Five Will Fight for Three Seats on City Council

Five candidates will run for three open seats on City Council in the May 13 municipal election. The deadline to submit petitions to be included on the ballot passed at 4 p.m. Monday (March 10). Incumbents Michael Allegretto and Keith Hartzell, and challengers Mike Hyson, Pete Madden and Eric Sauder turned in petitions. Each petition already has been certified, City Clerk Linda MacIntyre announced on Monday. Ocean City voters will choose a mayor and fill three at-large seats on City Council in the May election. The seats to be decided are currently held by Mayor Jay Gillian and City Council members Allegretto, Hartzell and Scott Ping. Ping announced Monday that he will not seek re-election. All seats include four-year terms. City Council includes seven members — four elected from the city’s individual wards and three elected at-large by the entire Ocean City electorate. The five candidates in alphabetical order: Michael Allegretto Michael Allegretto: The 42-year-old former City Council president and current vice president is running for his third term. Keith Hartzell Keith Hartzell: The 58-year-old downtown landlord and paper company sales manager is running for his third term. Mike Hyson Mike Hyson: The 54-year-old former former Philadelphia Police Department officer is running on a platform of aggressive roads and drainage improvement. Pete Madden Pete Madden: The 36-year-old former Board of Education president is a broker manager at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. Eric Sauder Eric Sauder: The 59-year-old Central Avenue property owner has been a regular attendee at City Council meetings and a proponent of a variety of reforms and advocate for community interests.