OCEAN CITY – Ocean City Councilman Joe Mitrecic announced Tuesday morning his intentions to seek the resort’s seat on the Worcester County Commission.
“Fourteen years ago, I was a citizen of Ocean City, and like most that followed topics in the paper I came to the City Council and complained when I had a problem or when something affected me directly,” said Mitrecic, 52.
It wasn’t until he contacted Senator Jim Mathias, who was mayor of Ocean City at the time, of a concern and didn’t receive the response he expected that he began thinking about running for office.
“I thought I was going to get the standard ‘you know what you’re right Joe, and we should have thought about this’, but I didn’t. He told me he didn’t see my name on any list to become a board member. He said, ‘I don’t see you at any of the meetings. You go home and sit with your family and enjoy your life but these guys are out there putting their necks on the line to try to better the city,’” Mitrecic recalled.
Fourteen years later, surrounded by friends and family and after being elected three times to the council, Mitrecic stood on the stairs in the lobby of Town Hall and announced he will be running for County Commissioner in the upcoming election.
“We haven’t been happy with the rapport we have with the county for a long time,” Mitrecic said. “We have a difference of opinions on a lot of topics, so that little voice has been in the back of my head saying its time that somebody steps up, puts their neck on the line and goes to the county to try to better their relationship with the city.”
As a commissioner, Mitrecic said he will be looking to achieve a tax differential from the county for Ocean City. A tax differential has been an ongoing request of the city’s that the county has deliberated on in the past but has never fallen through.
“Every commissioner that represents outside of Ocean City is going to do what is best for their community, and a tax differential may or may not be best. Do I want a long drawn out legal battle? No, I would like to have some consensus among each individual member. It is Ocean City’s right to not have to pay for services that are not provided to them,” Mitrecic said.
Mitrecic said he will also work to have a 911 first response within Ocean City limits. Currently, 911 calls from Ocean City come into Snow Hill and then they are transferred back to Ocean City’s Public Safety Building on 66th Street. The delay has been a hot topic in the past but has been dormant for 10 years.
“I know more than anybody that seconds matter when their life is on the line,” said Mitrecic, who suffered a heart attack last year.
Mitrecic also wants to open the County Commission meetings to the public through a video feed and eventually have the meetings aired on TV. If elected, Mitrecic plans to appear before the Ocean City Mayor and Council on a quarterly basis to report the actions of the county.
“It is about Ocean City being treated fairly, it is about the north end of the county being treated fairly,” he said. “The county operates down there in their own little bubble and unless you’re there for the meetings you have no idea what is going on, and it is time that we know what is going on. It is time that we know the things they do that are affecting our town and we know when they’re happening.”
Mitrecic is looking forward to serving Worcester County.
“I have proven over the years here [Ocean City] I can work with anybody that I sit next to. Again, I am not going down there to cause problems or fight. I am going down there to work for the Town of Ocean City and get a fair share,” he said.
Mitrecic served two terms as a city councilman before losing his seat in the 2010 municipal election. He regained his seat in November of 2012.
When he returned to the council, current County Commissioner Louise Guylas, who has been in office since 1998, was having health issues and debating her next term. She confirmed last month she is not seeking re-election.
“I began thinking about it and talking about it with my family, and I made a decision in the fall that I was going to run,” Mitrecic said.
If elected, Mitrecic will be switching roles in the middle of his council term. No other candidates have formally announced their intent to seek the seat on the County Commission at this time. The primary election is set for this summer with the general vote planned for November.