Ocean City mayoral candidate Ed Price
Two candidates are running for mayor in the May 13 municipal election.
Ed Price is challenging incumbent Mayor Jay Gillian (
read profile), who has served one term after being elected in 2010.
The mayor in Ocean City serves part-time in a four-year term as the head of the city administration but has no vote on City Council.
The following includes biographical and platform information provided by the candidate and a brief profile — along with a favorite Ocean City memory (just for the fun of it). A candidate profile for Gillian will appear tomorrow.
BIO:
Age: 54
Education: University of Delaware, IBM Programming School
No. of years lived in Ocean City: 35
Family: Wife, Veronica; two grown children from previous marriage
Occupation: CEO of medical laboratory computer firm
Public service:
- Chairperson of Ocean City Housing Authority
- Former chairperson of Ocean City Library Board (board president during concept, design, funding and implementation of new building)
- 10 years on Library Board
- Six years Ocean City Aviation Advisory Board, pilot's license single engine land
- Past Master of Ocean City Masonic Lodge and current member
- Past President of Ocean City Exchange Club, present member
- Chairperson of Foster Karney Disbursement Committee
- Member of Sons of American Legion and past financial officer
- Member of State Board of CASA (court appointed special advocates)
- Member of Atlantic/Cape May County Board of CASA
- Past President of Ocean City Masonic Club
- Member Ocean City Community Association
PLATFORM:
- FACTS: Fairness, Accountability, Communication, Transparency, Sensibility
- Fairness: "We have to pay attention to our year-round community as well as our second homeowners, because they don't have a voice in a vote ... I want everyone in our city to get the same 'fair shake.' I want the lone homeowner to get the same consideration as the big builder when they want to improve their property. I know we can do better."
- Accountability: "We need to hold people accountable for their mistakes."
- Communication: "I want to be accessible. People need somebody to listen to them. I want people to be able to call me any time after I win."
- Transparency: "Too many decisions are made outside the public purview. There is too little public discussion and too few workshops."
- Sensibility: "Concept, design, fund and implement ... I'd like to use that in whatever we do in Ocean City.
REPORTER’S PROFILE:
A persistent critic of the current city administration on various issues, Ed Price says he's running for mayor on the merits of his own experience and ideas.
"I want to bring Ocean City together," Price said.
Price was president of the Ocean City Library Board during a $15 million expansion project that left the city with a jewel in its multi-use Community Center. He points to a methodical concept-design-fund-implement planning process as the key to the project's success. And he says he'll bring the same meticulousness to everything he does as mayor.
Price says he would bring new ideas to the office and improve on old ones.
He recently attended an information session on a taxpayer discount card currently being considered by other Cape May County towns. In the program, participating businesses use a portion of purchase prices to pay down a cardholder's property tax bill. Price sees the program as a great way to keep people in town shopping.
"I want to see all the stores downtown filled," he said.
Price said he'd like to see both the Ninth Street and 34th Street gateways to the island improved and beautified with something to bring a "wow" factor.
He said the city is doing the right thing in reallocating money toward an expanded capital plan, and he hopes to bring a more methodical approach.
"The No. 1 thing is infrastructure," Price said. "It isn't fair that we're driving on the roads that we are."
Price says he's committed to maintaining full-time police and fire staffing.
"We have a phenomenal police department and phenomenal fire department," he said.
He said he would work with chiefs to cut costs, instead of trying to manage their departments — "I'm not in law enforcement and I'm not a firefighter."
DEFINING OCEAN CITY MEMORY:
Growing up in Vineland, Price said he came to Ocean City often as a kid. But his favorite memories came when he turned 17, got his driver's license and could make the trip himself — crossing the 34th Street causeway in a '67 Dodge Monaco station wagon with warm sun, freedom and world of possibilities ahead of him. "That was the beginning of getting to know Ocean City," he said.
