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By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
City Council candidate Sean Barnes says he has been devoted to community service, in one way or another, virtually all of his life.
It began when he was a primary school student planting dune grass to help fortify Ocean City’s natural sand barrier against coastal storms.
“You went out and all the kids loved to do it. They gave you a bucketful of seedlings, and we walked to the dunes and planted them. So it was a community service activity, but obviously as a grade schooler we just looked at it as a fun way to go play on the beach,” Barnes recalled with a laugh.
His community service has continued throughout his adult years, he pointed out. Now, he hopes to become involved with the community in an even deeper way by winning an at-large seat on City Council in Ocean City’s municipal election May 14. Barnes will face former Councilman Mike DeVlieger for the at-large seat.
“My personality and upbringing and everything else are very conducive to helping people in whatever capacity I can – whether it’s in community affairs or serving on Council,” Barnes said in an interview last Friday.
Strengthening the local economy, maintaining Ocean City’s reputation as “America’s Greatest Family Resort” and preserving the shore’s environment are central themes of his campaign, he said. Underscoring that platform, his campaign slogan is “Preserving Our Shore Way of Life.”
Barnes, 64, is a newcomer to elected office. He believes his newcomer status will allow him to bring “new energy, vision, and common sense to our city government.”
He said he began to seriously think about running for City Council after he was encouraged to do so by friends and family members over the last few years.
“I finally came to the conclusion that, hey, if I’m going to complain about stuff on this side of the podium, then maybe it’s time to go on the other side of the podium and serve as a Council person,” he said.
Over the years, Barnes has appeared at City Council meetings, as an Ocean City resident, to advocate on behalf of a number of issues, including dredging projects to deepen the local lagoons clogged with muddy sediment.
“At times, I got really frustrated because I could see projects stalled because of political aspirations,” he said.
Barnes, a resident of Revere Place, is already well-known in the community in his role as the longtime president of the Snug Harbor Association. The group represents the homeowners who live on Snug Harbor, a tiny lagoon framed by Eighth and Ninth streets.
As president of the homeowners’ group, he pushed for years to have Snug Harbor dredged on a regular basis to remove sediment that threatened to keep boaters trapped at their docks at low tide. Now, Snug Harbor is part of the city’s regular dredging program for shallow lagoons and other waterways along the back bays.
“I have a track record of getting things done for our community. For example, as president of Snug Harbor Association, our lagoon neighborhood in Ocean City, I sounded the alarm and successfully led the charge for action when our waterway had become unsafe and not navigable,” Barnes said.
Dredging the lagoons is part of Barnes’ overall campaign theme to protect the shore’s fragile environment.
“The environment is really important to me because it sustains and is conducive to our way of life,” he said. “I like to ride the Boardwalk, go boating, walk the bridge, walk on the beach and go surfing. I want to keep our beaches clean and pristine. I want to keep the bays navigable and safe.”
Another major aspect of his campaign is his support for Ocean City’s business community, the backbone of the local economy. He said he is open to virtually any ideas to make the local business sector even stronger.
“If the shop owners come to us and say, ‘Hey, I have this idea,’ I’m definitely the kind of guy that’s going to look into it,” Barnes said.
As an example, he noted that it is critical for the city to continue with its lineup of special events to draw more visitors to town to support the retail shops, restaurants and other business outlets.
“It’s really important to me to keep the economy going. I think Asbury Avenue has come a long way. I think they’re really doing great. I just want to see that going forward. The commercial space, the retail, the restaurants, etc., that are on the side streets, we should give them the support they need to be open year-round, if possible. For those who live here year-round, it’s nice to have those services in January or February.”
Barnes also cited the need for more parking to help local businesses attract more customers. He supports Mayor Jay Gillian’s newly announced initiative to use technology to direct motorists to open parking spaces at the city-owned lots.
Another big focus of Barnes’ campaign is his support of the city’s police and fire departments to continue keeping Ocean City safe and maintaining its family-friendly reputation.
“Ultimately, my goal is my motto, ‘Preserving Our Shore Way of Life,’ which means that Ocean City stays as a safe, welcoming and vibrant community for everybody that lives here and comes to visit. However I can work to achieve that, that’s my goal,” he said.
Barnes said he and a neighbor recently showed their support for the police department by donating packets of medical gauze that helps to control bleeding in case of puncture wounds or other injuries.
“If one person is saved, obviously it was worth it. Plus, it was just really fun to get the community together. So I love stuff like that,” he said of the donation.
Barnes works as a director at Enterprise Community Asset Management Inc., a financial company that helps investors to build affordable housing developments in distressed areas of the country.
He is also a Coast Guard-licensed boat captain and owner of Sail Atlantic LLC, a local sailing charter business that provides excursions, including sunset cruises, coastal cruising, and corporate/employee team-building opportunities.
Reflecting his community involvement, he is also a lifelong parishioner at St. Damien Parish in Ocean City and currently serves as Eucharistic minister, lector, and musician with the St. Damien Parish choir.
His twin brother, Kevin, serves as president of the Ocean City Board of Education. Sean Barnes said he began to seriously think about getting involved in elected politics at about the same time as his brother sought a seat with the school board.
Barnes said he and his brother would talk about being involved in the community long before Kevin decided to run for the Board of Education and he thought about seeking a seat on City Council.
“When I talk to people out on the street and do the meet-and-greets, one thing I try to get across to the voters is that I bring a clear understanding of who I work for as a Council person: That’s the residents of Ocean City. And that’s going to be important throughout my tenure,” he said.
For more information about Sean Barnes and his campaign, visit www.barnesforoceancity.com
