OCEAN CITY – While the six individuals running for Ocean City Council and two for mayor were taking part in a cordial candidates forum at Ocean City High School April 25, a “hit piece” attacking Tom Rotondi was being placed on car windshields outside the school.
Rotondi is the sitting Second Ward councilman who is running for one of the three at-large seats up for grabs in the May 10 election. Rotondi, in his second year on council, often refers to his work background, which includes service in the military and stints as a police officer and a correctional police officer with the Department of Corrections.
The unsigned flier left on windshields was brief: “Tom Rotondi says he ‘Retired’ from law enforcement. The state says he ‘RESIGNED NOT IN GOOD STANDING!’ Tell the truth Tom.”
He found out about the fliers while still inside the school after the forum concluded. Rotondi said he confronted Mayor Jay Gillian and Councilman Pete Madden, accusing them of being behind the flier.
Gillian and Madden both denied it.
Later, Rotondi said, after he reported the incident to police, local resident Rich Tolson called him up and admitted he was the one who placed the fliers on the windshields and apologized to him for it. Oddly, a few days before the forum, Tolson had spoken up during public comment at the April 21 Ocean City Council meeting to decry the fact parts of council meetings, including the comments section, were being used for “political campaigning” and “attacks.”
“This isn’t anything anyone in this room should be proud of,” Tolson told council.
Rotondi said whoever was behind the flier was acting on bad information based on a Google search and that they didn’t do enough research.
Fortunately, he said, he was able to get a letter from the state Department of Corrections Office of Human Resources, dated April 26, 2022, showing his reason for separation was “Resignation in Good Standing.”
Rotondi explained to the Sentinel the reason behind the issue about his standing, but he was furious about the fact the misinformation was used as a “hit piece” during the election. Rotondi is running against five other candidates for the three seats, including Madden, fellow incumbent Karen Bergman, former First Ward councilman Michael DeVlieger, Donna Moore and John “Tony P” Polcini.
Rotondi said he came off the stage at OCHS after the forum feeling that he had done well based on his answers and audience reaction, but saw City Council President Bobby Barr shaking his head. Barr told him to see what was going on outside.
“As soon as I saw it – I wish I could have been more reserved – I immediately walked up to Jay and had words with him,” Rotondi said. “I was shocked that they went in that direction and attempted to smear my name. I don’t want to talk bad about anybody in the race, but if you want to get into the mud, it could get pretty muddy.”
He said he would rather campaign based on policy and facts. He said if those responsible had researched it, and submitted an Open Public Records Act request, they would have gotten the full information showing he was in good standing. “That’s not what they did. They Googled something, they had half-truths, and they ran with it.”
Rotondi said he got lucky because if he were not able to get that letter from the state so quickly, “that’s a political hit piece” that would have been allowed to stand uncorrected.
He claims the attack was done to distract from Gillian selling his Wonderland Pier property on the boardwalk to developer Eustace Mita and that same developer has donated to Madden, all in the effort to build a hotel on the boardwalk. (At the candidates forum Gillian said it didn’t matter what anyone wanted to build because hotels aren’t allowed on the boardwalk and he wouldn’t support them.)
Madden, asked for comment Monday, said, “I had no knowledge of the distribution of fliers during the political forum. I have never resorted to questionable politics. My focus has always been on spreading my campaign platform in a positive manner.”
Rotondi asserted Tolson, who stated publicly in other media that he acted alone and didn’t place the fliers on anyone’s behalf, had recently invited Gillian to speak before a bricklayers union meeting, and that he knows the two men are f
Missing vest was the problem
Rotondi said what happened around 2005 or 2006 is that while working for the Department of Corrections, he got called back to the military on inactive ready reserve. He said he had signed up for eight years with the military. He had a month left when he was called back and had to quickly prepare for his return to the military. “I literally gave my dog to my brother, rented my house, packed up all my belongings – my badge, my uniforms, my vest – and I stuck it in boxes at my parents’ house. And then I reported back to Fort Benning in Georgia.”
When he got back from his service, he said “he vowed never to step foot in a prison again” because although it is an honorable job and there are great benefits, it wasn’t what he wanted to do. “I thought my time and talent lent themselves to doing better things than sitting in jail all day. It didn’t lend to what I wanted to do in life.”
He said he filled out the forms to resign, but forgot to hand in his uniforms. “That’s what it was – it was a shank-proof vest that is probably still in a box somewhere,” he said, and a report came out that he wasn’t in good standing. He called the state, found out the cause, and paid the $2,500 he owed for the vest.
“I moved on. I never thought this would come up in a million years,” he said.
The election
Rotondi said there was video of Tolson and two others, including a kid, placing the fliers.
He said he met with Tolson, who he said told him he had a change of heart and apologized. He also said he wouldn’t tell police who the others were who were with him.
“What you did in about a half-hour tried to erase an entire lifetime of good service, not only to my country, but to my family and to my community,” Rotondi said he told Tolson. He reiterated that he was fortunate to get the letter from the state, otherwise other media only would have had the misinformation about the flier.
Rotondi said he also is filing charges that the fliers violated state campaign law. (Political commercials, ads and fliers must contain the name and address of who paid for them, often a campaign treasurer. The flier had nothing but the statements about Rotondi.) He said Tolson, who is active in the political activities of the union, should know that.
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff