Good morning everyone. Good morning. >> Appreciate everybody coming out today for July 1st, 2026. Pretty amazing thing. It's 250th anniversary our country too and here we are serving our elected officials. Give them all a round of applause for all they do.
[applause] We're going to start today's service. Everybody could please stand for the national anthem s by Nicholas. Oh, say can you see by the dawn early
light, what so proudly we held at the twilight last gleam. Dreaming
whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight. Or the ramparts [screaming] we watched
were so gallently streaming. And the rockets red [screaming] glare, the bombs bursting [screaming] in air,
gave proof through the night, that our flag was still there. [singing] Oh, say does that star spangled banner
yet wave or the land of the free [screaming] and the home of the brave. >> [screaming]
[applause] [applause] >> Thank you very much. Please everybody rem standing so we can do the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. And please remain standing for invocation by Reverend Groen Johnson. >> Let us pray. Our Father and our God, before we thank you for anything, we
thank you for everything. We thank you for how good and how kind you've been to us on this very day. And we've come during this noon hour to ask your blessings upon this inauguration program that thou will bless the mayor
and all the council. Bless Ocean City in a mighty special way. Bless our families and our visitors, oh God, that no hurt, no harm, no danger may fall upon us. Then, oh God, we pray for our men and
women that are in war zone areas that you would be so kind to look on them, looking in on your entire world, that everything we may ask and all that we may do will be unto your glory. May the words of my mouth in the meditation of
my heart always be acceptable in thy sight, oh Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Let everybody say, "Amen." >> Amen. Everybody please be seated. At this moment I would like to s some uh recognize some elected officials who are
able to join us today. First we'll start with our state senator Michael Test is here. Michael, [applause] we also have Ocean City's own Antoine McCullen, state assemblyman. [applause] And from the can we have some commissioners with us today. First we'll
start with Lenny Desidaria. [applause] We have Ocean City's Bobby Bar [applause] and Andy Bulicowski [applause] and Patrick Rosinella. [applause] I also like to recognize some of our former council people here in attendance. First, we have uh Karen
Bergman. >> [applause] >> We have Greg Johnson and Ron Denny. [applause] All right, we're going to move on to our swearing in. First, we have up Mayor Jay Gillian. His wife Michelle Gillian beholding the Bible sworn in by Judge
Russell. [applause] I almost want to start further out. I don't know. >> Listen. I state your name. >> I, J. Gillian, >> do solemnly swear >> do solemnly swear >> that I will support the Constitution of the United States
>> that I will support the Constitution of the United States >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey. that I will bear true faith and allegiance >> And I will bear true faith and allegiance >> to the same >> to the same >> and the governments established in the
United States >> and the governments established in the United States >> and in this state >> and in this state >> under the authority of the people >> under the authority of the people >> and that I will faithfully >> that I will faithfully >> impartially >> impartially >> and justly perform
>> and justly perform >> all the duties of the office of mayor of the city of Ocean City. >> All the duties of the office of the mayor of Ocean City. >> According to the best of my ability. >> According to the best of my ability. >> So help me God. >> So help me God. >> Congratulations. [applause]
I would like now to bring forward Sha Barnes to be sworn in by city clerk Melissa Rasner in a Bible held by his nephew Milo Barnes. [applause] >> [laughter] >> raise your right hand and repeat after me. Okay. I
>> I >> Sean Barnes >> Shan Barnes >> do solemnly swear >> do solemnly swear >> that I will support the Constitution of the United States >> that I will support the Constitution of the United States >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> that I will bear true faith and
allegiance >> that I will bear true faith and allegiance >> to the same >> to the same >> and to the governments established >> and to the governments established >> in the United States >> in the United States >> and in this state >> and in this state >> under the authority authority of the people >> under the authority of the people
>> and that I will faithfully >> and I will faithfully >> impartially >> impartially >> and justly >> and justly >> perform all the duties >> perform all the duties >> of the office of city council >> in the office of city council >> according to the best of my ability
>> according to the best of my ability. >> So help me God. >> So help me God. >> Thank you. [applause] >> [applause] >> Now I'd like to bring up Councilman Tony Puchini, restore me by Melissa Rasner. The hole in the Bible will be his wife Jennifer Pchini.
