May 29, 2026

Dear Friends,

We lost an unbelievably good guy this week: Paul Wescott. He lost his life in a car accident at the age of 30. Paulie was a gentleman and would do anything for anyone. He worked for me at Wonderland for many years. You may remember him when we did a “Where’s Paulie?” promotion at our pizza shop. He delivered free pizzas around town and took pictures with the people he delivered to.

He later worked part-time for the city in the Community Services Department at the welcome center desks, always greeting everyone with a big smile. I know the old Wonderland team and the city team will miss him. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and many friends. I will update everyone with details on services when they become available.

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The weekend weather forecast looks beautiful, and I hope you all get a chance to get outside to enjoy the beach, boardwalk, bay, downtown and all that Ocean City has to offer.

As always, we encourage everyone to swim only at guarded beaches, and an updated list is always available at ocnj.us/ocbp. Our OCBP lifeguards are exceptional, but I also want to remind the community to look after family and friends and to make sure they respect the power of the ocean. We have a shared responsibility to keep everybody safe.

Our preseason discount for seasonal beach tags extends through Sunday. I’ve heard some people say that the sale ends on Memorial Day, but each year it goes to May 31. If you haven’t already purchased your tags, this is your last weekend to take advantage of the savings. More information is available here. 

We installed the lights for the north end of the Boardwalk this week. The decorative posts look great, and the equipment allows us to customize lighting levels and take advantage of other technology. It’s great to see the Boardwalk in such good shape in time for the summer.

Our seasonal jitney service will begin daily routes on Friday, June 19. The route and rates remain unchanged for 2026. More information is available at ocnj.us/jitneyservice.

Veterans are invited to participate in the Cape May County Bar Association and Cape May County Surrogate's “Wills for Warriors” program from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 4, 2026. The program will provide basic estate planning services — including wills, powers of attorney and healthcare directives — to veterans free of charge. More information is available here.

Michele and I would also like to extend deepest condolences to the family of Lewis Shupe, who passed away last weekend.

Warm regards,

Jay A. Gillian
Mayor