Ocean City Councilman Scott Ping
Councilman Scott Ping announced Monday (March 10) that he will not seek a third term on City Council.
Ping said he had collected enough signatures to run for re-election but decided against it.
Ping, who served his first term from 2006 to 2010 during the administration of Mayor Sal Perillo, said Monday that he felt there were "not enough questions being asked" of the current administration of Mayor Jay Gillian.
He issued the following written statement:
"When I first entertained the idea to run for an Ocean City Council seat back in 2004, my intent was to represent all the homeowners and voters of Ocean City and give back to the community that has bee so good to my family and myself. My first successful campaign was in 2006, and I was re-elected in 2010. I have had the opportunity to serve as president and vice president of Council and also as Council representative to the Planning Board.
Because of the aggressive nature of the administration in my first four years on Council, we not only worked hard, we were also able to accomplish many good things for this city. The budget first and foremost was our biggest challenge, with contractual union contracts, and the repaying of deferred pension costs hitting us all at once. As a Council, we worked hard to control costs and protect the taxpayers from outrageous tax increases. Because the administration aggressively went after federal and state grant money, many projects were completed without the tax burden falling directly on the taxpayers of Ocean City. However, due to the aggressive nature of that administration, the Council and the administration did not see eye-to-eye at all times. That being said, good government must have a check-and-balance approach in order to be effective and fair.
Entering my second term on Council, it became clear that the only way to make any definitive changes to our budget was through policy change. In our form of government, most policy changes must come from the administration. After much studying and research, Councilman Hartzell and myself approached the administration with what we were convinced was a no-nonsense, common-sense approach to EMS services, that could save the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars. After delivering our message many times, it has become apparent that our work has fallen on deaf ears.
Which brings me to today:
I have decided NOT TO RUN for re-election this year.
To all my friends who have supported me when I ran for office, I thank you for your support. To those who did not support me when I ran for office, I respect your decision, however, I hope that in some way I was able to make a decision that had a positive impact on your life here in Ocean City.
To all my fellow Council people that I have worked with over the years, Jack, Greg, John, Jody, Sue, Karen, Mike, Roy, Pete, Antwan, Tony, Michele, John and my "Bull Dog" Keith, I thank you for working with me to do what we felt was best for the taxpayers of Ocean City."
