OCEAN CITY — In his official mayoral campaign kickoff Wednesday, Feb. 25, Keith Hartzell touted his business acumen and said Ocean City needs “a strong mayor.”
Hartzell, the sitting Second Ward councilman who also served for years as an at-large member of the governing body, made his announcement via social media. He will face incumbent Mayor Jay Gillian, who is seeking his fifth consecutive term in office.
Hartzell ran unsuccessfully against Gillian in the 2022 election, losing by about 400 votes, 2,348 to 1,953. He gave up his at-large seat to run for mayor that year but was elected to council again in 2024 to his ward seat.
“Our community is blessed with strong values that keeps family coming back for generations, but now Ocean City is faced with new challenges such as Wonderland,” Hartzell said as he opened the campaign video.
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“To handle these challenges, Ocean City needs a strong mayor with a successful business background to make the best possible decisions for Ocean City’s future, unaffected by special interests,” Hartzell said.
He was referencing the Wonderland Pier amusement park Gillian closed in mid-October 2024. Gillian ran the family business at 600 Boardwalk, which operated for almost 60 years, but said it was no longer financially viable.
What will replace Wonderland Pier at the property, now owned by hotelier and developer Eustace Mita, has been an ongoing point of contention in the community since its closure.
Mita bought the property in early 2021 after banks called in millions of dollars in loans to Gillian. He leased it back to Gillian, who operated the park for four more summers. Mita wants to build a 252-room, eight-story hotel on the site, something zoning does not allow.
“My mission focuses on meaningful and beneficial change, rooted in compromise and embracing our shared values, traditions and culture that makes us America’s Greatest Family Resort,” Hartzell continued in his video. “I will use my business background to get things done and keep your taxes low.”
Less than a minute long, the video concluded with Hartzell saying that as he went door to door during the campaign, he would be “listening to your suggestions about how we can make Ocean City even better place to worship, work, live and raise a family.”
His campaign website, hartzell4mayor.com, promotes the idea of the resort having a “spending challenge, not a taxation problem” that he said he would deal with by being efficient, providing city services at lower costs with smart planning and responsible budgeting and without sacrificing quality.
He promises “real parking solutions” by getting more off-street parking; coordinated road projects to prevent repeat street repairs, “smart development” and “responsible planning” that balance residents, businesses and visitors.
Ocean City’s municipal election is May 12. Voters will elect the mayor and three at-large members of City Council to four-year terms. Council consists of three at-large members and four ward representatives chosen in elections that take place two years into their at-large counterparts’ terms. The next ward election is in 2028.
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff