City Council Candidate Profile: Ed Price

The municipal election on May 8 will decide the four ward seats on the seven-member City Council. The winners will serve four-year terms.

Ocean City Patch asked each candidate to complete a questionnaire outlining biographical information, their platform and their stands on a handful of issues.

The questionnaire is presented here in the same format it was given to the candidates. There were no further instructions, and none of the responses has been edited (beyond basic proofreading and formatting). Readers can make their own judgments on how the candidates did or didn't answer the questions.

The candidates are as follows:

FIRST WARD (all addresses north of the north side of Fourth Street): , 

SECOND WARD (south side of Fourth Street to north side of 12th Street): ,  

THIRD WARD (south side of 12th Street to north side of 26th Street): , 

FOURTH WARD (all addresses south of the south side of 26th Street and the Ocean Reef community off Tennessee Avenue): , Ed Price (see below),  

ED PRICE

BIO INFORMATION:

Name: Ed Price                       

Age: 52           

Address: Marlin Court

Education: University of Delaware

No. of years lived in Ocean City: 36

Family:

• Wife: Vonnie
• Children from previous marriage: Madeline, 19, and Jackson, 17
• Vonnie has a son, James, 30

Occupation: Partner in Computer Service & Support, Inc., a medical laboratory computer software firm in Linwood, NJ

Public service:

• 10 years on the Ocean City Free Public Library Board of Trustees, last 3 years as president of the board during the groundbreaking and grand opening of the new additions and renovations to the complex.
• Commissioner on the Ocean City Housing Authority
• Financial officer and member of the Sons of the American Legion Post 524
• Past secretary, treasurer, and president of the Ocean City Exchange Club
• Past master of the Ocean City Masonic Lodge
• Served two terms on the Ocean City Aviation Advisory Board
• Member of the Board of Trustees of CASA of New Jersey (court appointed special advocates)
• Member of the Board of Trustees of CASA of Atlantic and Cape May Counties
• Member of the Ocean City Community Association

PLATFORM: 

What issues do you see as critical for the next four years?

The city’s infrastructure needs attention. Our roads, drainage (aka flooding) and city buildings need attention. I feel that this is one of the major issues in Ocean City.

What do you see as the biggest accomplishments and shortcomings of the existing City Council and city administration in the past four years?

I feel that the City Council and administration each work hard in their own areas, however, I feel that they could use help in working together as a cohesive unit with more clear goals and objectives on a yearly basis. I would like to foster a better spirit of cooperation on council.

What do you want voters to know about you and what you’ll bring to the table?

I bring to the table a wealth of experience in and around Ocean City. My time on the Library Board allowed me to work with many different agencies around South Jersey and brought me a level of experience that no other candidate has. I am also a person that will “call a problem, a problem.” I will speak my mind and help the public to better understand the issues in government. I feel that many times government officials will not talk plainly enough about difficult issues. I work hard and I study hard to have enough knowledge to make informed decisions.

"Accountability, Balance, Character" is my platform.

ISSUES: 

YES-OR-NO QUESTIONS (one-word answers only, please):

I support allowing BYOB restaurants in Ocean City:

I support 2 percent annual salary increases for police, firefighters and public employees:

I support continued borrowing (bond ordinances) to pave more streets, improve drainage, dredge more channels and improve more parts of the city's infrastructure — even if it means the city and taxpayers will pay more in debt service:

I support the continuation of a local volunteer Ethics Board with broad powers to conduct investigations and pass judgment on city employees:

Unfair! None of these issues are YES/NO! I’ll be glad to explain but I will not answer Yes or No.

YES-OR-NO QUESTIONS (explanations … go ahead and provide rationale here, if you wish):

BYOB: BYOB is a divisive issue here in Ocean City. I would have voted the same way that City Council voted when they all voted ‘NO’ in order to send this supremely important issue to the voters. I feel that this issue is one of the very few that needs the privacy of the voting booth. I feel that Ocean City is a special place and this vote is important for each and every voter to decide themselves without hearing from people like us who are running for office. This issue should NOT be a litmus test for voters in this election.

Salary increases: Salary increases should be adjudicated on an ongoing basis and whenever new contracts are negotiated. I do not feel that using a single number would ever be proper. Council must take all issues into account when making a decision regarding salary increases. I do not feel that a single number like 2 percent is proper, and it may sometimes be higher than that and sometimes it could be lower.

Borrowing for capital improvements: The City of Ocean City has an enormous borrowing power. The city has kept its financial house in good order, and we must keep it that way. Today, interest rates are at all-time lows and contractors are looking for work. With this knowledge, we should not miss a good opportunity to borrow within reason to keep our city as special as it has been for many years.

Ethics Board: Ethics are priceless. We, as a city, cannot overlook the long-term issues surrounding the existence of the Ethics Board; however, we must also look into why some feel afraid that it may cost the city significant dollars. Have we had a longtime ethical problem that is cause for this alarm? I feel that in the long-term the Ethics Board will pay dividends to the city.