Race for OC Mayor Heats Up

OCEAN CITY – An April 25 candidate’s forum drew a small crowd and heightened interest in the competitive May 10 municipal election, the Press of Atlantic City reported.
The event, held at the Ocean City High School, was reportedly attended by 100. It was also livestreamed and saved to Youtube. David Nahan of the Ocean City Sentinel moderated.
The evening began with the two candidates in the mayoral race, incumbent Jay Gillian and current councilmember Keith Hartzell. The two concurred on several issues, but their differences were also on display.
The two sparred over rumors that Gillian, owner of the Wonderland Pier, intends to build a high-rise hotel on the boardwalk, the Press reported. Gillian denied such rumors and insisted that it was not going to happen. Hartzell alleged the construction of the high-rise hotel was the plan of Gillian and investor Eustace Mita and pledged to fight the agenda as mayor, said the Press.
When asked about the Ocean Wind project, the candidate disagreements became even more apparent, OCNJDaily reported. Hartzell is opposed to the project and is advocating for a city-wide referendum to gauge the public’s opinion. Gillian reassured voters that he is negotiating directly with Orsted, the Danish energy company, to secure community benefits and move the project further to sea, OCNJ Daily reported.
Gillian has served as mayor for 12 years, while Hartzell has sat on city council for 16 years.
Following the discussion with the mayoral candidates and a brief recess, Nahan asked questions of the six candidates vying for three seats on city council.
Incumbents Karen Bergman and Pete Madden are running for reelection. John “Tony” Polcini has joined with the two incumbents to present a unified ticket for the three open seats. Tom Rotondi, currently the councilmember for the 2^nd ward, is running for a seat as an at-large member. If he fails, he will remain on the council in his current seat, the Press reported. Donna Moore and Michael DeVlieger are also running.
Unsurprisingly, some issues at stake in the mayoral discussion cropped up again in the council forum.
Bergman and DeVlieger both took aggressive stances in opposition to the Ocean Wind project. Madden and Polcini seemed resigned to the project’s reality and suggested advocating for the city however possible. Moore, an environmental activist, supports the project. Rotondi used his time to attack Mayor Gillian’s private negotiations with the company, the Sentinel reported.
The candidates also discussed where the proposed $42 million public administration building should be constructed. Each candidate acknowledged the limited good options available and advocated for their preferred spot, the Sentinel reported.
The night featured a wealth of information about candidate positions that will likely assist voters in the May 10 election. 
Though policy was at the forefront of the event, campaigns tussled over tactics. Anonymous fliers demanding more information on Rotondi’s history in law enforcement were placed on cars in the high school parking lot during the event, the Press reported. Rotondi was riled by the fliers, suggesting that they were distributed by members of Mayor Gillian or Councilmember Madden’s campaigns, the Press reported. Both denied any connection to or knowledge of who distributed them.