Ashley says his pay will fuel gas offer
OCEAN CITY -- Ocean City government has chosen not to shell out a portion of the town's advertising money to purchase gas for a tourist giveaway. But a councilman says he'll see to it the town buys a free-gas promotion -- with his own municipal salary.
Councilman Brent Ashley pledged to use his council salary -- about $10,000, he said -- as the foundation for a giveaway that will be supplemented by Joe Kro-Art and other members of the resort's business community.
The amount of the giveaway will be different than what council was considering, Ashley said, but the intent will remain the same. Ashley and others will attempt to show their appreciation to visitors by helping them with travel costs.
Kro-Art, owner of Ocean Gallery on the Boardwalk at Second Street, pioneered the idea of a giveaway in May, and has been championing it since. He says he will be involved in Ashley's project "in every aspect, for whatever he needs." He didn't name an amount he intends to contribute to the cause.
"It's not the amount. It's the intention and credibility," he said.
Council decided on June 14 to take $100,000 it had allotted for a free-gas offer and dedicate it to promoting the fact that visitors can already get free fuel, via promotions, from area hotels, motels and condominium complexes. Council made the decision in a 4-3 vote during a closed session Tuesday afternoon, following a presentation on potential methods for conducting a free gas campaign by Andy Malis, president of MGH, a Baltimore-based advertising firm.
"We accepted enough ideas, and realized for us, since hotels are already giving away gas cards, we can promote that," said council President Jim Hall. "We've decided not to approve the $100,000 for actual free gas."
Ashley, who initially brought to council the idea of a gas giveaway, said he felt the change of direction was unconscionable.
"I feel I made a promise to do this, and I'm going to do this," Ashley said in an interview Tuesday, when he announced the plan to launch his own promotion. Ashley is still working on the logicstics of the promotion: where will the gas come from? How will it be given out? But said he thinks some of the ideas, when finalized, will be "innovative and cute."
Mayor Rick Meehan said he supported council's vote to abandon the direct gas purchase, although he felt the free gas concept was presented with good intentions. Meehan maintains the town should base its efforts more on promoting what the resort already has to offer, including the many free activities.
"We have so many great things to say about the town, and we're continuing to try and enhance the value of a trip to Ocean City for tourists," said Meehan. "I think it's best to concentrate in those areas."
He said the town didn't want to compete with the private businesses already offering fuel promotions.
The existing gasoline incentives can be found at ocvisitor.com, under the "deals" tab. In return for hotel stays of three or four nights, a dozen hotels, motels and condos are offering preloaded gas cards worth $20 to $50.
Councilman Doug Cymek initially voted with Ashley, Margaret Pillas and Joe Hall to allot the money for MGH to somehow give away free fuel, but was convinced to change his vote after he had spoken to more than 50 people in town who were not in support of the idea, he said. Jim Hall, Mary Knight and Lloyd Martin also voted against a gas giveaway.
Ashley said the people he'd spoken with were in favor of the idea. He called Cymek's actions "dirty politics," and told Cymek it wasn't necessary for them to talk in the future, he said. Ashley was upset because he felt Cymek had gone back on his word by changing his vote.
"I told him if I can't trust what you say, don't waste my time," Ashley said, and called council's change of heart an "embarrassment to Ocean City."
In an interview, Cymek reiterated a comment he made at council's May 31 meeting: He wasn't in favor of "just giving away" $100,000 of free gas. After speaking to 57 people on the matter, he'd concluded, it was better to promote the hotels already doing gas deals for guests.
"I made Councilman Ashley aware I didn't have any obligation to report to him," said Cymek. "I wasn't elected to make him happy, but to look out for the interest of citizens of Ocean City."
Councilman Joe Hall, the swing vote to get the gas proposal approved on May 31, was disappointed, he said, especially since Malis had told council a free gasoline promotion could quite possibly be the town's best short-term promotion yet.
Businesspeople in town had varying opinions on council's change of heart, ranging from support to apathy to disgust.
"I think it was smart to back out of it, because that money can be used somewhere else much more efficiently," said Lee Gerachis, owner of Malibu Surf Shop, 713 N. Atlantic Ave. "(Council) came up with an idea and decided it wasn't the right thing to do, so I have no problem with their decision at all."
Gerachis suggested the $100,000 be used instead to give away a weekend of free parking in town. He feels aggressive ticketing in town alienates tourists.
Kro-Art maintains that the town's decision to back out on the free gas campaign, which he and Ashley have both called a "public relations bonanza" on numerous occasions, could result in a loss of millions of dollars for resort businesses. He also said he has been speaking to many people each weekend about their excitement at the prospect of free gas.
"I've been in this town for over 40 years, and something like this makes me want to consider moving my business to Delaware," said Kro-Art after town yanked the funding. He added that council had made the biggest public relations mistake it has ever made.
"They just shot themselves in the foot," he said.
Michael James, general manager of Carousel Resort Hotel and Condominiums, on 117th Street, pointed out that even if $100,000 in free gas was given away, it wouldn't affect more than a small fraction of the town's visitors. He said he doesn't think people base their trip to the resort on gas prices, and that a giveaway might be more appropriate if there was an actual shortage of gasoline, as opposed to high prices.
Todd Ferrante, owner of Park Place Jewelers at Second Street and the Boardwalk, said he was happy council had been "thinking outside the box," but that gas prices have been going down recently, making a giveaway less of a necessity.
Dave Wissman, a 69-year-old from Solomons, Md., has been coming to town at least once a year since he was 16. If there was a chance at free gas to help pay his way for the trip home, he said he could see it being an incentive.
