Reduce Council MeetingsEditor:Last Tuesday the Council debated dropping three of their meetings around holidays with John Gehrig advocating to drop more than three meetings. Dennis Dare opposed Mr. Gehrig saying, “Our staff works 40 hours a week preparing this stuff and they look at their bosses that can’t come in for an hour a week,”… Read more »
Too Much Taxpayer Subsidizing In ResortEditor:In 2007, the Mayor & City Council (M&CC) of the Town of Ocean City passed an ordinance that established a funding formula wherein an amount equal to 2% of the annual gross room revenue collected by hotels, motels, etc., goes to the town’s advertising budget. From 2008 to 2018, the… Read more »
Herbie Called HomeEditor:Mr. Herbert Pawlukewicz, a main stay at council meetings for many years passed away on Thursday August 15 at age 88. His wife Frieda has requested that the City attach plaques on the two benches located at the intersection of 139th street and Twin Tree Road that says “Herbie’s Benches”. These benches along… Read more »
Lawsuit Comments InaccurateEditor:Jim Majernik’s take in last week’s issue, “Editorial Inappropriate,” on the frivolous lawsuit filed by the family of Ashley O’Connor is full of inconsistencies and incorrect information.One glaring inaccuracy involves warnings about sleeping on the beach. Every entrance to the beach has signs clearly spelling out the prescribed town rules. They plainly state:… Read more »
Editorial InappropriateEditor:The editorial rushing to defend the Town of Ocean City with respect to the lawsuit filed by family of Ashley O’Connor is more than inappropriate because it describes only one side of a story to predict dismissal of the lawsuit. Thankfully, the case is situated in Baltimore where prospective jurors are unlikely to be… Read more »
Traffic Situation InexcusableEditor:I was one of the many drivers affected by the motorcycle crash the night of Tuesday, July 30 at 9:45 p.m. on Coastal Highway North and 59th street. This accident caused northbound traffic to grind to a near halt for at least four hours. After my experience navigating detours around this relatively small… Read more »
Isolated Incident In OC?Editor:I believe one of the most difficult and unappreciated jobs is driving an Ocean City trash truck during the hot summer months. These drivers must maneuver balky vehicles in tight spots, empty dumpsters that are sometimes on an angle, and then backup with limited vision while not hitting any vehicles or pedestrians.Unfortunately,… Read more »
Council Intent On Growing OverspendingEditor,The City Council of the Town of Ocean City voted unanimously to pass Ordinance 2019-12 on first reading. Upon final passage scheduled for Aug. 5, 2019, this ordinance will provide the Mayor & City Council (M&CC) the authority to establish a line of credit with a local bank for up to… Read more »
Harris Credited For Drilling VoteEditor:Congressman Andy Harris recently took a stand on behalf of his constituents against expanded offshore drilling. Marylanders have made it clear, and he listened: our coastal economy is incompatible with offshore oil drilling activities. Our fishermen, coastal business owners and Realtors depend on a clean Chesapeake Bay and healthy Atlantic coastline… Read more »
Lunch Box GovernanceEditor:Recent actions taken by the Ocean City Council will impose two new taxes on businesses and second homeowners. More importantly, the frenzy of gift-giving to our resort employees, who rank among the highest paid across all municipalities, has been put on steroids with the council’s recent adoption of defined benefit retirements (“DBR’s”) for… Read more »