OCEAN CITY – If elected to the City Council, Matthew James, 21, would be the youngest councilman to ever serve the Town of Ocean City.
James was raised in Ocean City’s tourism industry and became interested in politics during his father Michael James’s political campaigns for Maryland State Delegate in 2006 and Maryland State Senate in 2010.
“I was very active on both of his campaigns. I really enjoy the political arena, and as I got older and understood it more and more I thought it would be something I would like to do,” said James, who had been seriously considering running for City Council for over a year now. “I really care about Ocean City and its future. I plan on being here for a long time, and I believe by being involved and working hard on the council I will be an effective member. I understand the taxpayers of Ocean City deserve great service from their city government, and they expect their tax dollars to be spent efficiently. I will never forget those two things.”
Being by far the youngest candidate out of the field seeking the four open seats in this year’s municipal election on Nov. 4, James believes his youth would add a different outlook on a predominantly older council.
James has volunteered with the Ocean City Fire Department since 2006 and has been an EMT since 2011 as well as is a property manager at the Carousel Group’s hotels.
“I started my career in the hotel industry as a young boy working for my dad at the Carousel, working just about every job you can imagine. I now manage two of the Carousel Group hotels and plan to continue my career in the hotel industry,” he said.
As a member of the Ocean City Fire Department, James appreciates the current council’s action to reconstruct Fire Station 4 on 130th Street, the approval of renovations of fire headquarters on 15th Street as well as the ground breaking of the new Ocean City Beach Patrol headquarters downtown.
“While I intend on being a very active member of the business community, I believe public safety must be the top priority. This means having well managed, well trained, and properly equipped emergency service personnel, including proper facilities and modern technology. This is imperative for the safety of our residents and visitors,” James said. “I have a broad picture of public safety for our residents and our visitors. It is key to having a successful town … there would be no future for Ocean City if it wasn’t safe.”
Besides strongly supporting Ocean City’s division of public safety, James’ platform focuses on tourism as he eagerly looks forward to the completion of the Roland E. Powell Convention Center’s new Performing Arts Center and the expansion of the bayside park downtown between 3rd and 4th streets.
The Town of Ocean City recently received the deeds to the downtown recreation complex, also referred to as the bayside park, from Worcester County to move forward with the renovation and expansion of the park and Ocean Bowl Skate Park.
“That has been in sight for a long time and now that the town has finally received the land from the county we are going to be able to make it happen,” James said. “For me, quality of life issues and initiatives will be very important. In many cases, this may mean aligning special events, tourism initiatives, and the town’s marketing in a way that has a positive impact on the residents of Ocean City. For example, I know that my family has always enjoyed Sundaes in the Park at Northside Park with the music and festivities, and they were happy to see the addition of fireworks to the event in 2013. I feel this addition has been enjoyable for both our residents and visitors, and it gives the business community something positive to promote. I believe the same will be true for the new Performing Arts Center as well as the development of the 3rd Street park.”
James is focused on maintaining the overall quality of life in Ocean City.
“My main goal is to be an effective councilman for the residents of Ocean City. To do this I must be willing to listen to various points of view regardless of where they come from,” James said. “I’m not going to compromise my core beliefs but I actually like to hear opposing views and at least try to understand the perspective others may have on important issues. You never know, there may be some unexpected common ground.”
When asked in this week’s interviews if there were any council initiatives he disagreed with, James said, “I actually agree with the current council initiatives as they are outlined in the strategic plan.”