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OC Today-Dispatch APRIL 10, 2026
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NO QUORUM FORUM In what is believed to be a first, a City Council meeting in Ocean City had to be effectively canceled on the spot Monday night due to there not being a quorum. The six-member council was without council members John Gehrig, who was traveling, and Carol Proctor and Larry Yates, who were both ill. Meanwhile, waiting at City Hall were council members Will Savage, Matt James and Jake Mitrecic. A brief meeting was held to issue proclamations and to congratulate Ocean City University graduates but no other business could be voted on because of the absence of a City Council quorum.
bust Election date rescheduled Record snags kilos Surprise resignation of resort Councilman Larry Yates creates two vacancies on Ocean City Council and causes special election set for this month to move into May. New candidate filing deadline today. — PAGE 3
Cop use of force files public The Washington Post wins an appeal as court says Ocean City Police Dept. use of force records aren’t personnel files and should be open. — PAGE 18
of cocaine Months of investigations by multiple agencies lead to arrests, seizure of 92 pounds of coke and other drugs — PAGE 22
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OC Today-Dispatch
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OC Today-Dispatch
Yates vacates council seat, special election now May 8 Ocean City Council delays April election to fill two abandoned spots in one go By Bethany Hooper Associate Editor (April 10, 2026) Ocean City Councilman Larry Yates submitted his immediate resignation this week, prompting city leaders to reschedule this spring’s special election. With two vacancies to fill now, the Ocean City Council on Tuesday agreed to push back this spring’s special election to May 8, and to reopen the candidate filing process through Friday, April 10. The vote came in a budget work session, the day after Yates gave his official notice. “Unfortunately, I am in receipt of a resignation from Councilmember Larry Yates. He resigned effective yesterday, April 6, due to health concerns,” Council President Matt James said. “So due to that, we now have two vacancies on the council.” Yates’ resignation will be the second to occur in just as many months. In February, days after overcoming a public challenge regarding his residency, Councilman Tony DeLuca stepped down from the dais, citing his desire to put family first. DeLuca’s resignation set in motion a 90-day window to fill the vacancy through a special election, which was subsequently set for April 21. And in the weeks that followed, both Peter Buas, a local attorney and former councilman, and Jeff Heiser, a retired Ocean City Police Department officer, declared their intentions to run for the open seat. As Yates’ resignation was submitted more than 150 days before the regularly scheduled election in November, the council this week voted 4-0, with Councilwoman Carol Proctor absent, to move its special election from April 21 to May 8, and to fill both vacancies at that time. While the candidate filing deadline for the April 21 election passed on March 23, the council on Tuesday agreed to reopen the filing process through Friday, April 10. “The second deadline is the deadline to file for a candidate, and that deadline is 28 days before the scheduled election …,” City Manager Terry McGean said. “If the council wished to move the election to the furthest they could, which we believe is May 8, then that new deadline would be close of business this Friday for any additional candidates that wanted to file.” While acknowledging that the short notice was not ideal, city officials this week said something needed to be done quickly to fill the vacancies. They pointed to Monday
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night’s council meeting – which could not be held for lack of a quorum – as a reason to proceed with the plan as proposed. “I think it’s important that we fill the seats. Two out of seven is a tremendous ratio of the council to have missing. It makes it so that we can’t have anymore be out and have a vote …,” Councilman Jake Mitrecic said. “’Legally possible’ doesn’t put a smile on anyone’s face here, but if it’s legally possible, I think it’s something we should do.” Councilman John Gehrig agreed. While acknowledging the window between filing and voting was tight, he said it was possible. “I ran a campaign in that amount of time …,” he said of his 2024 council run. “You can do it, and win.” Yates, a newcomer to municipal politics, secured one of four open seats on the City Council in the 2024 general municipal election. He leaves the dais this week with more than two years left on his term. “The Town of Ocean City is grateful for Councilman Yates’ time and service on the City Council,” McGean said in a news release this week. “He brought thoughtful perspective and a strong commitment to the community, and we thank him for his dedication and contributions to Ocean City during his tenure.” With the consent of candidates Buas and Heiser, and this week’s vote of the City Council, a special election will now be held from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 8 at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center, Dockside Exhibit Hall. Residents interested in running for one of the two open council seats must file their candidacy no later than today, Friday, April 10 at 4:30 p.m. Additional information is posted on the city’s website, oceancitymd.gov. Yates did not respond to a request for comment this week.
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