OCEAN CITY – Falling in love with Ocean City at a young age, City Council candidate Tony DeLuca, hopes to give back by serving on the council.
City Council candidate Tony DeLuca’s love story with Ocean City started when he met his wife, Joyce, on the Boardwalk at 9th Street in high school. Now with two grown sons and two grandchildren, DeLuca moved to Ocean City full-time in 2008 after retiring from Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Annapolis where he worked for 46 years.
“We moved here as soon I could. My parents brought me here when I was kid, and I have always loved it, and my grandkids love it,” DeLuca said.
Working with KFC, DeLuca was in charge of franchising for half of the United States and was accountable for sales, profits, and development for 350 franchisees and 2,000 stores.
“So, I know about budgeting and accountability,” he said.
In the six years DeLuca has lived in Ocean City, he has served the past two years on the Board of Port Wardens as an appointment by Mayor Rick Meehan. He currently serves as President of the Gateway Grand Board of Directors and Chairman of the Building and Grounds Committee. A couple of weeks ago, DeLuca received a Beautification Award for the landscaping at Gateway Grand from the Town of Ocean City Beautification Committee.
“I feel that it is the best way to contribute to society,” DeLuca said of his decision to run for City Council. “I have been very fortunate in my career and in my life, and I have always wanted to give back to the community. As soon as we moved here, I reached out to find how I could get involved. I just love being a part of this town.”
For the past five months, DeLuca has attended City Council meetings and work sessions to become familiar with the issues and to better understand the workings within and the commitment involved with serving on the City Council.
In that time, he has also reached out to all current council members to discuss current council initiatives.
“In my opinion, the council is doing a great job. They are really forward thinkers and as the economy changes they adjust. For example, when the economy took a turn for the worst in 2007, they immediately looked at ways in how to reduce the budget, and also how to still keep this a destination for vacationers. I looked at the numbers, and as a result the number of vacationers has steadily increased since 2008,” DeLuca said.
Another initiative DeLuca is jumping on board with is the council’s progress toward designating smoking areas on the beach and Boardwalk.
“I am in favor of designated smoking areas because if we do not give people a place, and we just completely ban it I think individuals will smoke right off of Boardwalk entrances, and everyone including kids will just walk through a cloud of smoke to get to our Boardwalk and clean beaches,” he said.
DeLuca couldn’t say enough about the job the Town of Ocean City and all its departments are doing.
“Especially the Special Events Department, this year’s Sunfest, the attendance sky rocketed … these events are what make people want to come visit this city,” said DeLuca.
In the past, Ocean City’s elections have been dominated by a majority/minority divide. In DeLuca’s opinion, disagreement among council can be healthy as long as the body comes together in the end.
“It is very important to have spirited discussion, and every member on the City Council should express his or her own opinion, and that every member should listen and make decisions based on it. Healthy and spirited discussion and disagreements is good but at the end of the day the City Council must work together as a team. We need team work here that will drive us in the right direction to ensure Ocean City remains a first-class family destination,” he said.
Personal goals and initiatives DeLuca looks forward to bringing to the table is enhancing public safety, starting with increasing police presence on the Boardwalk.
“Councilwoman Mary Knight hit the nail on the head when she brought forward the issue of crude language on the Boardwalk. It is degrading. This is such a family resort, and I would hope that more police walking the Boardwalk would help deter such language and install the reference that this really is a family friendly safe resort,” he said.
Due to an increase in calls for ambulances, DeLuca is also interested in evaluating Ocean City’s current ambulance fleet and staffing.
“If necessary look into additional staffing and purchase of another ambulance,” he said. “Safety is a big issue with me.”
A DeLuca’s campaign is based on three main priorities: transparency in all matters, the vital role small businesses play and the integrity of the town’s residential neighborhoods.
For more information on DeLuca and his campaign, visit the “Elect Tony DeLuca for City Council” Facebook page.