[applause] >> Okay. Okay. All right. Yes. SL >> left hand and raise your right and then repeat after me. >> Okay. I, Tony Pchini, >> I, Tony Pchini, >> do solemnly swear >> do solemnly swear >> that I will support the Constitution of the United States
>> that I will support the Constitution of the United States >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> that I will bear true faith and allegiance >> that I will bear true faith and allegiance >> to the same >> to the same >> and the governments established
>> and the governments established >> in the United States >> in the United States >> and in this state >> and in the state >> under the authority of the people >> under the authority of the people. >> And that I will faithfully >> And that I will faithfully >> impartially >> impartially >> and justly perform >> and justly perform
>> all the duties of the office of >> all the duties of the office of >> city council >> city council >> according to the best of my ability >> according to the best of my ability. >> So help me God. >> So help me God. [applause] >> [applause]
>> And now to be sworn as in as city councilman, Jim Kelly holding a b swearing would be Melissa Rasner holding a Bible with his wife Donna Kelly. [applause] [applause] I got it. Yes. Stand up so we can see.
>> And raise your right hand. Yep. And repeat after me. Okay. I >> I >> Jim Kelly >> Jim Kelly >> do solemnly swear >> do solemnly swear >> that I will support the Constitution of the United States >> that I will support the Constitution of the United States >> and the Constitution of the State of New
Jersey >> and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey >> that I will bear true faith and allegiance >> that I will bear true faith and allegiance >> to the same >> to the same >> and the governments established in the United States >> and the governments established in the United States >> and in this state
>> and in this state >> under under the authority of the people. >> under the authority of the people. >> And that I will faithfully >> And that I will faithfully >> impartially >> impartially >> and justly >> and justly >> perform all the duties >> perform all the duties >> of the office of city council
>> of the office of city council >> according to the best of my ability. >> according to the best of my ability. >> So help me God. >> So help me God. >> Congratulations. [applause] Congratulations. [applause] >> All right, let's get another round of applause for our newly sworn in elected
officials. [applause] [applause] All right, each elected official who's just sworn in will now be giving their own remarks. We're going to start with our mayor, Jay Gillian. >> [applause] >> Good afternoon. How's everybody doing? >> I have to stay on script today. I was thinking about going off a little bit,
so I don't want to get anybody upset in this room, but uh I know but I just I want to welcome everybody. I know it's nice and air conditioned here, but uh I will be very brief today. I stand here today uh deeply honored by the trust that you have placed in me. Once again,
your vote was not just about the past. It was a vote of the confidence in the future that we can build together. I want to start by thanking my family, all the volunteers, and everyone who helped with the campaign. But most of all, I want to thank the people of Ocean City. I want to thank Sean, Tony, and Jim. I
look forward to working together and achieve great things. We've made great progress in improving every aspect of life in Ocean City and we're going to get right back to work. I'm excited about a lot of things that we've been doing. We're going to finish our beach replenishment project. We're going to be
adding stock piles of extra sand to maintain our healthy beaches. We're going to start a complete renovation of the Sand Castle Park at 34th Street. We're going to work with our new governor and DOT and all of our elected officials on the bridge lights. Just a side note, the bridge lights, they
wanted to come fix them this summer, but they wanted to close a lane all summer. So, we said we can't close the lane on the bridge. So, after September, we're going to we're going to get the bridge lights back on and continue to host a full calendar of more than 240 family events each year.
You think about this week alone, from our pops concerts to our pie eating contests to our drone shows to fireworks to bike parades to our Bruce Springsteen tributes. We have it all. And there's a lot of fun to be had here. And our team is always working to come up with new ideas, providing new services for our
seniors, our veterans, our school kids, our special Olympians, everybody who lives here. We're going to continue to maintain our infrastructure and expanding our flood mitigation projects to new neighborhoods. As always, we will maintain low taxes, our clean audits,
and special exceptional bond ratings based on our fiscal responsibility. We're all very fortunate to live here in Ocean City. It's an amazing place to live. I look forward to working with city council, our city team, our businesses, and all of our citizens, and
to make Ocean City even better. So, we will always be America's greatest family resort. Thank you. [applause] [applause] Thank you, Mayor Gillian. I would like to now introduce Councilman at large, Sha Barnes. >> [applause] [applause]
>> Good afternoon everyone and first of all I want to thank you. I thank you to my family and friends who support me and encourage me especially during the moments when public service isn't always easy. Thank you to everyone who helped with my campaign, knocked on
doors, made phone calls, put up signs, like my Facebook videos, and most importantly, put your trust in me. I am deeply grateful, and I do not take that trust lightly. Over the past few weeks, I've heard
something quite a bit. People stop me and say, "Congratulations on winning, Sean, and I'm sorry." Then they ask, "Why in the world would you do this?" Honestly, it's a fair question. Because being on city council
has not always been the easiest job, but I always give the same answer. I absolutely love serving this community. And I love it for three reasons. First, I love the people. I love meeting residents from every corner of the island, listening to their ideas,
hearing their concerns, and learning why they love Ocean City so much. People here care deeply about this place. They care about our neighborhoods, our beaches, our boardwalks, and our traditions. And one of my most important
responsibilities is making sure that people feel seen, heard, and valued. Second, I love solving problems. I believe good people working together can solve hard problems. Public service
gives us the opportunity to bring people together and make our community better. And third, I love this town. I grew up here. I was an I was one of those outdoor kids. I spend most of my days on
the beach surfing, fishing, and crabbing in the marshes, riding my bike, and playing sandlot baseball on vacant lots that are no longer vacant. Ocean City gave me a wonderful childhood and shaped the person that I become. And standing here today on the music pier, I
can't help but think of one of my earliest memories. When I was about 7 years old, Santa Claus used to come up here to the music pier every year to give out gifts to the to the children. And the place would be packed with kids. And one year, Santa called my name, but
he said Scene Barnes. I looked around. Oh, I guess he means me. So I walked up, got my gift, and and walked back to my seat. My father stopped me and said, "Go back up there and tell Santa how to say your name."
