Motorized Special Events Task Force To Meet Thursday

Motorized Special Events Task Force To Meet Thursday
A corvette is pictured spinning out on Coastal Highway during a 2015 Cruisin event. The driver was ultimately charged after police reviewed social media accounts of the incident. File Photo

OCEAN CITY — One month after a plan of action called for eliminating most troublesome motorized special events in Ocean City, a task force, appointed by Mayor Rick Meehan, is set to meet for the first time on Thursday.

It was standing room only in mid-November when the Mayor and Council received a presentation to eliminate some or all of the vehicle-related special events or at least curtail some of the illicit activities associated with them. The council took no immediate action on the recommendations of the police commission, instead opting to have the mayor appoint a task force to begin a deeper dive into some of the proposed solutions.

Meehan has appointed the 27-member task force, a representative cross section of town officials, business leaders, members of various organizations, the special event promoters, local residents, seasonal visitors and non-residents and various other stakeholders. The task force will convene for the first time on Thursday at the convention center for an opening session expected to include presentations from the Ocean City Police Department and the promoters of some of the special events.

The task force session is open to the public although non-member attendees will not have the opportunity at this point to weigh in on some of the issues. The session is scheduled to run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. In an email thanking appointed task force members for agreeing to participate, Meehan outlined some of the goals associated with the endeavor.

“The City Council asked that the task force be formed to analyze the problems and concerns that have been brought up about these events and look for ways to collectively address these concerns and forward recommendations to improve the events back to the council,” the letter reads. “The task force is made up of residents, business owners, members of local organizations, non-resident representatives, city representatives and city staff.”

In the letter to task force members, Meehan said the objective was to strike a balance between the economic necessities associated with shoulder season special events and quality of life concerns for year-round residents and other visitors from a public safety standpoint.

“We believe that we have put together a group that can work together and make a difference,” the letter reads. “We all recognize the importance of these events to our economy and to many of our visitors. We also know the both the town and the events have grown over the last 20 years. With success always comes new challenges and this is our opportunity to explore and address these challenges.”

Even before the task force’s first session on Thursday, the Mayor and Council debated some of the issues related to the appointments at the close of the regular work session on Tuesday. Meehan appointed two councilmembers, Tony DeLuca and Matt James, to serve on the task force and all councilmembers are invited to sit in on the discussions if not actively participate. Meehan said on Tuesday the entire council will impact the final result, decisions he characterized as perhaps the most important the current council will make during their tenure.

“This is a big issue and I think we all realize its importance,” he said. “I think we can all figure this out. There will be more than one meeting and everyone will have the opportunity to weigh in. This will be the biggest issue we all fix.”

Councilman Wayne Hartman on Tuesday somewhat questioned the appointment of two councilmembers to serve on the task force. In recent task forces and committees, such as the Boardwalk street performer task force, a combination of private and public sector committee members worked through the issues and came back to the Mayor and Council with recommendations. Hartman questioned whether the same policy should be followed with the motorized special events task force.

“There has been a lot of dialogue about having the council on the motor events committee,” he said. “In the past, it’s been pointed out that the various committees have been very successful without the council there. Let them have this opportunity to do the work and then come back to us with their recommendations.”

Hartman said the motorized special events task force represents a hybrid of sorts of the two different approaches.

“It’s one thing if the council wants to be there as a bystander,” he said. “Having the council there and influencing the outcome and then coming back here is another thing. I don’t want anybody to feel intimidated by having councilmembers there.”

Meehan explained prior special task forces have often included councilmembers as appointees with good results. He pointed to the weightiness of the issues as a reason to have elected officials on the panel.

“We have had committees in the past where we have had private sector citizens and councilmembers working together,” he said. “The tourism committee is a good example. We’ve done it both ways. I originally had two members to represent the council and I got emails from some who wanted to be there and follow what is going on. I thought it was appropriate if councilmembers want to be there and I still think it’s appropriate whether they want to participate or just observe.”

Council Secretary Mary Knight said she had reservations about councilmembers being appointed to the task force, but had softened her opinion on it somewhat.

“Will every council person that wants to be there be able to speak?” she said. “I had no intention of going because, number one, I trusted the two people that you chose to be on the committee. Now, I’m wondering if I’m obligated to go. At first, I liked the idea of no councilmembers on the committee, but when I saw the two appointed, I know they will represent us well. My wish would be to have the two council members who were appointed come back to us with their conclusions. That’s just my opinion.”

After some debate, the consensus was to have DeLuca and James officially serve on the task force and report some of the findings back to the full Mayor and Council. In addition, all councilmembers are invited to attend and participate if they wish. Ultimately the task force will come up with a series of recommendations which will be presented to the full Mayor and Council for final decisions.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.