OCEAN CITY – Ocean City’s Second Ward Councilman Tom Rotondi submitted his petitions to the City Clerk Monday to seek an at-large council seat. With his family by his side, Rotondi submitted more than 125 petitions from supporters for his bid.
“I’m proud of the work we, as council, have been able to do in the less than two years since I have been elected to serve this community. Although the needs of my family have changed, my passion and commitment to this town has not,” Rotondi said in a press release issued Monday. “I am seeking the at-large seat so that I can continue to lead and be able to have the flexibility to meet the housing needs of my growing family. My wife Stephanie and our three children are with me today because that’s my motivation as a public servant – ‘Putting Ocean City’s Families FIRST.’”
Rotondi was sworn into council after winning his seat in the May 2020 election. He is now serving a vice president of council, a position chosen by his peers.
He said he has made communicating with his constituents a priority and talked about his successful efforts to change policy and improve the community.
“I took the time to examine the existing contract procurement process. Having seen that one engineering firm had received over 60 no-bid contracts totaling nearly $7 million, I built out what is now a pool of qualified engineering firms. Now all engineering contracts must go into this pool. This initiative has lowered our costs,” he said, by more than 30 percent.
Rotondi, a U.S. Army veteran and a retired law enforcement officer, reflected on one of the most serious situations that has faced our community in recent years, the Ocean City Beach Patrol.
“When I first learned of the serious sexual allegations affecting our Beach Patrol, I thought of my daughter Celeste. She is 4 years old, but one day I hope she can join the Beach Patrol and continue our family’s tradition of service here in Ocean City,” Rotondi said. “The young ladies who work so hard to protect the beach-goers that enjoy Ocean City every summer are daughters, too. These wonderful young women should be celebrated, not subjected to inappropriate behavior.”
At the City Council meeting April 22, 2021, he pushed for an independent investigation by the Cape May County Prosecutor’s Office and called for a tip line to be established for Beach Patrol members who wanted to report inappropriate activity. “This effort has resulted in the establishment of new protocols and leadership throughout the Beach Patrol,” he said.
After serving in the Army from 1997 to 2000, he graduated as class president from the Cape May County Police Academy and served with the Lower Township Police Department and then with the State Department of Corrections before retiring from law enforcement. He is currently employed by a global risk management firm specializing in employee health and benefits consulting for non-profit, government and health care providers.
He formerly served on the Ocean City Zoning Board. He is a volunteer coach with Ocean City Youth Baseball, sits on multiple boards, including on the executive board of the ARC of Cape May County, and is an active volunteer with “Hand-to-Hand Mission to Haiti,” a non-profit organization that delivers solar lights, food, education supplies and tuition for children.