Seven-year-old kid. I got to do this. So I marched back up and said, "Santa Claus, my name is Sean." Only then was I allowed to open my present. It's a funny story, but over the years I've realized that there's a lesson in it. Every person wants to be
seen. Every person wants to feel heard. And every person wants to know that they matter. And that's the kind of community I want Ocean City to continue to be. A place where people have a voice and know they belong. Over the past year, we've
seen tremendous civic engagement in our city. People have shown up, spo spoken up, and participated. I find that incredibly hopeful. Democracy works best when people care enough to get involved.
So, my invitation today is simple. Stay involved. Keep showing up. Keep sharing ideas. And if you've ever thought about serving this community, whether on a board, a committee, or even one day on city council, I encourage you to take
that step. We need the next generation of leaders. For the next four years, my commitment is simple. I will listen. I will work hard. I will continue to ask questions. And I will strive to be a voice of
reason and thoughtful decision-making. I will support responsible growth and development that allows our city to prosper while preserving the special character and quality of life that makes Ocean City unlike anywhere else. I will work to pres to protect our
environment and preserve our shore way of life for future generations. And I will never forget that public service is ultimately about the people. Together we can make this community strong. Together we can preserve all that we love. and
together we can make sure that the best days of Ocean City are still ahead of us. I thank you for your trust and I thank you for this opportunity and I thank you for allowing me to serve the town that I have loved my entire life. [snorts]
God bless Ocean City. [applause] Thank you, Councilman Barnes. Now, I'd like to bring up Councilman Tony Pchini. [applause] Mine's not that long, trust me. >> Good job. Uh, somebody in this room once
told me, "Less is more." So, I'm going to take your advice. Thank you all for coming today. Four years ago, I stood before you and took an oath to serve this town that I love. Today, I got to take that oath
again. And I don't take that privilege lightly. The past four years have taught me that the best ideas for this town rarely come from behind a desk. They come from you in council chambers, on the boardwalk,
at a local restaurant, or even at the front of your porches. I've tried always to listen first and lead with that within mind. And in I am grateful and humbled every day that you've entrusted me to do this work.
First, I would like to thank my Lord and Savior. to my wife Jen and my two sons JD and Michael. It is a sacrifice for you and I know that and I don't take it lightly or unnoticed. Thank you.
[clears throat] To my brothers Chris and Nick, thank you for your support. To my extended family and friends for supporting me today and every day. To my campaign team, Becky, Amy, and Paul. Thank you for all
your hard work for this past election. To my fellow councilmen, I have taken a small piece from each one of you. I have watched, listen, and learn from each one of you as you lead. To the administration, for always
keeping the lines of communication open. And lastly, I thank you, the people of Ocean City, for this honor. Let's keep building this town we all love and are privileged to call America's greatest family resort. Thank you. [applause]
[applause] Thank you, Council Pini. Now, we'd like to bring forward Councilman Jim Kelly. [applause] Good afternoon. Thank you all for being here today. Mayor Gillian, Councilman Barnes & Pchini, congratulations on your
successful campaigns and thank you for your commitment to our democratic process. I am eager to begin working with you. Campaigns focus on individuals, but they are about people. people who support us,
people who are undecided, and people who support someone else. As a candidate, all people were important to me. As a councilman, all people will continue to be important to me. A successful
campaign is waged by a team. a team of people who make sure the rules are followed and the bills are paid. Provide financial support. Conduct outreach, develop strategies, and manage communication plans. Knock on
doors, make phone calls, and plan events. Place lawn signs and pick them up when the election is over. I am grateful to all the members of our team, and I will honor their selfless commitment to doing good work.
