Believes council members should reach out to constituents
Editor’s note: The Ocean City Sentinel is running profiles of the candidates for Ocean City Council in the May 14 election. Former councilman Keith Hartzell and Paul Stryker are seeking the Second Ward seat. Incumbent Tom Rotondi is not seeking re-election.
OCEAN CITY — Keith Hartzell believes he should go out to learn taxpayers’ concerns, rather than waiting for them to come to him.
He operated that way as an at-large councilman when he was in office and said he would bring that to bear again if elected to the Second Ward seat in the May 14 election.
“People expect me to represent them. The only way I can represent them is to go talk to them,” he said. Hartzell served as an at-large councilman from 2006 to 2022, when he opted to run for mayor instead of council. (He lost to incumbent Jay Gillian.) “I shouldn’t put the onus on the taxpayer to come track me down when I can go and track them down. There are issues that are important enough that you have to get out and talk.”
Hartzell believes that is one of his strengths and that it makes sense to advise constituents on what is coming up on agendas.
An important lesson that he learned was that public input on major resolutions doesn’t come when they’re up for first reading at council meetings, but waits until second reading. In-between, he said, minds get made up.
“I decided when a major zoning issue was going to come up, I would go out and tell people what was up before first read,” he said, “and find out what they thought.”
One example was on the Public Safety Building that was proposed on the site of the current Fire Department Headquarters at Fifth Street between West and Asbury avenues.
“We all voted for it, but after I started talking to people, I decided I couldn’t support it,” he said.
Hartzell said he loves the Second Ward. That’s where he bought his first Tabernacle bungalow in 1986, it’s where he vacationed and went to church when he was a kid. That’s where he bought the Kabat men’s shop building.
“I love the ward because it’s Mayberry,” he said, referring to the fictional town on the “Andy Griffith Show.” “Living in the downtown gives me that feel, that strong sense of community.”
He said he walks to his bank, to his church, to work. He has “a little place on the bay” he can walk to as well. All of that “gives me a strong sense of the neighborhood. That’s why I’m running; I want that strong sense of neighborhood to stay.”
Pressing issues
Hartzell said he wholeheartedly supports development, but it has to be sensible. He is concerned with the multi-family units under one roof, the homes with five bedrooms and five bathrooms and the ones with pools where garages are turned into cabanas or bars, leaving room for only two cars when there will often by five or more.
That, he said, doesn’t work for anyone because it creates parking problems for the owner, the people who rent and the neighbors. No one is going to be happy.
He believes the only way to ensure there is enough parking is to start associating bedrooms and bathrooms and requiring enough parking for the actual use of that structure. He said that has to happen soon.
“I just think we’re heading into something irreparable that can easily be repaired and everyone can be happy — the builders, the realtors, the owners, the tenants and the neighbors won’t be overwhelmed because everyone will be able to park their cars,” he said.
Overall, he said he believes that different types of construction — single family, duplexes, etc. — is fine, provided that is what is desired in a particular neighborhood.
Other issues
City government spending and the associated tax increases is another issue that has him worried.
He said the city starts each year with $3 million extra in revenue because of the annual increase in ratables and money the Ocean City Free Public Library returns from its portion of taxes, and is concerned this year the 2024 budget asks for a 3.71-cent tax increase.
“I’ve never seen that type of tax increase. I know if I get back in (to council) that I’ll be dogged in figuring out what is going on here. What can we delay? What can we do better?”
Hartzell said to imagine what would be happening with taxes if the city were in the process of spending $40 million on that earlier proposed Public Safety Building.
“Where are we getting the money? I thought I saw the wave coming and now that it’s here it’s going to take a while to get through it and untangle it,” he said. “They’re saying tax hike is a ($241) increase for a $650,000 home … but if those types of things continue in four years it will be $1,000. That’s a significant amount of money for people. There are a lot of middle class people who live here.”
“Going into a year with $3 million to the plus, and on top of it have that type of tax increase? We have to step back.”
Made in error
Asked if there were any decisions he believes were made in error, he points to the Public Safety Building proposal.
“I voted for it,” he said. “And subsequently made sure it didn’t happen.”
Spending too much
“We may be juggling too many projects. I would go through them with a fine-tooth comb,” he said.
Hartzell also would look into personnel, an area that can use a “fresh set of eyes.” He would look at retirements as well to see if jobs could be combined.
“I would review everything like I did when I first got into office,” he said.
Not spending enough
Hartzell said there are things he would like to see done downtown, but given the level of spending now, he would hesitate before offering anything else.
“I think we’re spending an awful lot of money. I don’t think it’s sustainable for the average person. We have to figure out what to take away before we add,” he said. “There are some capital projects I agree with and some I don’t. Going forward, I’ll question more capital accounts.”
Why he’s the best choice
“I have the experience with being involved with Main Street and in elected office for 20 years,” he said. “I’m accessible. I talk to people on a regular basis and feel like I do the best job of knowing what people are going through.”
He said he loves and cherishes the Second Ward and he wants to make sure the quality of life there is preserved for the people who make the ward their home and want to stay.
“We all love it here, but if we see something that is not going to work for the future, then we should be talking about it. That’s not a negative. It’s a positive that we love the neighborhood and that we’re willing to have those types of conversations.”
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
City Council Candidate Forum April 29
The Sentinel is sponsoring a Candidate Forum from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, April 29, at the Hughes Performing Arts Center auditorium at Ocean City High School. The public is invited to submit questions for consideration via email at oceancitysentinel@comcast.net. The forum is free to attend.