Ocean City Holding First Council Meeting With New Members

OCEAN CITY, NJ — A new chapter for Ocean City Council begins Thursday night. The governing body will have two new members Thursday to vote on resolutions and hear from the public.

Tomaso Rotondi and Jody Levchuk officially became councilmen at July 1's reorganization meeting. Rotondi ran unopposed for the 2nd Ward, a position left vacant when former Councilman Antwan McClellan became a state assemblyman.

Levchuk won a close race against incumbent Tony Wilson to represent the 3rd Ward.

Meeting Info

The meeting takes place at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Howard S. Stainton Senior Center (1735 Simpson Ave.). The public can attend in person or watch and participate remotely.

Join the meeting from a computer, tablet or smartphone.

The public can also join by phone:

• United States (Toll Free): 1-877-309-2073
• United States: 1-571-317-3129
• Access code: 911-442-853

Here is the meeting summary and agenda.

Meet the New Councilmen

Rotondi and Levchuk answered questions about the issues before the election. Here's what they said (answers were published May 7).

The timeline and lasting impact of the coronavirus in Ocean City remains unpredictable. But what are your plans for guiding the economic recovery of the city?

Rotondi: Our economy consists of two major industries: Tourism and Real estate (selling, building, and renting). Our challenge isn't going to be a supply and demand issue. People still want to bring their families to our beautiful island and they are still building, buying, renting, and investing in our amazing properties. Together we will build strategies around social distancing and operational safety of our businesses. The Cape May County Freeholders have submitted a timeline for the reopening of the county. We should follow the protocol and adjust the guidelines to the needs of Ocean City's families and businesses.

Levchuk: My plans would include a safe and guided reopening of our town. Everyone needs to understand that the immediate future for our entire society will be built around things like social distancing and masks. Every business will have to embrace this new reality. However, a complete shutdown of our summer season will devastate our small town and our state as a whole. To this end, it is imperative for the success of our businesses that we protect our customers from this virus. The city will need to support the efforts to educate people and remind them about the requirements and the city will have to play a role in helping to enforce them. But all of our businesses are going to have to band together to accept this new reality and do everything we can to make sure we open in as safe a manner as possible.

As a potential new member in a council with many longstanding members, what do you think makes you different from other members of the governing body?

Rotondi: I am sure there are many differences between each of us. We all have our own skill sets, values, and experiences. The key is pulling from everyone's strengths to create cohesiveness on the council and make sure we work together to strengthen our great community.

Levchuk: Every organization can benefit from a fresh look and new ideas. In some ways, I am very much the same as the current members. I'm not coming in to upset the apple cart, I just want to help. I think my long-standing relationships throughout our community, and my business experience will be a great benefit to the people of Ocean City. This town has given so much to my family and I and I now I want to give something back. I'm not running against anybody, I am running for the people of the 3rd Ward. I have not run a campaign to try to convince people to vote against someone. I have run a clean and positive campaign to convince my neighbors to vote for me. I hope I have earned their vote.

What past accomplishments would you cite as evidence that you can handle this position?

Rotondi: I am a first generation American. I grew up in a small business family. I served in the United States Army, as a local police officer, and as a state correctional officer before going into business consulting for one of the largest firms in the world. I serve on multiple boards, participate in many charities, and travel around the world to help those in need. All of these experiences have built my leadership skills, core values, and moral compass. I will always do what is best for the people I aim to serve.

Levchuk: This position requires strong community leadership. For the last 20 years I have built my business to service thousands of guests per day and manage a team of over 100 staff. Through my business experience, I have learned how to listen to complaints and compliments equally. I have learned to hear and consider others ideas. I have learned how to think outside of the box and come up with back up / alternate plans. Additionally, I am an active member and currently sit on the executive committee for the New Jersey Amusements & Attractions Association NJAA. In this position, I work and communicate directly with my fellow board members, our respected association, NJ legislators, and other leadership throughout the state on a regular basis. Locally, my active commitment to the Boardwalk Merchants Association, the Ocean City PTA, and the Ocean City Chamber of Commerce.

What do you see as the most important issues facing Ocean City, and how do you hope to address them in this upcoming term?

Rotondi: The biggest challenge we face today is the safe reopening of our island. Data, safety protocols, and communication will be key to a smooth and safe reopening. We need to allow people to take personal responsibility for their actions. We need to have a strategy to protect the vulnerable. Other issues to tackle includes flooding, tourism, zoning, and the City Plan to keep and grow the year round population and to keep our Island beautiful and thriving.

Levchuk: First and foremost, the most serious issue facing our community is making sure our local economy is able to survive the current shutdown. Since our town is made of mostly small mom and pop style businesses, they may not have the guidance and support that is needed at this time. Many other towns have lots of franchise style stores who benefit from a central franchise system that acts as the support system. Since we do not have that in Ocean City, it will very much be up to our local leaders to help guide small businesses back to success.

Secondly. we have to settle the question on the (Harry Klause) property. We can't be afraid to take these types of questions to the people and really get their input. I think it would be great as open space, but we need to be responsible with the taxpayers' money and make sure we have support for the things we do with it.

Finally, I hear from my neighbors that they feel as though they don't get enough information from the city on important issues. They feel sometimes like things take place behind closed doors. We have to work hard to overcome that perception and make sure that we are fully informing our residents on all the critical decisions we make.

Ocean City has made progress in terms of flood mitigation in recent years, but many residents and homeowners have noted room for improvement. What is your take on the issue, and how can Ocean City improve its mitigation?

Rotondi: There is always going to be room for improvement when it comes to flooding. I live near the corner of 4th and Bay. The flooding in this area was bad. We were constantly moving our cars and maintaining quality landscaping was a challenge. The new pump station has worked well and we have had no flooding. We need to see more projects with similar success. We need to look at the zoning law and city planning to see how our new construction is impacting flooding and make adjustments where it is needed. We need to work together with other barrier Island and the county to get state and federal grants to improve and offset cost of flood mitigation programs.

Levchuk: We need to solve our flooding problems once and for all. We are a barrier island and we will always have to deal with flooding, but it is unacceptable that we continue to ignore the plight of our neighbors who have flooding as a regular occurrence. I have done a great deal of research on these issues while we've all been staying home, and I see stories of various towns taking smart steps to reduce flooding. Whether it is underground recharge systems or better outflow pipe check valves or some other creative solution, it needs to be done and it needs to be done now.

What conflicts of interest do you have (what issues won't you be able to vote on) at this time?

Rotondi: I have no conflicts of interest.

Levchuk: Certainly, anything to do with my businesses I would stay completely out of. I am not running for city council in order to place myself in a position to advance my own business interests. Other than that, I will look to our city attorney for advice if I think that I have a conflict of some nature, and I will be completely transparent if anything like that might arise.

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