By TIM KELLY
Surrounded by family and friends, Gabe Staino filed his nominating petition on Monday afternoon to run for the vacant Second Ward City Council seat in Ocean City.
The seat was vacated in January after the sitting Councilman, Antwan McClellan, was elected to the New Jersey Assembly.
“In the 37 years I have lived in South Jersey, I have spent a great deal of my time in Ocean City,” Staino said in an interview Monday. “I’ve always had very strong ties to our community. I think that I bring a service acumen and a business acumen to a town that is already great. It is my hope to help make it even greater.”
Staino handed over his paperwork to City Clerk Melissa Rasner at City Hall.
Staino was among four prospective candidates who met with Council in February in hopes of winning appointment to McClellan’s unexpired term. Three Council members voted for him, but he did not get a fourth vote needed for a majority of the governing body, so his appointment fell short.
Now, Staino has emerged as a candidate seeking a full four-year term in the Second Ward race in the May municipal election.
In recent years, Staino has served on numerous volunteer boards and organizations, with a particular concentration on health care organizations including Shore Medical Center, Bacharach Rehabilitation Hospital and AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center.
In addition to giving back to a town “that has given me a lot,” Staino said he was personally interested in expanding his horizons.
“I’ve never been on the policy side of things, but I’ve witnessed the process in Ocean City firsthand,” Staino said. “I think I can make a contribution.”
The Council hopeful said that if elected he would strive to represent his Second Ward constituents with the same level of access and personal contact as his predecessor.
