Jay Gillian sworn in as Ocean City mayor; pledges beach replenishment, park renovation and flood mitigation

Jay Gillian was sworn in as mayor of Ocean City on July 1 at a ceremony on the Music Pier, and he used his inaugural remarks to set priorities for his term, including finishing the city's beach replenishment project, renovating Sand Castle Park at 34th Street and expanding flood mitigation to new neighborhoods.

"I stand here today deeply honored by the trust that you have placed in me," Mayor Jay Gillian said, thanking family, campaign volunteers and residents. He described a slate of immediate priorities: "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." He also said the city would pursue restoration of the bridge lights after September to avoid a long summer lane closure.

The mayor framed the agenda as both economic and civic: Ocean City will continue a full calendar of events—he cited more than 240 family events each year—and pursue services for seniors, veterans, schoolchildren and participants in Special Olympics. He emphasized infrastructure upkeep and what he called "expanding our flood mitigation projects to new neighborhoods," and reiterated a pledge to "maintain low taxes, our clean audits, and special exceptional bond ratings based on our fiscal responsibility."

Gillian spoke at a reorganization and inauguration ceremony that included the swearing-in of three council members and short ceremonial remarks, followed by the council's formal reorganization business. The mayor's remarks focused on programs and projects the administration said it would pursue rather than on new legislation. "We're all very fortunate to live here in Ocean City. It's an amazing place to live," he said.

The ceremony included an invocation, the national anthem and concluding remarks and song. The mayor did not provide detailed timelines, specific grant sources or funding amounts for the projects he described; those details were not specified at the event.