Recently, the OCNJDaily had the pleasure of sitting down with Mayor Jay Gillian to discuss his campaign to seek his third consecutive term as the Mayor of Ocean City. As a lifelong resident of Ocean City and a highly regarded member of the business community, Jay shared his thoughts and reflected upon the upcoming election.
After 8 years, some people wonder why you still want to continue on as Mayor….what drives you to want to continue?
I want to see through what I started. So much of the infrastructure needs to be finalized including the complete rebuilding of our road and drainage systems, continued protection of our beach, dredging of our back bay waterways and maintenance of all our city resources. It’s important to me to make sure all of this gets done and done right. It’s a job that I want to complete fully and I feel it’s my responsibility to the taxpayers.
Since becoming Mayor, are there any aspects of the job that you have learned to handle differently over time?
All of the decisions I have made over time were based on the information that I had available to me at that time. I am diligent in trying to assess a situation and gain all of the information I can to make the right decision. But working in the public sector with a sea of regulations, bidding requirements and other red tape has been a true learning experience. Having been at this for some time now, I feel that level of experience is invaluable to the City.
What would you describe as your most difficult time as Mayor?
Hurricane Sandy. It was a very challenging time for everyone in Ocean City. I am really proud of how resilient our entire community was and how quickly the city was able to get things moving forward with the cleanup, the rebuilding and, most of all, the return of displaced Housing Authority residents to their homes. It was an event like no other in my life and something that I think all of us hope we don’t need to endure again, but we are certainly well-prepared if we do find ourselves in that situation again.
In 8 years as Mayor, what would you say are some of the accomplishments you are most proud of?
I look at the harmony we have within City Council and throughout the entire community. We work together to get things done and our goals are to spend less time arguing and more time accomplishing things. There are a lot of things that I am proud of including the development of the Community Center, the resurfacing of the boardwalk, the beach replenishment, the new turf field at the High School. We have put together a great union contract for labor and the school system has thrived. We’ve taken on a historic capital improvement plan while maintaining responsible budgets.
About Jay
A lifetime of service to the community
Mayor, 2010 – 2018
Ocean City Library Board of Trustees, 2010 – 2018
Ocean City Board of Education, 2002 – 2010, Served as President
Shore Memorial Hospital / Shore Medical Center Board of Directors, Served as Chairman
First Night Ocean City, Board of Directors
Miss New Jersey Pageant, Board of Directors
First Tee of Greater Atlantic City, Board of Directors
New Jersey Amusement Association, Board of Directors, President
Ocean City Historical Museum, Board of Directors
Ocean City Boardwalk Merchants Association, Past President
Ocean City Business and Neighborhood Development, Inc., Board of Directors, Past President
AWARDS:
2009 Exchange Club Book of Golden Deeds
2008 Bailey Award for Community Service
1999 Ocean City Citizen of the Year
