It’s a good thing Ocean City will now have an election with five candidates seeking four council seats next month.
Almost immediately after Ocean City resident John Gehrig filed for Ocean City Council this week, it was clear not everyone thinks it’s a good thing to have an election, as a string of silly social media comments proclaimed the candidate’s conflict of interest.
Although it’s not expected to be a nasty campaign, it was interesting to hear these conflict of interest claims because he owns an electronic marketing and web development company, which of course works in the tourism industry. While it’s true Gehrig is in the hotel room rental business by virtue of his company’s online booking service, that fact does not disqualify him as candidate or even raise rational questions as far as his fitness as a candidate.
In fact, Gehrig is an impressive and qualified candidate who has a legitimate shot at knocking off an incumbent and securing one of the four open council seats.
Apparent conflicts of interest are noticeable at every turn in small town government, including Ocean City. If you make a living in Ocean City, then an argument could probably be made you should not be setting policy and making key decisions for the town. That’s just not practical. An elected body full of retirees — who still could have perceived conflicts based on community connections and affiliations — is not good for Ocean City. There needs to be a good mix of officials and ideologies to bring out the best in everyone.
The conflict of interest argument is hogwash and if that can of worms gets officially opened by candidates in this election then the gloves should come off. It’s a ridiculous argument.
Back in January, the four council incumbents — Doug Cymek, Dennis Dare, Tony DeLuca and Mary Knight — filed for their respective seats 11 months ahead of the election. Each spoke of how they wanted to keep the team together and continue the sound working partnership they have.
By most accounts, the council is a cohesive unit that functions well. By and large, they agree on most issues that come before them, but there have been disagreements along the way. It’s a solid group of elected officials, but that’s not reason enough for the four incumbents to just automatically retain their seats.
A contested election is best for everyone, even the incumbents, although they were surely disappointed when they didn’t get their free pass. They took a risk in January announcing their early card of “solidarity” to try and squash opposition. Gehrig played the spoiler on Tuesday in that political tactic.
Anything can happen in municipal elections. For example, look at two years ago when newcomer Matt James dominated the field without any elected or government experience. That election signaled a voting public that wanted new blood. We will find out next month if that’s still the case.
There are five qualified and respectable candidates for the four open council seats. That’s a good thing and it’s just one more compelling reason to closely observe the democratic process play out on Nov. 8.
