Ocean City mayoral debate centers on future of Wonderland Pier site

The three candidates running for Ocean City mayor agree that it's time to build consensus on the future of the former Gillian's Wonderland Pier site on the boardwalk. They made that clear during Tuesday's debate at Ocean City Tabernacle.

"The first order of business would be to work on 600 Boardwalk," said Keith Hartzell, the longtime Second Ward councilman making his second mayoral run. "600 Boardwalk is something that has divided our town, and that's OK, because when a town's divided, we'll get together and compromise."

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Hartzell and City Council Vice President Pete Madden are challenging incumbent Mayor Jay Gillian, whose family operated the amusement park for decades before it closed in October 2024. Gillian has served as Ocean City's mayor since 2010, winning reelection three times, but has faced heightened scrutiny ahead of the May 12 nonpartisan election after filing for personal bankruptcy earlier this year.

Gillian sold the debt-burdened Wonderland Pier property to Jersey Shore hotel developer Icona Resorts in early 2021, enabling the amusement park to stay afloat for four more seasons. Icona Resorts CEO Eustace Mita has proposed building a 252-room luxury hotel at the site, but current zoning laws on the boardwalk prohibit new hotels.

The Wonderland Pier property has been at the center of a heated public debate about whether a fancy hotel would alter Ocean City's family-friendly identity or if the project is needed to adapt to a changing tourism economy.

"We actually need to bring professionals in to look at the whole boardwalk and see what the future looks like for it," Gillian said. "… It's tough. Small businesses in New Jersey are just failing right and left."

Madden, who has served as an at-large councilmember since 2014, said Ocean City's best option is to declare the Wonderland Pier site a state redevelopment zone and give local lawmakers a direct channel to negotiate with Mita about the project.

"To be crystal clear, we need to build the hotel," Madden said. "We need to work with the person who owns the property to get the best solution for what the people of this town want. It's been sitting vacant too long, and we have a proven brand that's come into our community to invest a tremendous amount of capital."

Designating the Wonderland Pier a redevelopment zone would allow Ocean City to take advantage of state tax incentives to turn the pier into a hotel.

Last year, City Council twice voted on a measure to recommend the planning board review the Wonderland Pier site as a redevelopment zone. During the first vote in August, Madden was the only council member to vote in favor, prompting Mita to put the property up for sale. A 4-3 revote in December gave the hotel project new life, but the planning board then voted down council's recommendation in January.

Hartzell, who rejected the rehabilitation designation in both council votes, has favored waiting for a report from an advisory subcommittee that was formed last year to study master planning along the entire boardwalk. At Tuesday's debate, Hartzell spoke favorably of Icona Resorts building a much smaller project.

"Mr. Mita has two hotels in Avalon that are two to three stories, and they're called boutique hotels," Hartzell said. "I think it's something he's good at. I think it's something he'll do dynamite at, and I think we can get everything we need, which is a vibrant boardwalk and a great luxury hotel with all the amenities."

The property's future has remained in limbo as the election approaches. The advisory subcommittee, which includes community members, is expected to present findings to City Council later this year.

The hotel project has received support from the Ocean City Boardwalk Merchants Association and the Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce. Several community advocacy groups, including Ocean City 2050, have opposed the project and called for plans that would preserve the site as a recreational anchor on the north end of the boardwalk.

Gillian has largely avoided direct commentary on the hotel proposal, but he blamed social media for fueling division in Ocean City before clear plans could be formulated.

"We saw a drawing, and everybody lost their minds," Gillian said. "That's not how you do it. You have to do your homework. That's what (my) administration does. We do all the facts. People said, 'Oh, you don't make your mind up.' No, I'm not coming to the taxpayers and the community until we know all the facts."

The candidates discussed a range of other issues Tuesday night, from rising property taxes to the trend of shorter vacation stays and whether the city should build a new parking garage to ease pressure during the summer. All three agreed Ocean City's status as a dry town should remain unchanged, and they said steady federal funding for beach replenishment must be a priority for any future mayor.

In the last mayoral election in 2022, Gillian defeated Hartzell by a nine-point margin.

Hartzell courted voters Tuesday night with a pledge to listen to the community about its preference for the Wonderland Pier site.

"That's what I've been working on when I go door-to-door talking to people about what they would be looking for and what should go up there that matches our town, protects our neighborhoods, and makes us feel like Ocean City," Hartzell said.

Madden said Ocean City needs to embrace long-term thinking geared toward progress on the boardwalk. For that to happen, he said there needs to be greater alignment between City Council and the mayor's office.

"If we're not (on the same page), things don't get done," Madden said.

Hartzell and Madden each declined to turn Gillian's bankruptcy into a campaign issue. The mayor said it has nothing to do with his ability to lead Ocean City and oversee its finances.

"It's a shame that it gets vilified so much because so many people are having tough times right now, especially in small businesses," Gillian said. "To me, I'm not ashamed of it. I don't run from it."