OCEAN CITY — City Council members spoke of God, family and hometown pride, projecting a sense of unity for the annual reorganization meeting that included the swearing in of representatives of the four city wards.
That sense of unity occasionally slipped, with two of the ward members voting against Councilman Pete Madden getting another year as council president, and an angry mention of an ongoing election challenge from returning Council member Jody Levchuk.
Each year, council holds its reorganization at the Music Pier on the Boardwalk, in a meeting that is typically closer to a celebration than a policy discussion. This year, the successful council candidates thanked their supporters and promised more for the coming term.
One of those terms could be cut short, depending on a court ruling expected this summer on three votes cast in the tight 3rd Ward race.
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Levchuk kept his seat by a two-vote margin over newcomer Aimee Vaules, who is challenging the results. Part of that challenge is an accusation that Levchuk’s brother Randy Levchuk was ineligible to vote, arguing he is a resident of Kenilworth in Union County.
“I want to thank the voters and residents of Ocean City for believing in me a second time. And yes, that includes my brother, who is my business partner, my neighbor and a lifelong voter in Ocean City,” Levchuk said. “Some people haven’t done their homework, and it’s a shame what that man is going through.”
The reorganization saw two incumbents return and a former council member rejoin the seven-member governing body. Keith Hartzell, a former at-large council member, won a seat representing the 2nd Ward, while voters returned incumbent Dave Winslow to council in the 4th Ward.
At the north end of town, 1st Ward incumbent Terry Crowley Jr. ran unopposed. He served as council vice president last year and was returned to that seat this year in a unanimous vote.
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At the meeting, Crowley spoke of golfing with longtime Egg Harbor Township Mayor James “Sonny” McCullough, who administered his oath of office, and who Crowley said helped define his approach to local government as a means to serve the community.
He also spoke of a regular gathering of Ocean City’s leading residents at the Yacht Club.
“That was really my formation of what I thought Ocean City was. It was a bunch of guys from all walks of life, different skill sets, different ambitions, certainly different political parties. But they always put all that aside to do what was best for Ocean City,” Crowley said. “Even when they disagreed, they always listened to each other and they were always gentlemen.”
Hartzell spoke at length about his family, about friends in Ocean City and several times about his faith. He described the 2nd Ward as the city’s most diverse, both racially and in terms of the economic resources of its residents and the diversity of its houses and businesses, including the downtown, the Boardwalk and year-round neighborhoods.
Hartzell also spoke of planning issues in the city and his relationships with longtime city residents, including World War II veterans.
Describing his friendship with some friends who have died, Hartzell expects to see them again, since “as Christians, it’s not ‘goodbye,’ but ‘see you later.’”
“I’ll try to make this quick. I know we have Killer Queen at 7 o’clock tonight, so we have a time crunch,” Levchuk said at the start of his remarks. The cover band had a concert at the Music Pier that night.
Levchuk thanked his family for their support, saying his parents traveled from Florida for the event. He said he decided to run for office in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, which he described as a time of lockdowns, fear and unknowns.
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“Like many others, each of my businesses were shut down by mandates from state government who decided to pick winners and losers in one of the most unfair practices that this country has ever seen,” Levchuk said. “I knew that our entire city would face hardship if we couldn’t get open that 2020 season.”
He also spoke of planning issues, including the increase in multiple-bedroom houses in residential neighborhoods and the parking issues connected to them. Levchuk described the construction as selfish, reckless development.
Levchuk spoke of his support for further study of a possible parking garage and for continued investment in infrastructure and the planned new police substation and extensive renovations to the existing public safety building.
Levchuk promised to fight to keep alcohol sales out of Ocean City, which has been a dry town since its founding.
“There is no doubt I my mind that this tiny detail is what shapes the entire psychology of our city,” he said.
Winslow also thanked his supporters and those who worked on his campaign.
“I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t (for the) support from the many residents of Ocean City,” he said. “I often reflect on all that Ocean City has to offer, and I’m proud to call Ocean City home.”
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