Council Candidates Talk Alcohol, Wind Farm at Forum

By MADDY VITALE Six Ocean City Council candidates are seeking three at-large seats in the May 10 municipal election, and on Monday night, each of them answered an array of questions. Everything from whether the candidates want to keep Ocean City a dry town or allow alcohol sales or BYOB for restaurants, to views on an offshore wind farm proposed for 15 miles off the coast passing by Ocean City, to the best location for a new public safety building, took up most of the hour-long forum. About 250 people attended the program at the Bill and Nancy Hughes Performing Arts Center at Ocean City High School. Another 250 people watched it on Zoom, according to the organizers. The Ocean City Sentinel sponsored the forum and the Sentinel’s editor, David Nahan, served as the moderator. The audience heard from incumbent at-large Council members Karen Bergman and Pete Madden and newcomer John “Tony” Polcini, running on one slate. They also heard from former First Ward Councilman Mike DeVlieger, Second Ward Councilman Tom Rotondi, and environmental advocate and longtime resident Donna Moore. In opening statements each candidate said why they want to remain on Council, return to Council or become a member of the governing body. “We all have issues about the quality of life and the concerns of our island," Moore said. "I want to bring all of this experience together to represent you on Council as a voice for the people." Madden said as a councilman for the past eight years, he puts community first. “As a member of City Council, it is our job to represent your best interest,” he said. “It is not an individual effort. We are a team, working together with the mayor and administration.” https://youtu.be/JEzMjkzeIBA (Video courtesy of Martin Fiedler of Just Right TV Productions and the Ocean City Sentinel) Like Madden, Bergman said her time on Council taught her what works best. “I have been a strong voice on Council for 11 years," Bergman said. "I am very proud of my accomplishments. I am connected and work daily with all the diverse groups of our city.” DeVlieger, who stepped down from Council in August, after serving since 2012, to deal with a family matter, said he wants to return to the governing body to continue to do what he enjoyed -- serving the community. “I had to focus on my family,” he said. “We resolved that matter, and my family is moving forward, and I am asking to do for the rest of the island what I was able to do for the First Ward.” Rotondi is in his first term on Council in the Second Ward. He said that as a married father of three, he loves Ocean City and all that it stands for and he wants it to remain a family-friendly town. “I look forward to serving as your councilman at-large if you choose,” he said. He would remain on Council as a Second Ward councilman should he not win an at-large seat. Polcini, a lifelong resident, said as a newcomer to politics, he hopes to bring a fresh perspective to Council. “This is my first rodeo in any political race. I am not a politician, nor do I strive to be to gain power or accolades,” he said, adding that he is a family man who knows Ocean City. When it came to some issues, specifically their point of view on alcohol sales and recreational marijuana, the Council candidates all agreed that neither should be allowed in Ocean City and that it would harm the resort's family-friendly image and what the town is all about. Dave Nahan asks questions of the candidates. All of the candidates gave resounding “no” answers when Nahan asked them each their feeling on both issues. “We should stay with what we have,” Moore said. “Some people would like BYOB, but feel what other people here do, it might open the door toward further sales here.” Bergman said, “I am vehemently against BYOB.” “We are a dry town. We don’t have alcohol and we won’t have pot,” Madden said. The wind farm issue has dominated Council meetings over the last couple of years. The Danish energy company Orsted has hosted forums with Ocean City about the project and Council candidates have spoken out about their feelings on the wind farm. Opponents of the project fear it would harm Ocean City’s tourism, real estate values, the commercial fishing industry, migratory birds and marine life. They are also worried that massive wind turbines that would be built 15 miles offshore would create a visual blight when viewed from land. DeVlieger, who, while a councilman, was an outspoken opponent of the project, said Monday that wind turbines would be detrimental to our real estate market, increase taxes, harm bird and marine life, hurt tourism and end up costing Ocean City residents more money in their electric bills. “We have to fight them with all legal means necessary. We have to sue them. When they presented in front of Council the first time, I came in with questions for them,” DeVlieger said of questions he posed to Orsted more than two years ago. “They still haven’t given us answers two and a half years later. I asked how many right whales and birds will the turbines kill? She told me that the number was statistically insignificant, but could not answer how many in projected numbers.” He called the project nothing but “bad news.” Orsted proposes to build a wind farm 15 miles off the South Jersey coast. This photo shows the wind turbines for an Orsted project overseas. (Photo credit Orsted) Like DeVlieger, Rotondi has also been open about his feelings about the project. He said there is nothing green about the green energy project. The construction that goes into creating the gigantic wind turbine blades alone is not good for the environment, Rotondi said. Madden said some of what Orsted has proposed was “forced on the city.” The proposal is in the planning and permitting stages with the federal government and is slated for completion in 2024. “Do I want to see the windmills? No. Do I want clean energy? Yes,” Madden said. “Let’s see what we get to benefit us. Let’s do the best we can with what we have to work with.” The candidates also discussed the issue of where to build a needed Public Safety Building to replace the aging police station that is currently on Eighth Street and Central Avenue. All of the candidates agreed that Police Chief Jay Prettyman and his department should have a better police headquarters for the work that they do. However, some took issue with the proposed location. Mayor Jay Gillian's plan would be to build a $42 million Public Safety Building that would combine Ocean City’s police, fire, emergency management and municipal court operations in one complex. The fire department’s existing downtown headquarters at 550 Asbury Avenue would be demolished to make room for the new Public Safety Building. “The administration did vet out this process. Something has to be done with the police station or fire station. No matter where you put a police station, no location is ideal," Madden said. "I’m open to any suggestion for what we can do. The money is earmarked to do work. We need to move forward with something and the longer we wait, the more expensive it gets.” An architectural rendering gives an aerial view of the proposed Public Safety Building and parking lot. (Courtesy City of Ocean City) Rotondi, a former law enforcement officer, said that he was opposed to putting a police station near a school for one very important reason: Pedophiles have to check in depending on their tier status. “When the administration pitched the first location, I had a challenge with the location,” Rotondi said. “Pedophiles have to check in. To put the building in that location, I wasn’t for it. Not next to a church and a school. The best thing to do is give them the best state-of-the-art police station and figure out something for the fire department.” Mayor Gillian and his administration unveiled the plan in October of 2020.