Successful leaders have people who make them better. Someone whose love lifts them to greater heights. Someone who cares enough to hold them to stay true to themsself. Someone who believes in them enough to
push them beyond their comfort zone. My person in life is Donna. Thank you, sweetheart. You make me better. I ran for office. I ran for office because I believe in
public service. Public service prioritizes the needs of the community and its common interest. It is empathetic, responsive, and equitable. Public servants are the stewards of a
community's well-being. History provides abundant examples of people who have excelled in this noble calling. I will be guided by those examples and the lessons they provide. As a member of city council, I'm
committed to open, independent, informed decision-making, fostering robust public engagement, and protecting our city's financial strength and resilience. I believe in Ocean City, and I am
honored by this opportunity to contribute to its current and future success. Thank you. [applause] >> Thank you, Councilman Kelly. Now, at this point, uh, we do have some business to do. I'm going to turn over the reorganization meeting to city clerk
Melissa Razner. >> Thank you, Michael. Right. At this time, I would like to call the reorganization meeting of Wednesday, July 1st, 2026 to order and begin with our roll call. Mr. Mr. Barnes >> here, >> Mr. Crowley >> here, >> Mr. Hartzell >> here, >> Mr. Kelly
>> here, >> Mr. Lovechuk >> here, >> Mr. Pchini >> here, >> and Mr. Winslow >> here. >> Adequate notice of this meeting has been given pursuant to public law 1975, chapter 231. Nominations are now open for the office of council president for a one-year term
beginning July 1st, 2026 and ending June 30th, 2027. All nominations will be voted on in the order they are received. Are there any nominations at this time? >> Terry Crowley. >> Okay. Is there a second? >> Second.
>> Okay. Um the motion is on the table for Terry Crowley is council president for a one-year term which has received a first and a second motion. So now I'm going to do a roll call. Mr. Barnes. >> Yes. >> Mr. Crowley. >> Yes. >> Mr. Hartzell? >> Yes. >> Mr. Lovechuk?
>> Yeah. Oh, Mr. Kelly, >> yes. >> Mr. Pchini, >> yes. >> Mr. Winslow, >> yes. >> Okay. All right. And now we're going to do um nominations are open for the Office of Council Vice President for a one-year term beginning July 1st, 2026
and ending June 30th, 2027. Again, all nominations will be voted on in the order in which they are received. Are there any nominations at this time? >> Nominate Dave Winsow. >> Jody. Second. Okay, the motion is on the table for
Dave Winslow as council vice president for a one-year term which has been receive which has received a first and a second motion. Roll call. >> Mr. Barnes, >> yes. >> Mr. Crowley, >> yes. >> Mr. Hartzell, >> yes. >> Mr. Kelly, >> yes. >> Mr. Lovechuk, yes. >> Mr. Pchini, yes.
>> Mr. Winslow, >> yes. >> Okay. So, at this time, I'll turn it over to Council President, Mr. Crowley. >> All right. Thank you. Thank you everyone for coming. Congrats to all our candidates. Uh did a great job and I I was really impressed by uh your speeches. Thank you for keeping them short. Um with that, we'll turn the
meeting over to the mayor and administration. Anything to report, Jay? >> We're all good. >> Okay. Um which moves us to the consent agenda. All resolutions listed below are considered to be routine in nature and will be acted by one motion. If the mayor or any council person wishes a particular resolution to be considered
separately, it will be removed from the agenda. Anything to be removed? Seeing none, could I have a motion to approve the consent agenda? >> So move Winslow. >> Second. >> Okay. Mr. Barnes, >> yes. >> Mr. Crowley, yes. >> Mr. Hartzell, >> yes. >> Mr. Kelly,
>> yes. >> Mr. Lovechuk, yes. >> Mr. Pchini, >> yes. >> Mr. Winslow, >> yes. >> All right. Thank you. At this point, we will go out to public comment. >> Voting. >> Ed, come on. >> I got to learn that. just here.
