Councilman’s Role With International Student Rentals Questioned; Long-Time Builder Believes Hartman Overstepped

OCEAN CITY — Allegations made this week by a prominent retired builder have raised questions about whether an Ocean City councilman has unethically used his elected office to settle personal vendettas or fill his own pockets in the seasonal rental market.

George Harkins, the retired owner of Harkins Contracting and Harkins Concrete Construction, made a name and a fortune for himself in the region in the 80’s and 90’s specializing in mid- and high-rise buildings up and down the coast. He estimates he’s built well over 150 buildings and says that “you can’t go two blocks in Ocean City without running into a building where I did pour the structural concrete.”

Historically speaking, other than Purnell Jarvis, the late owner of Purnell Jarvis Builders Inc, there may be no builder along the coastline that made as much impact to its current look.

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