Gillian, Hartzell, Madden talk about the race, their priorities
OCEAN CITY — An average of 3,789 votes have been cast in Ocean City’s past four mayoral elections, meaning the winner needed to claim about 1,895 to reach a majority.
Incumbent Jay Gillian, who has won those past four contests, has topped the number each time since he first ran, beating Michael Hinchman 2,697 to 1,586 in 2010, Ed Price 2,115 to 1,386 in 2014, John Flood 1,950 to 1,122 in 2018 and Keith Hartzell 2,348 to 1,953 in 2022.
However, this time around there are three candidates for the city’s top elected position, one that oversees an annual budget in excess of $118 million with full-time police, fire and public works employees, along with special events, recreation and administrative staffs.
With three horses in the race, the ultimate winner may end up with a plurality rather than a majority.
Gillian announced his bid for a fifth term in office with a 3-minute video on social media, saying he believes deeply in the community and there remains work to do.
He said he has always governed by what is best for Ocean City, “not politics, pressure or personal interest.”
The incumbent will again be facing Hartzell, a long-serving city councilman, as well as Pete Madden, a 12-year member of the governing body who currently serves as vice president.
Gillian said last week that his campaign was going well.
“The momentum is great, the reaction and feedback from voters. I feel really great,” he said.
Likewise, Hartzell and Madden both were optimistic about their approach as the election looms May 12.
“Plugging away,” Madden said. “Every week I continue to build momentum. I’m pretty new to this and learning every day.”
All three of the candidates are employing a mix of old and new strategies for capturing voters’ attention, and hopefully ballot.
Hartzell, the sitting Second Ward councilman who also served for years as an at-large member of the governing body, also made his announcement via social media.
He has always been a proponent of going door to door. However, while he feels that meeting constituents face to face is important, he has a social media team that guides his online presence.
“I go door to door seven days a week, but it’s a full array of things, multifaceted,” he said of his campaign, noting his latest reels on social media garnered 42,000 views.
That being said, he feels face to face is better because “you get a reaction.”
“I get fairly lengthy conversations, going into each issue, and I don’t put together a campaign strategy until I have gone door to door,” he said.
While obviously an old hand at campaigning, Gillian also is employing different strategies.
“Door to door, house events … we’re really doing everything we normally do, getting out into the community and talking to everyone,” he said, noting how each election is different as technology changes.
“It’s amazing how each campaign is a whole different animal,” Gillian said. “You try to do new things, but at end of day, if you work hard and do what’s right, people elect you.”
Madden, who is finishing his third term as an at-large councilman, served as council president for seven years and almost the past two years as vice president under President Terry Crowley Jr.
The real estate broker said he is going door to door, attending group events, posting on social media and “trying to focus on everything.”
“You have to be well-rounded,” Madden said. “There’s a whole lot of people on this island and I don’t know everyone. I’m trying to reach everyone the best way I can.”
Gillian said he is hearing from “happy” constituents.
“They love my leadership, transparency, services, the senior center,” he said.
What they are not happy about, he said, is how “social media has taken over our lives” and ongoing roadwork each winter and spring. But he called the paving “short-term pain for long-term gain.”
“It’s been very rewarding,” he said. “If this election was based on what I have accomplished, it would be a landslide.”
Madden 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.
He said constituents are telling him they are happy that he is running and “happy there is another choice.”
“They seem to like my youth, energy and enthusiasm for the job,” Madden said.
He said the major issue he hears about is the future of Wonderland Pier. Gillian’s family owned the amusement park at Sixth Street and the boardwalk for more than 60 years but he was forced to close it in mid-October 2024.
Since that time, the city has been in a state of upheaval over the future of the site, where property owner Eustace Mita wants to build an eight-story, 252-room hotel and opponents have proposed multiple other ideas.
“I’m doing my best to listen and see if there’s something I can do to help,” Madden said, noting he “felt like at this point I could make a better impact on the city as mayor than on City Council.”
Hartzell agree that “everybody wants something done with Wonderland,” but noted he continues to hear about parking problems. He is an advocate of forcing builders of homes with four or more bedrooms to provide adequate space off the street to keep cars.
He also said he would “concentrate on spending” if elected, noting taxes have increased 17 percent in the past three years.
Another issues he mentioned is the proliferation of E-bikes on the island, where a crush of tourists coupled with the locals creates a hazardous situation only exacerbated by the scooters shooting in and out of traffic.
“We really shouldn’t have them on the boardwalk unless it’s an accessibility issue,” Hartzell said.
The website ocnjdaily.com is hosting a mayoral debate at the Ocean City Tabernacle, 550 Wesley Ave., at 6 p.m. April 28.
– By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
