OCEAN CITY — Former city councilmen Keith Hartzell and Michael DeVlieger have returned their nominating petitions to run for City Council in the May 14 election.
Hartzell is a former long-serving at-large councilman who did not run for re-election in 2022, but unsuccessfully challenged Mayor Jay Gillian. He is running for the Second Ward seat currently held by Tom Rotondi.
Rotondi has taken out nominating petitions for the May election but has not declared whether he will run for his ward seat or the open at-large position created when Karen Bergman resigned to manage the Howard S. Stainton Senior Center for the city.
Paul Stryker has taken out nominating papers for the Second Ward seat as well but had not turned them to the City Clerk’s Office as of the Sentinel’s Tuesday deadline this week.
DeVlieger is a former First Ward councilman who resigned from his seat in 2021 then ran unsuccessfully for an at-large seat in the 2022 election. He is running for the at-large seat. Whoever is elected to the at-large seat will serve the remaining part of Bergman’s term.
Incumbent Third Ward Councilman Jody Levchuk returned his nominating petitions last week. He is seeking another term in the ward seat. Amie Vaules has taken out papers for the Third Ward seat but has not yet returned them.
Sean Barnes has taken out nominating papers, as has Carol Keenan (for another candidate), but neither had returned them before the Sentinel’s deadline this week.
Sea Isle City resident Gabrielle Waid has pulled a packet for another candidate for the Fourth Ward seat.
Incumbent Fourth Ward Councilman Dave Winslow returned his petitions to run for re-election to the ward seat, as did First Ward Councilman Terry Crowley Jr. Both of their petitions have been certified. Winslow was appointed to the Fourth Ward seat when Bob Barr resigned after being appointed to the Cape May County Board of County Commissioners. Crowley was appointed to his seat when DeVlieger resigned in 2021.
Winslow and Crowley subsequently were elected to their ward seats.
Prospective ward candidates must get a minimum of 25 signatures of residents living within wards two, three and four, respectively, and 27 signatures in ward one (1 percent of registered voters in the last general election but not less than 25). For the at-large seat, candidates must get at least 100 signatures.
All four ward seats and the at-large position are up for grabs in the May 14 election. The ward elections are every four years. The three at-large seats and mayor’s position are up for election every four years as well, but two years apart from the ward elections.
The deadline to turn in nominating petitions is 4 p.m. Feb. 29.
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff