Politics & Government

City Council Candidate Profile: Steven Fenichel

In the May 8 election, Fenichel is running for the Third Ward seat.

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.

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The candidates are as follows:

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

Find out what's happening in Ocean Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

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): Steven Fenichel (see below)

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

 

STEVEN FENICHEL

 

BIO INFORMATION:

Name: Steven Fenichel

Age: 63

Address: 2100 block of Bay Avenue

Education: Vineland High School; Rutgers College — bachelor of arts degree; Royal College of Surgeons, Medical School, Dublin, Ireland; Board-certified in family medicine; Board-certified in dermatology

No of years in Ocean City: 27

Family:

  • Wife: Georgina
  • Sons: Kieran and Emmet
  • Calico cat: Jasmine

Occupation: Physician

Public Service:

  • Peace Corps volunteer
  • Community Action Now (CAN) after-school program Ocean City. Help with homework and mentor.
  • Member of Ocean City Ethics Commission
  • Work in free clinic for people without insurance or money
  • Physicians for a National Health Program — advocate for health care for all

 

PLATFORM:

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

  • Hold administration and elected officials accountable for their actions. It is like the Wild West with no one being responsible to the citizens. Skate park disappears overnight. The Annex is flattened without any planning.
  • Take seriously the concerns of the people of Ocean City and not just the special interests. There are two sets of rules in Ocean City … one for the insiders and one for the outsiders. It’s time the outsiders were brought into the fold. The reality is that the ordinary taxpayers are the backbone of the community. We have lost 25 percent of our residential population. Those who are left are gold. The community cannot survive without them. Yet they are excluded from the decisions being made.
  • Call for a review of all personnel policies from the lowest to the highest paid in the city.
  • Restore and strengthen the Ethics Commission.
  • Responsible stewardship of the taxpayers' money. There is too much waste and very little accountability. I would look into auditing the auditors of the city books.
  • Restore the viability of the center of Ocean City with equal input from downtown and boardwalk merchants, as well as the citizens. There should be no division in this small town.
  • Involve the citizens and merchants in long-term planning for the city. There is no plan.
  • Look into oversight of the Police Department. They are out of control in this town. They have gone from “serve and protect” to “hunt and fine.” Every young person in Ocean City has a police record, and there is not even a bar in town. We can do better!
  • Shut down the toxic coal plant across the bay that endangers the lives and health of our community.
  • Give back to the ordinary people of Ocean City. How about two beach tags for each family. A parking permit for downtown. A safe place for our young people to gather. There is money for knocking down buildings, fancy lights on the boardwalk … there is enough.
  • Listen to the young people: “Youth are not the problem, they are the solution.” Other than city sports, there is very little focus on the needs of our youth. The only place they can skateboard is on the streets. How safe is that?
  • Look into making it possible for ordinary, qualified citizens to run for political office, instead of only those who have money and/or connections.

 

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

They have succeeded in making our town very cynical. No one believes what is being said. No one on City Council, except Mr. Wagner, is listening to the people. There is a complete disregard for the needs of the citizens of Ocean City. Access and power is given to those who are well-connected. Ordinary taxpayers have to plead and beg, and still they are not heard.

 

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

A breath of fresh air! A genuine interest in the needs of the community members with no business or political interests. A pledge to listen and act for the common good. Respect for the youth, seniors, retirees, families, rich and poor in this community.

 

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

I support allowing BYOB restaurants in Ocean City: Yes

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

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: Yes

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

 

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

BYOB: Hypocrisy and double-standard. If one is rich and makes it to the Yacht Club, alcohol is served in Ocean City. If one is a Veteran of Foreign War, alcohol is served in Ocean City. If one can come up with $60 and attend the 5th Annual Martini Tasting Event at the Flanders (on the Boardwalk!), alcohol is served in Ocean City. It is only since 1984 that alcohol has not been allowed in restaurants. The historic Jesus condemned hypocrisy more than anything else. According to Matthew 23;23 Jesus claims that “hypocrites have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness.” We must all vote our conscience on May 8, not the conscience of the politicians, business people or religious leaders. We live in a Faulkner Act town, which means we have the right of self-determination on matters of governance that are not specifically prohibited by state law. The floodgates will not be opened. Regardless of what the results of the vote on May 8, we all know the sun will rise as usual on May 9!

Salary Increases: All working people should have a living wage! Union members are bound by collective bargaining agreements. True stewardship of taxpayers’ money with curbing waste and looking at salaries of management in Police, Fire, Law Department and Administration is more important than going after the men and women who keep the city going. I have more concern over the lack of accountability in the Personnel Department. Neither the employees nor the taxpayers are being properly served.

Borrowing for capital improvements: Infrastructure expenditures are important to prevent flooding of homes and roads. Also, open space must be defended! But borrowing is a serious thing for our future and should be done with caution. Paving roads is essential to protecting our residents. Regulating the size and weight of vehicles using our roads should be considered. At least $1 million has been budgeted for dredging this year. The size of boats using our back bays has a major role in the expense to the taxpayers for dredging. The bigger the boat, the greater our expense. Boating is a right, but in relation to flooding and road maintenance, it is a luxury.

Ethics Board: This is the glue that holds society together. There is no other avenue for a city employee or an elected official to be held accountable. Let a jury of your peers make a judgment — this is the core of American jurisprudence. Packing the Ethics Commission with a set of nodding bobble-heads may be the goal of some members of City Council. But this will not do justice to the community.


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