Will Candidates For Ocean City Mayor Debate?

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The proposed mayoral debate between incumbent Jay Gillian and challenger John Flood appears to be off, Fairness in Taxes (FIT) said Friday morning. The point of contention is a pair of lawsuits against Ocean City that Flood is connected to.

FIT sent letters inviting both candidates to participate in the April 27 debate, to be moderated by the League of Women Voters, on March 16, the advocacy group said in a press release. Flood accepted the invitation shortly after that.

“In preparation for the program a request was sent by email to Doug Bergen on April 10, requesting that the Community Services Department provide notice of the debate upon the mayor’s anticipated acceptance and rebroadcast of the program on the Public Access Channel at various times and days between the April 27 debate and the May 8 election,” Fairness in Taxes President Jim Tweed said. “This is a routine that has been followed on various candidates debates and/or forums going back to the administration of Mayor Bud Knight. On April 12, I emailed notice to the candidates that we would also have the capability to “live stream” the event.”

However, on April 16, the Gillian Campaign informed the organization that Gillian wouldn’t participate in the debate because Flood is connected to two lawsuits against the city, Tweed said. Flood has litigation pending over the vote to rescind the proposed Coastal Cottages legislation, according to the Ocean City Gazette.

Tweed then asked Flood not to raise or discuss any fact or issue arising out of either litigation with the city during the debate. He also said no questions would be taken from the public related to the lawsuits. After Flood agreed, the organization contacted the Gillian Campaign about the change in the rules for the proposed debate.

However, Gillian disapproved of the rules changes, saying that “making the lawsuits off-limits would unfairly tie my hands in a debate,” Tweed said. In response, Flood said he would debate under either set of rules, but Gillian reiterated that he would follow the advice of counsel to avoid prejudicing the city, according to Tweed.

“It is FIT’s position that there are other things to talk about than the pending litigations and we will hold open the invitation allowing the mayor to change his mind if he chooses,” Tweed said.

The debate was to be held in two parts. During the first part, the candidates would field questions from the public. During the second part the candidates would pose questions for each other with opportunity for rebuttals.

If Gillian doesn’t participate, the second part wouldn’t be possible. Flood said he would still take questions from the public, but the League of Women Voters said it wouldn’t moderate a debate in which only one candidate is present. If nothing changes, FIT would seek another moderator for the April 27 debate, which is scheduled to take place in the Ocean City Library Auditorium, 7 p.m.

Patch has reached out to both campaigns, and will update this post with their responses.

A candidates forum is also scheduled for next week. Council President Peter Madden, Councilman Keith Hartzell and Councilwoman Karen Bergman will have the opportunity to answer questions from the public discuss their accomplishments and goals for the future of Ocean City during the forum in the library auditorium on April 23, 7 p.m.

If the debate doesn’t take place, there are still other opportunities to see where the candidates stand on the issues. Videotaped statements from both candidates are being replayed on several occasions on the city's Government Access Channel (Channel 97 on the Comcast Cable System). The candidates' statements will air on Channel 97 on the following dates and times. The statements will air in the same order that the candidates will appear on the ballot.

• Friday, April 20 - 7:30 p.m.
• Saturday, April 21 – 9 a.m.
• Tuesday, April 24 - 7:30 p.m.
• Thursday, April 26 - 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday, April 29 - Noon
• Monday, April 30 - 7:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, May 1 - 7:30 p.m.

See related:
Meet the Ocean City Mayoral Candidate: Jay Gillian
Meet the Ocean City Mayoral Candidate: John Flood

Photo credit: Shutterstock/DenisProduction.com