The mayor of the City of Ocean City is the head of the executive branch of government of Ocean City, New Jersey, United States.
Since Ocean City was chartered as a borough in 1884, 22 individuals have held the office of mayor. Four mayors served two or more non-consecutive terms. Gainer P. Moore was the inaugural mayor of the city, who served on three occasions for a total of ten years. The current mayor is Jay Gillian, who was first elected in May 2010, and re-elected in 2014, 2018, and 2022.
History Beginning in 1879, when the Lake Brothers founded a Christian retreat on the island, the Ocean City Association handled official business, which continued in this capacity until 1884. Based on a referendum on April 30, 1884, the borough of Ocean City was formed from portions of Upper Township, following an act of the New Jersey Legislature on May 3, 1884. At this time, the town was governed by a mayor and four members of a city council. On March 31, 1890, the borough of Ocean City was reincorporated. On March 25, 1897, Ocean City was again reincorporated, this time as a city. At this time, the city council expanded to six members. In 1911, Ocean City switched to a city commission government, in which voters picked three commissioners, with one designated as mayor. On July 1, 1978, Ocean City switched to a mayor–council form of government, in which there are seven council members, and a directly-elected mayor.
Mayors No.MayorTerm startTerm endNotesReferences 1 Gainer P. Moore 1884 1890 First mayor of borough of Ocean City 2 James E. Pryor 1890 1892 3 Gainer P. Moore 1892 1894 Second tenure as mayor 4 Harry G. Steelman 1894 1895 Tied with Robert Fisher in the 1894 mayoral election. The city council chose Steelman, which Fisher contested in court. 5 Robert Fisher 1895 1896 Tied with Harry G. Steelman in the 1894 mayoral election. After contesting in court, the city council instated Fisher for the second year of the two-year term. 6 Gainer P. Moore 1896 1897 Third and final tenure as mayor 7 Wesley C. Smith 1897 1901 First mayor after Ocean City incorporated as a city 8 Joseph G. Champion 1901 1907 First of three tenures as mayor. 9 Lewis M. Cresse 1907 1911 10 Harry Headley 1911 1915 City government changed to a three-person commission, which chose Headley. 11 Joseph G. Champion 1915 1931 Second of three tenures as mayor. 12 Harry Headley 1931 1935 Second tenure as mayor. 13 Joseph G. Champion 1935 1939 Third and final tenure as mayor. 14 George D. Richards 1939 Died on the last day of his term. 15 Clyde William Struble, Sr. Delegate to 1947 state constitution convention. He died in office on December 3, 1948. Vacant City commission was unable to agree on replacement. Position was vacant until the next mayoral election on May 10, 1949. 16 Edward B. Bowker 1949 1959 17 Nathaniel C. Smith 1959 1963 18 B. Thomas Waldman 1963 1967 19 Robert L. Sharp 1967 1971 20 B. Thomas Waldman 1971 1978 21 Chester A. Wimberg 1978 1982 First person elected under the newly adopted mayor–council form of city government 22 Jack Bittner 1982 1986 23 Roy Gillian 1986 1990 24 Nickolas J. "Chick" Trofa 1990 He died of a heart attack while in office on January 31, 1992. 25 Richard Deaney Appointed by City Council until a special election on May 12 26 Henry "Bud" Knight 2006 He won a special election in 1992, then served three more terms. 27 Sal Perillo 28 Jay Gillian Current mayor of Ocean City
Higher offices held The following is a list of higher public offices held by mayors, before or after their mayoral term(s). MayorMayoral term(s)Other offices heldReferencesWesley C. Smith1897–1901New Jersey General Assembly (1895) Lewis M. Cresse 1907–1911New Jersey General Assembly (1901-1903)New Jersey Senate (1904-1906) Joseph G. Champion1915-1931Cape May County Board of Freeholders (1922)Nathaniel Smith1959-1963New Jersey Senate (1954-1955)Jack Bittner1982-1986Cape May County Board of FreeholdersRoy Gillian1986-1990Cape May County Board of Freeholders (1971)
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