Bridgeton mayor Albert B. Kelly honored at Cumberland County awards dinner

At Merighi’s Savoy Inn in Vineland, Bridgeton Mayor Albert B. Kelly was recognized as one of Cumberland County’s 2026 Legends, an honor that put his long public record in front of county leaders just as Bridgeton moves toward a mayoral and council election this fall. The recognition, presented by the CompleteCare Health Foundation, also included Dawn Hunter of the Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce and Cole the Deaf Dog.

The Legends Awards are now more than a decade old, and CompleteCare Foundation says it created the event to support programs that help vulnerable residents served by CompleteCare Health Network. This year’s dinner offered a public tally of Kelly’s standing in Bridgeton and beyond, where his name has become linked to both municipal office and a broader network of social-service work.

Kelly’s city biography says he was elected mayor in May 2010 with 76 percent of the vote and assumed office on July 1, 2010, becoming Bridgeton’s first African-American mayor. He won a second term unopposed in November 2014. Those election results still frame his political profile as he heads into another campaign season, with candidate packets for the city’s mayoral race and five council seats due Aug. 20 and the municipal election set for Nov. 3.

Beyond City Hall, Kelly has long been identified with Gateway Community Action Partnership, the nonprofit he founded in 1984 and now serves as founder and chief executive officer. Gateway’s city biography says the agency reaches more than 56,000 low- and moderate-income residents across Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties, while the organization’s own materials say it serves more than 56,000 people through more than 40 programs across several New Jersey counties and Pennsylvania, operates with an annual budget of more than $60 million, and employs more than 800 people.

Kelly’s public-service profile also includes work as chaplain for Inspira Hospital and the local police department. SNJ Today named him a New Jersey Heartland Hero in December 2022, citing decades of work on youth homelessness, food insecurity and youth violence. Taken together, the honors point to a mayor whose record in Bridgeton is judged as much by service networks and visible community presence as by the title he holds.