By MADDY VITALE
Ocean City Councilman Pete Madden is officially the winner of an at-large Council seat after all of the mail-in votes and provisionals were counted Tuesday in a close race.
In the election, six candidates vied to fill three at-large seats on the City Council.
Tom Rotondi, a Second Ward councilman who ran for an at-large seat, was Madden’s closest challenger for the third slot. On Election Night, Rotondi received 1,897 votes. Madden, an incumbent at-large councilman, garnered 1,945 votes.
The final vote announced Tuesday by the Cape May County Clerk’s Office put Madden at 1,991 votes, including 494 mail-ins and 27 provisionals. Rotondi received 1,948 votes with 422 mail-ins and 29 provisional votes.
Both councilmen commented about the results in interviews Tuesday afternoon, shortly after the numbers were posted on capemaycountyvotes.com. They both said that they are eager to get back to work for the taxpayers of Ocean City.
“I am glad it is done, and I am looking forward to getting back to work,” Madden said.
Among the six candidates, incumbent Councilwoman Karen Bergman was the top vote-getter, political newcomer Tony Polcini was second, Madden was third and Rotondi finished fourth. Former First Ward Councilman Michael DeVlieger and environmental advocate Donna Moore were the fifth and sixth place finishers, respectively, on Election Night.
Madden, who ran with Bergman and Polcini on a team dubbed “The Big 3,” said in an interview on May 11 that he believed his victory would stand.
He also said that he and his running mates ran a clean campaign based on key issues, and that he looks forward to continuing to do what is best for the residents of the resort.
Rotondi, who noted after the polls closed on Election Night that he was pleased with how well he did in the citywide race, said that he will continue to “work hard for the residents.”
“We will continue to find areas to cut taxes and get the infrastructure done at the right cost and, together with the Ward Councilmen, I will make sure to do the best for the taxpayers and protect the families,” he said.
He added that the poll numbers showed that half of the voters agreed with his message.
“Not bad for my first citywide run,” Rotondi said. “Now, I have a base to grow, and my base is roughly 1,800 voters. I will stay in the fight and continue to do good things.”
