JAMES N. MATHIAs, JR.

Legislative District 38
Somerset, Wicomico, and Worcester Counties Finance Committee

Annapolis Office
Miller Senate Office Building II Bladen Street, Suite 401 Annapolis, Maryland 21401 410-841-3645 3 01-8 58- 3 645 Soo-492-7122 Ext. 3645 Fax 410-841-3006 301-858-3006 James.Mathias@senate.state.md.us

THE SENATE OF MARYLAND ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND 21401

District Office
410-352-3096

Fax 410-352-3087

December 21, 2011 New York City Design Commission 253 Broadway, 5th Floor New York, NY 10007 To Members of the New York City Design Commission: My name is Jim Mathias. I'm a Maryland State Senator representing the Lower Eastern Shore, which includes Ocean City, Maryland, where I was the mayor for ten years between 1996 and 2006. During my time as mayor, Ocean City changed the section of its boardwalk running from Division Street to South Division Street, from concrete back to wood. In 1955, Ocean City had replaced that segment of the boardwalk, a highly trafficked area, with concrete. But it was poured without a foundation, so by the late 1990s, the concrete was starting to sink into the ground and crack, and it was also extremely dirty. Some members of city government wanted to keep the concrete, or replace it with brick pavers, since they were more affordable. I telt strongly that we should use wood. Fortunately, the supporters of the wood boardwalk won the debate. Today, Ocean City has a world-class wooden boardwalk that stretches all the way from 27th Street to South 1 st Street. I'm proud of that. My support for a wooden boardwalk is deeply-rooted in my ties to, and affection for, Ocean City. I can vividly recall walking on the boardwalk when I was a boy vacationing there. In 1972, I moved from Baltimore City to Ocean City with the woman who would become my wife. A year later, my father fulfilled a dream of his and opened a business along the boardwalk the only air-conditioned arcade at the time. Sadly, he passed away in 1974, shortly after opening his business. After finishing my final semester in college, my younger brother and I took over the business, and worked hard to keep it afloat. We even hosted the first ever Guinness Book of World Records pinball marathon, which was broadcast live on television. You might say, then, that my life-long affection for boardwalks is in my blood. When I became involved in business and politics, I decided I needed to protect the idea of a wood boardwalk that I had seen disappear in so many other parts of the country. I wanted to preserve the sense of nostalgia and family that only a wood boardwalk could evoke. I served two terms on the City Council and then won the race for Mayor. The time was ripe to truly identify Ocean City's sense of place. I knew that the whole state of Maryland, and much of the Northeast, vacations in Ocean City. And a big part of Ocean City's identity was its beautiful wood boardwalk.

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The Ocean City boardwalk was always wood from 27 th Street to Division Street. The concrete section stretched from Division to South Division Street, but the last couple of blocks at the south part of the boardwalk were left as wood, so you could really see the stark contrast between concrete and wood when you walked on that section of the boardwalk. It was clear that there was no replacement for wood. Still, there was a heated debate in the City Council. We discussed the affordability of brick pavers. We looked at boardwalks from Virginia Beach to Disney World. In the end, we realized that all across America, there are only a handful of real wood boardwalks and we were lucky enough to have one. That kind of nostalgia, Americana and legacy could not be replicated anywhere else. Our investment has paid off. Our wood boardwalk is acclaimed worldwide. Changing the concrete boardwalk to wood helped to create a positive economic impact for the whole state. We currently have 4 million visitors in the summer and 4 million visitors the rest of the year. I worked hard to make that happen. When I came in as mayor, the accessible base was $4 billion and when I left it was $12 billion. If there's any advice I can offer to New York City, it is to hold onto your history. The Coney Island boardwalk has a rich sense of place for memories, family, and Americana, too. Even in Ocean City when I was a boy, I remember my mother saying to me, "Go get us a couple of those Coney Island hot dogs." Today, so much of the seaside elegance is gone, torn down and replaced by new construction. Yet corporate America has tried to mimic the boardwalk, in a way, with food courts and indoor shopping malls. But there's no replacement for the real thing. You've got the real thing! So don't let it go. Even in tough economic times, you have to hold on to what's important. In Ocean City, we have never regretted our decision to hold on to the real thing. On the day we dedicated our all-wood boardwalk, I stood next to Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who was in attendance, and felt great pride for my city and the decision we'd made together to preserve our tradition. I know that our boardwalk will be a great legacy for generations to come. I encourage the New York City Design Council to do the right thing and preserve the Coney Island wood boardwalk. I am happy to speak with you if you have any questions, or if there is anything you wish to discuss further. Sincerely,

Senator Jim Mathias