Politics & Government
Meet the Candidate: Ed Price
Ed Price will challenge Mayor Jay Gillian in the May 13 election.
There are two candidates running for mayor of Ocean City in May 13’s non-partisan elections.
Mayor Jay Gillian is running for re-election after initially being elected in 2010.
He will be challenged by Ed Price.
Find out what's happening in Ocean Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The mayor serves a four-year term and is the head of the administration in Ocean City. He works with Ocean City Council, but is not a council member and doesn’t have a vote.
Ocean City Patch sent a series of questions to each candidate in this year's elections. The questions listed below are listed as sent, and each answer is published as received, with corrections for minor errors.The subject of today's "Meet the Candidate" profile is mayoral candidate Ed Price.
Why are you running?
I am running to bring a sense of Fairness over Favoritism to Ocean City government. Fairness is the first word in my platform of: FACTS Fairness, Accountability, Communication, Transparency and Sensibility. I am running to bring a new vision to our approach to government in Ocean City. I want to use the principles of CONCEPT, DESIGN, FUND and IMPLEMENT to be applied to all of the issues and projects in our community. This approach allows everyone to give input regarding issues and therefore make for a better decision.
What do you feel are the most pressing issues?
Find out what's happening in Ocean Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Infrastructure, roads, drainage, beaches (south end), dredging .... these all need immediate attention. They need attention over the long term not just in three months before an election. We need to seek long term solutions to these problems and to perform proper maintenance in order to insure the best result for taxpayer money.
What are some of the positive things that have happened in the city under the current Administration?
The positive things are the increase in the capital plan and the beginning of the boardwalk reconstruction. However, it is only one block of the boardwalk and it just happens to be the block closest to the mayor's own business. I also believe that the drainage issues in Merion Park area being addressed is a positive thing. However, it is again a neighborhood where the city administrator lives and one very hardworking member of the public came forward to push the plan. This may NOT happen in every neighborhood that needs help.
Are there any issues you feel the administration needs to put more focus on it may currently be overlooking or not putting enough attention on?I feel that the current administration needs a sharper focus on the glaring issues of our roads and the fact that you can't drive from one side of town to the other without needing repair work on your car. Additionally, I feel the increase in the capital plan spending is a great thing. However, the administration only shows the spending side and NOT the debit service payments as we move through the plan.
I feel that the mayor is trying to do in three months before the election what should have been being done for the last four years. All of a sudden, we have a skateboard park plan, a capital spending plan, a bike path plan....and all just before the election. Perhaps this was not all thought through with good planning principles. I feel that we need to use the approach we used at the Ocean City Library when we built the new addition on budget and on time: Concept, Design, Fund, Implement. I feel this systematic approach to capital project helps them run more smoothly and come in on budget and on time. I feel that some of the issues with the current skateboard park is that we have not finished a CONCEPT but have already moved to funding????
We really have not completely vetted a Concept with people who want the park and also people who may not want the park. When we built the new Library we specifically asked for people who DID NOT use the Library. This helped us to have a more widely accepted plan.
I feel that we need to approach some of the ongoing issues in Ocean City on a longer term basis. We seem to worry about Beaches, Dredging, and Roads and Drainage only every few years and do not use a long term approach of planning.
I want to bring to Ocean City a overall feeling of Fairness. Fairness over Favoritism. That is my platform: FACTS Fairness, Accountability, Communication, Transparency, and Sensibility.
Personal Background
I'm a 35-year-resident of Ocean City and the CEO of Computer Service and Support in Somers Point. I graduated from the University of Delaware and IBM Programming School. I'm married with two adult children. My public service includes:
- Chairperson of Ocean City Housing Authority
- Former chairperson of Ocean City Library Board (board president during concept, design, funding and implementation of new building)
- 10 years on Library Board
- Six years Ocean City Aviation Advisory Board, pilot’s license single engine land
- Past Master of Ocean City Masonic Lodge and current member
- Past President of Ocean City Exchange Club, present member
- Chairperson of Foster Karney Disbursement Committee
- Member of Sons of American Legion and past financial officer
- Member of State Board of CASA (court appointed special advocates)
- Member of Atlantic/Cape May County Board of CASA
- Past President of Ocean City Masonic Club
- Member Ocean City Community Association
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
