Says he is thoughtful, dedicated with ‘level-headed passion’ for position
Editor’s note: The Ocean City Sentinel is running profiles of the candidates for Ocean City Council in the May 14 election. Incumbent Fourth Ward Councilman Dave Winslow is facing a challenge from Cecelia Gallelli-Keyes.
OCEAN CITY — Dave Winslow, the Fourth Ward councilman seeking re-election May 14, believes in a thoughtful and deliberative decision-making process. He said he is an independent thinker who may not always agree with the administration but he wants to work together to get things done.
He may appear quiet at City Council meetings because he likes to hear both sides of a story and doesn’t like to blurt things out. Winslow is a hands-on councilman; if a constituent calls about a puddle in the alley, he’ll go see the puddle. Then he’ll forward information on to the administration.
Winslow said he drives the ward every day, which helps him make so many acquaintances, going from 26th to 59th streets and taking a loop to check out Ocean Reef, which is in his ward.
He has been a resident of the city for 47 years. With a career as vice president of human resources for a multi-national company, he’s traveled all over and had the opportunity to live many places, but he’s always come home to Ocean City.
Among his civic engagements have been the Ocean City C-Cerpents swim club, Holy Trinity Church and the Night In Venice parade, of which he became chairman in 1985 and with limited exceptions has been running it ever since. He and his wife were involved with the Boy Scouts; all three of their sons achieved the highest ranking of Eagle Scout.
“I want to give back because community has been so good to me. I’ve had opportunities to move all over the country with my career but I always stayed in Ocean City. I just never wanted to leave,” he said.
Pressing issues
Asked about key issues facing the resort, he said flooding remains a problem in many areas and citizens are concerned about overdevelopment and parking.
“Parking is probably the biggest thing. There is just not enough space. We have to be careful how we allocate parking in different areas of the city,” he said.
The city has to decide what to do with the Klause and Flood properties being taken by eminent domain. He believes there should be citizen committees to provide input on what to put in that “great space.”
Representing the Fourth Ward, he also is concerned about the 34th Street gateway district and keeping a unified look there without being too restrictive.
“When I moved here it was a sleepy little road. Now it’s a major gateway into Ocean City. We have the opportunity to make it look a lot nicer,” he said.
A personal initiative is cleaning up the more than 30 signs on 34th Street as people come off the Roosevelt Boulevard bridge and replacing that “hodgepodge” with perhaps collective signs showing churches and civic organizations. He also believes there should be ‘Welcome to Ocean City’ signs on 34th Street and on the Ninth Street causeway. Winslow noted when he drove from Ventnor to Cape May, all of the other barrier island communities had welcome signs on their major entrances.
Other priority
With society changing, he said, “we have to continue to make Ocean City that special place.”
He’s been coming to the resort since he was four months old and wants to keep the culture intact so people continue to come here. He also puts everything into perspective as a cancer survivor, making family the most important thing in the world.
As a councilman, he said, “My role is to keep the administration on track. It is not to run the city. My role is to make sure the administration is doing what they’re supposed to do and when they don’t do it, I have no problem calling them out.”
Bad decisions
Winslow said there haven’t been many council decisions on which he would have voted a different way if given the chance. Most have been unanimous, with the arguing done behind closed doors.
He said the salary ordinance was not popular and he wasn’t sure if the proposal was correct so he did his own research — “like a five-page dissertation” — looking at all different wages and related aspects and “believe it or not” he came up pretty close to what the administration proposed.
He said he wasn’t on council when most of the decisions about the Klause and Flood properties were made, but has since schooled himself on that.
Too much spending?
Winslow doesn’t believe the city is overspending and actually “is pretty frugal in some ways.” He believes the five-year capital plans are well thought out and he just wants to make sure some of those plans can be revisited in case things change.
“People want their roadways done but it becomes expensive,” he said.
Reflecting on the Klause and Flood properties, he said the price tag is kind of a “sticker shock,” but in 20 years once it has been transformed from an open lot that people won’t be talking about the expense.
Spending too little?
Winslow goes back to his pet project of getting welcome signs on the major entrances to the city as one area he’d like to see more spending.
He is also happy the city has taken over the Howard S. Stainton Senior Center from the county. Because it was county-run, county government picked up the tab. Now the city is picking up the expense, which is increasing because it has been “a phenomenal success” and is almost to capacity, serving many more seniors than it did before.
“I think for programs for seniors we haven’t spent as much. With (former councilwoman) Karen Bergman running it, I think we’ll see a much more robust program for seniors down there. That’s going to cost more money, but there is a lot of grant money out there.”
Why he’s the best choice
Asked why he is the best choice for the Fourth Ward council seat, Winslow said he wants to give back because the city has been so good to him.
He said he has a steady demeanor and can bring a “level-headed passion” to the position.
He said he cares for the ward as if he owns it, making his part-time council position nearly a full-time job in caring for the community.
“I have the passion and the dedication and the wherewithal and knowledge to get things done. It’s not about me, it’s about the city. It’s been so good to me and I need to give back. That’s my human nature,” he said, noting it is something instilled by his parents.
– By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
The Ocean City Sentinel is sponsoring a Candidate Forum from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday, April 29, at the Hughes Performing Arts Center auditorium at Ocean City High School. To submit a question for consideration, please send an email to oceancitysentinel@comcast.net
