OCEAN CITY — Jocelyn Palaganas is running for Ocean City Council with what she considers the perfect slogan for herself — “Bringing people together.”
In her various capacities, whether on the local Parent-Teacher Organization, the Ocean City Education Foundation or multiple other community groups, that is what she likes to do.
Palaganas, in her third year on the Ocean City Board of Education, was appointed to City Council’s Boardwalk Subcommittee, which has been studying zoning and is expected to make recommendations by the end of May for the boardwalk as a whole, including the former Wonderland Pier amusement park site.
Talking about her decision to run for council, she said when she first met At-large Councilman Sean Barnes at a Block Party, they talked about city issues and he liked some of the ideas she offered.
“Then when I got onto the subcommittee, I was thinking, ‘I can do more. I can bring about positive change.’”
Palaganas said going back to October, she was asked by a lot of people to consider running, but started seriously considering it when her friend, At-large Councilman Tony Polcini, said he didn’t plan to seek re-election.
When Polcini reconsidered recently, she said, “I thought that’s great. I wanted him to finish what he’s in the middle of and see it through.” Then she learned supporters were seeking another candidate to run for council.
“I didn’t want to run against Tony. He said we would not run as a slate but we would support each other. That’s how it finalized everything for me,” she said.
When she posted her announcement on Facebook, she stood with her husband, Bill Westerman, in one photo at the city clerk’s office after filing her papers. In the other photo, she stood with Polcini and Council President Terry Crowley Jr.
Palaganas said she also called Jim Kelly, a fellow member of the subcommittee who is running for council, and they congratulated each other.
That makes four candidates, incumbents Barnes and Polcini and newcomers Kelly and Palaganas, seeking the three seats up in the May 12 election.
Council Vice President Pete Madden announced Thursday he would not seek re-election to his at-large seat because he is running for mayor.
Palaganas is married to Westerman, owner of George’s Candies and related businesses on the boardwalk, and has lived in Ocean City about 18 years. She is a graduate of Holy Spirit High School and has a business administration degree from Rutgers University. She is vice president of inside sales at Advanced Hospitality Systems, which is based in Voorhees, but she works out of her home.
She has three children — Gage, Gavyn and Skylar — the youngest of whom is at the University of Delaware studying pre-med.
Palaganas is working on the future of the boardwalk via the subcommittee and she would like to find consensus on the future of the Wonderland property, where the owner, hotelier and developer Eustace Mita, wants to build a 252-room, eight-story hotel. The community is split over the proposal, which is not allowed on the boardwalk under current zoning.
“When I said ‘bringing people together’ is my perfect slogan, it’s because I think that’s not happening,” she said. “I just want everyone in a room. I think there is a lot of emotions with certain topics. Everyone’s just so engrossed in 600 Boardwalk that we’re forgetting about so many other parts of the city.”
She said during a February meeting when the subcommittee presented its research, she was talking to people in the audience and one of their keys points was making sure they were heard.
Palaganas said her other priorities if elected would be planning responsibly for smart growth in the community and business community, having the resort stay environmentally responsible, and making sure there is long-term financial stability in government.
Palaganas said she likes to communicate with people and to help find solutions.
“The thing is that everyone feels like they’re being attacked,” she said. “How about let’s take a step back and figure out where everyone is coming from?”
“I’m very transparent, I’m very open and a talent that I have is to say this is what’s going on. I like people in the loop. I believe in inclusion,” she said. She’s also a “doer,” liking to get things done for the multiple community groups in which she’s involved.
Palaganas noted that can be a problem in and of itself because there are so many opinions to manage, but believes in the long run, it’s better to get extra opinions than to stick with those of just a few.
She also said the timing for the run works with her position on the school board because the district is looking for a new superintendent of schools after Dr. Christian Angelillo announced he was retiring at the end of June. Palaganas said there is no more important decision for a school board than choosing a superintendent and the board hopes to have that complete by the end of April. If elected, she wouldn’t begin serving on council until July 1.
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
