He says council has diverse opinions but is working very well together
OCEAN CITY — Before heading into an executive session over hiring a litigator for a lawsuit on the former Wonderland Pier amusement park property, Councilman Keith Hartzell made it clear whatever happens on that property will be a plan “that is collective of everybody’s opinion.”
He said the city is at the “very beginning” of the process to develop a plan as it negotiates with property owner Eustace Mita.
Hartzell, who represents the city’s Second Ward where the property is located, spoke before council adjourned into the nearly 25-minute session Sept. 10 to discuss hiring M. James Maley Jr. as special legal council to represent the city in the redevelopment of the 600 Boardwalk property. Council approved Maley’s professional services contract later in the meeting in the consent agenda, which lumps together multiple items council votes upon at once.
Hartzell said the executive session would be about only interviewing the litigator and that the property owner could be there, but they were not discussing the property.
He said council members decided among themselves they wanted a litigator as well as attorney John A. Ridgway, who was hired by council to represent the city on the property to avoid conflicts of interest with city Solicitor Dorothy McCrosson.
Hartzell said he is proud to be on council now. He is the longest-serving member.
“We’ve never been more unified and getting along with one another. We have diverse opinions, but I can tell you this, we made commitments to ourselves and to each other to work together to look at all sides, all groups, whether it be in downtown, the boardwalk, Plaza Place, 2050, all those groups,” he said.
“Let me make you this guarantee. We made this guarantee to one another and to ourselves: when there is a plan, it’s going to be our plan. It’s not going to be somebody else’s plan,” Hartzell said. “So if you hear every once in a while, ‘Hey, they have four votes,’ there are no votes. We don’t know what the plan is yet.”
He said council will listen to the groups and the public.
“We’re going to do our best to come up with something where most everybody won’t get what they want. What we hope is that what we provide is something everybody can be proud of. That’s our goal collectively,” he said.
The councilman, who has run for mayor twice, including in the May election, said he’s never been more comfortable and proud to be on council.
That’s how he prefaced saying that the city is “at the very, very beginning” of the process to find a project that will replace the amusement park that was a mainstay of the island for just shy of 60 years before closing in mid-October 2024.
“When we do come up with a plan — and I don’t know how long it’s going to take, we all want to get this over with — but we’re going to be cautious to come up with a plan that works. When we do that, we’ll present that plan,” Hartzell said.
He repeated, “It will be our plan. We’re not voting on some plan that someone else gives us. We’ll go with a plan that’s collective of everybody’s opinion. I know each and every one of us feel that way and it was important to tell the public that.”
Hartzell added although he was the one speaking, all the council members came to that opinion on their own. No other council members spoke before council adjourned into executive session.
Litigator’s background
Maley will be paid an hourly rate of $245.
According to the firm’s proposal accompanying the resolution packet available to the public, Maley has been “concentrating its practice in the areas of land use, government and economic development law” and Maley has “extensive experience” as a public official conducting economic development projects.
The law firm serves or has served as special development council to Camden and Gloucester counties and the communities of Galloway, Middle, Woodbridge, Mount Holly, Upper Township, Gloucester City, Atlantic City, Cape May, Stratford, Metuchen, Glassboro, Magnolia and Paulsboro.
M. James Maley Jr. is a parter with the firm.
The proposal notes he represents municipalities, county agencies and private developers in the redevelopment of commercial, industrial and residential areas. He has been a commissioner in the borough of Collingswood since 1989 and served as mayor from 1997 to 2025. It also notes he has “extensive litigation and trial experience.”
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
