handle this like I'm handling?" he said. "Would you be able to deal with this if someone was spreading rumors on your child and or your family member? I think not."
Days-Chapman and the Atlantic City school district have not commented on her case.
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