OCEAN CITY –The 2014 Ocean City municipal election held on Tuesday resulted in the return of Mayor Rick Meehan and incumbent Council President Lloyd Martin, along with three new comers, Matthew James, Wayne Hartman and Tony DeLuca.
The 2014 municipal election resulted in a total of 2,348 votes. The turnout of this year’s election was down 27% from the 2012 election when about 3,200 voters reported, but it remains far better than the 1,521 votes in 2010 and 1,484 votes in 2008.
Meehan, who ran unopposed this year, received 1,838 votes. Meehan was elected to City Council in 1985 and served as council president for 14 years up until he took over the office of the mayor in June of 2006. He was unable to be reached by telephone on Wednesday but congratulated the council winners via Facebook.
“Congratulations to our new Ocean City Council Members Matt James, Wayne Hartman, and Tony Deluca. Also congratulations to Lloyd Martin on his re-election. The new council is well prepared to do a great job representing the citizens of Ocean City,” the mayor posted.
The youngest candidate, Matthew James, was the top vote-getter receiving 1,666 votes.
Hartman came in second with 1,384 votes. He owns a rental property business in town and has served on the Board of the Ocean City
Second-place finisher Wayne Hartman is pictured keeping track of the votes during Tuesday’s reading of the tallies at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center. Photo by Shawn Soper
Development Corporation (OCDC) and Worcester County Planning Commission for over six years, among many other organizations and committees.
“It is a good feeling to a have a vote of confidence from the voters, and I appreciate it. I was feeling confident. The feedback that I was getting was very strong when I was going door-to-door talking to people,” he said. “A big thank you to everyone that voted for me, supported the campaign, and I thank everyone for the endorsements. I thank my family for all their sacrifices over the past five weeks during the campaign.”
Hartman partly attributes being elected to his experience working with the Town of Ocean City and Worcester County over the past several years as well as his commitment to his campaign.
“I have been paying attention to the issues that have been happening in town, and that is all part of having the right answers and understanding the issues in knowing what we need to do to keep moving forward,” he said. “Going door-to-door, it was loud and clear from the voters that they want us [council] to be conscious at budget time, and we really need to get a grip on quality of life issues for the residents when we have some of these groups visiting. There is definitely work cut out for us … I think the people that were elected were definitely the right choice, and I feel very confident that we have the right group to move the city forward.”
According to all candidates, it was a surprise Council President Martin came in third with 1,342 votes. They all stated they expected Martin to receive the most votes with their placement falling behind. However, according to Martin, the results were exactly what he expected.
“It is a great thing to know people have confidence in you. We are better now than we ever were,” he said of the new council. “We are going to have ideas coming from all angles, and that is what the strategic plan is all about; bring everything out onto the table to see what works for Ocean City, and to move forward with it. We have three fresh faces with new ideals. It is nice to have that to throw into the mix.”
Lloyd Martin, pictured hugging a supporter, finished in third place in this year’s election. Martin was the top vote-getter in the 2010 and 2006 elections. Photo by Joanne Shriner
Martin was elected to City Council in 2002, was promoted to council secretary in 2006 and became council president following the election in 2012.
The Mayor and City Council organizational meeting where the council elects a president and secretary will be held on Thursday evening. Martin stated he wishes to remain council president.
“I want to thank everybody who voted. It was a great day. Hopefully that continues because it is all about people in town speaking up and having the right to vote,” he said.
By virtue of the Ocean City Charter, DeLuca will serve a two-year term by coming in fourth place with 1,287 votes.
DeLuca moved to Ocean City full-time in 2008 after retiring from Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Annapolis where he worked for 46 years. Working with KFC, DeLuca was in charge of franchising in half of the United States and was accountable for sales, profits, and development for 350 franchisees and 2,000 stores. Over the past two years, DeLuca has served on the Board of Port Wardens in Ocean City.
Approaching Election Day, DeLuca admits to being nervous as he thought about the well-known names he was running against but as he walked into the announcement of the election results on Tuesday night his confidence was on the rise.
“It was really exciting, and I am really happy. When you look at the vote count between Matt, Wayne, Lloyd and myself, it was really close,” DeLuca said. “I was hoping the voters would make an informed decision, and with my business background and with my experience I have a lot to offer to the council.”
DeLuca, who has attended every council meeting over the past five months, believes the new council is well balanced and will work as a good team.
“We all come from different backgrounds and places, and that makes a healthy council for the city,” he said.
DeLuca attributes gaining a seat on council to doing everything he could to become known in the community. The day he decided he
By virtue of his fourth-place finish, Tony DeLuca will serve a two-year term, which became available when Joe Mitrecic resigned his seat to become a Worcester County Commissioner. Photo by Shawn Soper
was running for council he walked into Meehan’s office and asked for his support. The mayor responded DeLuca could start by attending Mayor and City Council meetings.
“I went to every picnic, every gala, I went to everything I could to socially to get out there and meet people. I did over 2,000 door-to-doors. I really feel that I did everything I possibly could, and I think that hard work was the difference,” he said.
DeLuca was already eagerly waiting for his agenda packet to arrive so he could start doing homework for next week’s work session.
“I am a detail person, and I really like to know as much as possibly can, and to actively listen before I make a decision,” he said.
Candidate Chris Rudolf just fell short of making the cut with 1,075 votes, followed by former Councilman Joe Hall, who received 775 votes, and Joe Cryer, who received 464 votes.
“I am not giving up on this and I will be back in two years, and will be stronger than ever,” Rudolf posted Wednesday on Facebook. “I also want to thank everyone who voted for me. I won’t forget the folks who voted for team Rudolf. You guys are the best and we will regroup and fight the good fight again in 2016.”
The results weren’t unexpected, Hall said, acknowledging he ran a lean campaign.
“I felt that I got my issues, concerns and what I had to offer out to the voting public. I wish all the winning candidates luck. The town is in their hands, and I hope they follow through on the promises they made on the campaign trail,” he said. “Hopefully, they remain independent. While they have to work as a team, they have to vote for what they feel is best for the town as they go along. I am confident in the voters. I trust them.”
Running for council in 2016 is not out of the question for Hall.
“I haven’t missed an election yet,” he said.
Cryer thanked all who voted for him.
“I feel good. I am happy to see Matt James get on because I wanted to see younger people serve. I hope that the elected officials serve the public to the best of their ability,” he said.