Barnes, Polcini, Kelly and Palaganas four candidates for three City Council seats
OCEAN CITY – Ocean City Council Vice President Pete Madden is running for mayor.
He filed his nominating papers Thursday afternoon at the City Clerk’s office.
With his filing, it became a three-way race.
Incumbent Mayor Jay Gillian is running for a fifth consecutive term in office and Second Ward Councilman Keith Hartzell officially began his campaign for mayor this week, although he was out quietly campaigning for weeks.
There are also four people running for the three at-large City Council seats up for grabs in May: incumbents Sean Barnes and Tony Polcini and newcomers Jim Kelly and Jocelyn Palaganas, a member of the Ocean City Board of Education.
Candidates had until 4 p.m. Thursday to file their nominating petitions.
“I just thought Ocean City needed a little different direction going into so many hard decisions we have to make coming up,” he told the Sentinel Thursday afternoon.
“I think Jay’s done a tremendous job over 16 years, but I do think that we need clear, decisive leadership,” Madden said.
He is finishing his third term as an at-large councilman, marking nearly 12 years on City Council. He served as council president for seven years and almost the last two years as vice president under President Terry Crowley Jr.
“Nine of the 12 years I’ve been in a position of leadership,” he said.
However, he said he will better be able to serve the community as mayor.
“I believe my strengths will be more effective as mayor than on council,” he said.
Madden, a graduate of St. Joseph’s University, is one of the four owners of Goldcoast Sotheby’s International Realty in Ocean City. He runs the day-to-day operations as managing broker for the office.
His position keeps him close to many aspects of the community.
“I’m in a very fortunate position that I talk to the residents, the second homeowners, the primary homeowners, the renters. I talk to them all every day so I get a very good feel of the pulse of the city, of what people are looking for. My job kind of lends itself to that.”
Madden has been a bit of a contrarian on council when it comes to the future of the Wonderland Pier amusement park site. Gillian sold the property to hotelier and developer Eustace Mita in early 2021. Gillian leased the amusement park back and continued operating it until closing it permanently in mid-October 2024, saying it was no longer financially viable.
Mita wants to build a 252-room, eight-story hotel on the site with 10 to 12 storefronts, but zoning does not permit that. City Council voted 6-1 in August 2025 against referring it to the Planning Board as an area in need of rehabilitation, a step Mita requested.
Madden was the lone vote in favor.
Council then reversed itself and voted 4-3 to send it to the Planning Board in December. In January the rehabilitation designation failed in a 4-4 tied vote by the planners.
Madden has consistently argued that he believes the property needs to go the rehabilitation designation route regardless of what gets built to replace the amusement park.
Madden’s parents bought a house in Ocean City in 1986 and he grew up coming to the resort in the summers, working at Johnson’s Popcorn. He moved to Ocean City in 2004 with his now ex-wife. They have four children, ages 21, 19, 16 and 13, but all closing in on birthdays. Two are graduates of Ocean City High School, one at the University of Central Florida and the other at Stockton University, one is a junior at OCHS and the other in eighth grade.
In a press release posted to social media Thursday afternoon, he wrote, “I have spent the last twenty years building a business, raising my family, and serving this community. Ocean City is an incredible place. Now it is time to focus fully on its future, protect what makes it special, and lead it forward with clarity and purpose.”
“Ocean City is at an important moment,” Madden wrote. “This election should not be about protest or division. It should be about direction. We can respect the progress that has been made while recognizing the need for steadier focus, clearer communication, and leadership that brings people together.”
“This campaign is about leadership, not division,” he added. “Ocean City deserves a mayor who listens, sets clear expectations, demands accountability, and keeps our city moving forward.”
The election is May 12.
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