"If it wasn't, though, put it this way: I'd still be here," Wissman said as he sat on a Boardwalk bench.
smuska@dmg.gannett.com
410-213-9442, ext. 14
Councilman Brent Ashley pledged to use his council salary -- about $10,000, he said -- as the foundation for a giveaway that will be supplemented by Joe Kro-Art and other members of the resort's business community.
The amount of the giveaway will be different than what council was considering, Ashley said, but the intent will remain the same. Ashley and others will attempt to show their appreciation to visitors by helping them with travel costs.
Kro-Art, owner of Ocean Gallery on the Boardwalk at Second Street, pioneered the idea of a giveaway in May, and has been championing it since. He says he will be involved in Ashley's project "in every aspect, for whatever he needs." He didn't name an amount he intends to contribute to the cause.
"It's not the amount. It's the intention and credibility," he said.
Council decided on June 14 to take $100,000 it had allotted for a free-gas offer and dedicate it to promoting the fact that visitors can already get free fuel, via promotions, from area hotels, motels and condominium complexes. Council made the decision in a 4-3 vote during a closed session Tuesday afternoon, following a presentation on potential methods for conducting a free gas campaign by Andy Malis, president of MGH, a Baltimore-based advertising firm.
"We accepted enough ideas, and realized for us, since hotels are already giving away gas cards, we can promote that," said council President Jim Hall. "We've decided not to approve the $100,000 for actual free gas."
Ashley, who initially brought to council the idea of a gas giveaway, said he felt the change of direction was unconscionable.
"I feel I made a promise to do this, and I'm going to do this," Ashley said in an interview Tuesday, when he announced the plan to launch his own promotion. Ashley is still working on the logicstics of the promotion: where will the gas come from? How will it be given out? But said he thinks some of the ideas, when finalized, will be "innovative and cute."
Mayor Rick Meehan said he supported council's vote to abandon the direct gas purchase, although he felt the free gas concept was presented with good intentions. Meehan maintains the town should base its efforts more on promoting what the resort already has to offer, including the many free activities.
"We have so many great things to say about the town, and we're continuing to try and enhance the value of a trip to Ocean City for tourists," said Meehan. "I think it's best to concentrate in those areas."
He said the town didn't want to compete with the private businesses already offering fuel promotions.
The existing gasoline incentives can be found at ocvisitor.com, under the "deals" tab. In return for hotel stays of three or four nights, a dozen hotels, motels and condos are offering preloaded gas cards worth $20 to $50.
Councilman Doug Cymek initially voted with Ashley, Margaret Pillas and Joe Hall to allot the money for MGH to somehow give away free fuel, but was convinced to change his vote after he had spoken to more than 50 people in town who were not in support of the idea, he said. Jim Hall, Mary Knight and Lloyd Martin also voted against a gas giveaway.
Ashley said the people he'd spoken with were in favor of the idea. He called Cymek's actions "dirty politics," and told Cymek it wasn't necessary for them to talk in the future, he said. Ashley was upset because he felt Cymek had gone back on his word by changing his vote.
"I told him if I can't trust what you say, don't waste my time," Ashley said, and called council's change of heart an "embarrassment to Ocean City."
In an interview, Cymek reiterated a comment he made at council's May 31 meeting: He wasn't in favor of "just giving away" $100,000 of free gas. After speaking to 57 people on the matter, he'd concluded, it was better to promote the hotels already doing gas deals for guests.
"I made Councilman Ashley aware I didn't have any obligation to report to him," said Cymek. "I wasn't elected to make him happy, but to look out for the interest of citizens of Ocean City."
Councilman Joe Hall, the swing vote to get the gas proposal approved on May 31, was disappointed, he said, especially since Malis had told council a free gasoline promotion could quite possibly be the town's best short-term promotion yet.
Businesspeople in town had varying opinions on council's change of heart, ranging from support to apathy to disgust.
"I think it was smart to back out of it, because that money can be used somewhere else much more efficiently," said Lee Gerachis, owner of Malibu Surf Shop, 713 N. Atlantic Ave. "(Council) came up with an idea and decided it wasn't the right thing to do, so I have no problem with their decision at all."
Gerachis suggested the $100,000 be used instead to give away a weekend of free parking in town. He feels aggressive ticketing in town alienates tourists.
Kro-Art maintains that the town's decision to back out on the free gas campaign, which he and Ashley have both called a "public relations bonanza" on numerous occasions, could result in a loss of millions of dollars for resort businesses. He also said he has been speaking to many people each weekend about their excitement at the prospect of free gas.
"I've been in this town for over 40 years, and something like this makes me want to consider moving my business to Delaware," said Kro-Art after town yanked the funding. He added that council had made the biggest public relations mistake it has ever made.
"They just shot themselves in the foot," he said.
Michael James, general manager of Carousel Resort Hotel and Condominiums, on 117th Street, pointed out that even if $100,000 in free gas was given away, it wouldn't affect more than a small fraction of the town's visitors. He said he doesn't think people base their trip to the resort on gas prices, and that a giveaway might be more appropriate if there was an actual shortage of gasoline, as opposed to high prices.
Todd Ferrante, owner of Park Place Jewelers at Second Street and the Boardwalk, said he was happy council had been "thinking outside the box," but that gas prices have been going down recently, making a giveaway less of a necessity.
Dave Wissman, a 69-year-old from Solomons, Md., has been coming to town at least once a year since he was 16. If there was a chance at free gas to help pay his way for the trip home, he said he could see it being an incentive.
"If it wasn't, though, put it this way: I'd still be here," Wissman said as he sat on a Boardwalk bench.
smuska@dmg.gannett.com
410-213-9442, ext. 14
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