>> Three. >> Three. Um, Ed O'Donnell. So, you've seen on the television news the shootings, the stabbings, the assaults, all all the negatives all
over the world. But one change can improve that situation. So, Monday morning, I felt like I was about 110 years old, but I uh got this suntan oil at Acme, right? Hawaiian
Tropic brown coconut suntan oil went right over there. 20 minutes of suntan, sun, cold ocean. Then I felt, you know, 17 again in Forever 21. We have to have a fanatical commitment to physical
fitness to solve a lot of these problems. Um, whirlpool, there is no whirlpool in Ocean City and it's a wealthy community. We can afford it and I would ask you to get a whirlpool at the uh community
center. Now, you've heard this before, but some of our friends haven't heard it at a Colgate University reunion. Mark Murphy who was an allp pro football player. He's the athletic director. He was given a lecture and there was another alum there. We got there a little early and I have been pushing
Colgate to get a whirlpool. And I said, "Come on, Mark. Get this whirlpool." And the other alum, he got it. He said, "Put the Arabs and the Israelis in the whirlpool. They'll solve it in five minutes." So, yeah, whirlpool, son bath, steam bath, you you get the message.
Physical fitness. And then after that, I went down to Kelly's Creations, got my hair dyed black. So, 40 years younger. And Kelly has the gift of healing, by the way. Now, uh, one more thing. Um, stress in the workplace, police, firemen,
construction workers, people in restaurants, they're under tremendous stress. We have to work harder to give them more time off and uh you know to help them not get stressed out. And
last, crack down on the uh cigarettes. That that'll help a lot of people. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> And you're why I love my job. >> Second. [laughter] All right. All right. Any anyone else
for public comment? Okay. Seeing none, have a motion to adjurnn. >> So move Winslow >> second. >> All right. Round of applause for our elected officials. [applause] [cheering] >> And we'd like to conclude today's service. Everybody please stand for the
benediction by Reverend Gre Greg Johnson. >> Let everybody that love the Lord say amen. >> Amen. Before I give the benediction, I want to say congratulation to all of the newly elected officials.
For the door that was opened for you is a door that can become lonely. Is a time that you will feel like the world is against you and you feel like you're all by yourself. But the door that is open for you today
is a door that you're going to realize that you will need your family and your loved ones to walk with you during those moments when you don't know what to say or what to do. But I encourage you that whatever you do, always know how to
pray. That you will make the right decision in the lives of so many citizens and America Greatest Family Resort. for you are part of the legacy of the 250 years that we will encounter in a few days and we ought to be
thankful for every blessings that we have incurred with our families and our loved ones. So I encourage all of you to walk together. Don't try to run this race ahead of another one to prove a point, but find
unity within this council and do whatever you do to the best of the glory that all of us that are here will be proud of all of you for what you plan to accomplish in our lives. If you look out the window, the citizens that come, we
are thankful because people don't have to be nice to us, but we are thankful that people think so much of this city that the rules and regulations that you make are encouraging all of us to be part of the legacy that you will leave
behind. So just be encouraged, never give up. And whatever tear come to your eye in the midnight hour, always know that there's a greater answer that you may not know. But learn to lean on everyone and do what's right. And to all
of you that are here, you must be willing to support this council as they open a new chapter this year that whatever they do and whatever they say will make our lives better in Ocean City. And we are only asking that all of
us now would take the time to work together. Pray for your leaders. Pray for your councils because trust me, you're going to feel the burden. What's at your feet now is in your hand.
Do what's right. Let us pray. Our Father and our God, we've come to this ceremony to thank you for our elected officials. We thank you for so much you've done for us here in Ocean City. We thank you for
allowing us to be part of the 250 years that America will celebrate in a few days. We've all had our tears. We've all had our disappointments. But Lord, we thank you because you've always made a way. Encourage us when we
are down and lift us up, oh God, on every side. Let this be a day of honor and a day of glory unto you that when this council make any decision in our lives, let it first be unto your glory and then unto
the citizens of Ocean City, New Jersey. We thank you for them and we ask your blessings not only upon them but upon their spouses, their children and their grandchildren that they may walk together in unity and continue to make
this America greatest family resort in Jesus Christ our Lord and our Savior. We will always pray. Amen. >> Amen. >> All right, everybody, please remain standing. We're bringing Bill Nicholas back up to conclude by singing God Bless
America. Feel free to sing along. >> God bless America, land that I love. Stand beside her
and guide her through the night with the light from above. From the mountains to the prairies to the o [singing]
white with foam. God bless America. My home sweet home.
God bless America. My home. Sweet home. [screaming] [applause] Thank you everyone for coming today. Enjoy the rest of your