By MADDY VITALE
Businesswoman Amie Vaules has submitted her nominating petitions to run for the Third Ward Council seat in the Ocean City municipal election May 14.
Vaules turned in her petitions to City Clerk Melissa Rasner on Thursday, with her husband, Michael, and friends and other supporters with her, including Mayor Jay Gillian and City Council President Pete Madden. Her daughter, Isabella, 18, is away at college and 16-year-old son, Henry, was in school, so they could not attend.
Vaules is running against incumbent Third Ward Councilman Jody Levchuk, who filed his nominating petitions last week. The Third Ward is an area that stretches from the south side of 12th Street to the north side of 26th Street.
Her campaign slogan is “Community, Character, Compassion and Competence,” and her platform is “to honor the past with a vision for the future.”
She and her mother, Linda, own and operate Riverton Pool and Spa in Delran, N.J., and Sparkle Pool and Spa in Wenonah, N.J.
Vaules, 48, spoke Friday about the reasons she wants to enter the political arena for the first time in her life.
“I have always had an interest in government service and now is the perfect time in my life to pursue a seat on Council,” she said in an interview.
If elected, she said, she would “look forward to being able to balance out the Council seats with a fresh perspective, a mom’s perspective and a businesswoman’s perspective.”
Some of the major areas she would like to focus on would be flood mitigation, dredging, beach replenishment and open space.
“My key focus would be to continue work on dredging projects, infrastructure projects, flood mitigation and improve the overall community,” she said. “Flooding, especially, affects everyone, even if you don’t live in a flood-prone area.”
Vaules noted that the Third Ward has a little bit of everything, including a couple blocks of the Boardwalk and of the downtown shopping district along Asbury Avenue.
“The Third Ward is the most diverse with business, residential, beach, bay, Boardwalk and open space. We have it all,” she said. “We have senior living facilities, too.”
She also touched upon the city’s $20 million purchase of the former car lot adjacent to the Community Center, which is located at 1735 Simpson Ave. She hopes that it stays as open space.
“I want to continue to improve the open space that Ocean City offers to the community. We have the former car lot in my ward and I would love for it to become open space and usable for the community year-round,” Vaules emphasized. “I would like to come up with different plans to have a park, recreation area and to expand the Community Center’s range of what they can offer being right next door to the piece of land.”
Senior citizens are also her priority.
Earlier this month, the city took over from the county the Howard S. Stainton Senior Center housed in the Community Center. Vaules said she is “passionate about the senior population” and is interested in seeing what new programs the city has in store for the seniors.
Vaules and her husband, Michael, moved to Ocean City full time seven years ago from Delran. But her time spent in the community goes back much farther.
“From the time I was young, my parents always had a home in the Third Ward. In our whole family history in Ocean City, we have always lived only in the Third Ward and it is a place I know well,” she said. “I’ve spent a lot of time here.”
In addition to the Third Ward seat, the other three ward seats are up for election for full four-year terms. First Ward Councilman Terry Crowley Jr. was the first candidate to turn in his petitions. Fourth Ward Councilman David Winslow turned his in as well. Levchuk turned in his petitions for the Third Ward and Keith Hartzell turned in his petition to run in the Second Ward. Paul Stryker turned in his petition to run also in the Second Ward on Friday.
Second Ward Councilman Tom Rotondi took out petitions, but has not turned them in as of yet for a seat on Council.
In addition to the ward seats, there is a vacancy that was created by the resignation of At-Large Councilwoman Karen Bergman. Bergman stepped down in January to become the supervisor of the Stainton Senior Center.
There will be a spot on the election ballot for candidates seeking to fill Bergman’s unexpired term through 2026. Former First Ward Councilman Mike DeVlieger has turned in his petitions to run for the at-large seat.
Another Council candidate, Sean Barnes, confirmed his intention to run for the at-large seat and has taken out petitions, but has not yet returned them to the City Clerk.
To learn more about Third Ward Council candidate Amie Vaules, visit www.amieforcouncil.com
