Congrats to all. Now the real work begins.
Congratulations to all the winning candidates: Mayor Jay Gillian on his re-election, and Jim Kelly, Sean Barnes, and Tony Polcini on their election to City Council.
While we may not have gotten every result we had hoped for, this election revealed something very powerful: Residents made it clear they want to be part of shaping what comes next for Ocean City. People are paying attention. Neighbors got involved. New voices stepped forward. It is now the duty of our elected leadership to welcome and listen to community voices on the critical issues before us.
And those voices, while disagreeing at times on the right candidate, did come together on a number of issues, including an important one: Wonderland. The people of Ocean City want the issue resolved, no more stubborn stalemates. The two candidates who failed to put their voices forward for a collaborative solution, Pete Madden and Jocelyn Palaganas, ended up not moving forward themselves.
Every elected candidate pledged their willingness to compromise in one form or another and now it’s up to us, the people, to hold them accountable. For too long, this entire debate has been a big hotel or nothing. Now it’s really time for the hard work of negotiating a true, collaborative solution, one that delivers top-quality accommodation, brings vibrancy and traffic to the boardwalk, and aligns with Ocean City’s family-friendly culture and unique character.
We want to thank every resident who took part in this year's process. It sparked important conversations about the future of Ocean City and began laying the groundwork for finding common ground as well as making room for respectful disagreements—and that matters.
Ocean City is still the place where generations return summer after summer, where families build traditions, where neighbors know one another, and where people care enough to fight for the future of their community. Our Ocean City will continue to advocate for our town and our issues—together—and we hope you will join us.
Our Ocean City