Ann Marie Townshend eager to join Lewes staff

When the search for a new city manager began earlier this year, Lewes Mayor Ted Becker said he was looking for a well-qualified person who could bring a breadth of experience to the city.  

Ann Marie Townshend was the clear pick, he said, as she’s taken an impressive career path that has led to Lewes. Her first day is Monday, April 3. 

Townshend currently works as the director of planning and community development for the City of Dover. She serves as the city planner, overseeing zoning, the comprehensive plan and various studies. She also oversees code enforcement, building inspections, licensing and permitting and the city’s parks and recreation department. 

“I’ve been wanting to move into city management,” she said. “When you look across Delaware, I don’t know if there’s a better place to be than Lewes. It’s a great opportunity.” 

Townshend has a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Delaware. After graduation, she was hired for an entry-level planner position with the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Parks and Recreation. 

After seven years, she moved on to the Office of State Planning Coordination, where she served as the circuit rider planner for Sussex County. 

“I worked closely with a lot of the local governments in Sussex County,” she said. “I spent some time in Lewes in that role as well.” 

Four years later, she was hired by the city of Dover, where she’s worked for the last 11 years.

To prepare for a move into city management, she said, she’s been enrolled for the last year in the International City Management Association’s Mid-Career Managers Institute, a training program to prepare people for a municipal management role.

“She has a tremendous background in a larger municipality running and managing various departments and [working with] a budget that is not terribly dissimilar from what our city budget is,” Becker said. “Her prior experience with the Office of State Planning and having been the circuit rider for Sussex County gave her some unique skills that we couldn’t have found in another candidate.”

Townshend said she doesn’t know what to expect just yet, but she is eager to meet the city’s officials and the community. Outgoing City Manager Paul Eckrich will stay on through April 13 for a smooth transition.

Eckrich said he doesn’t know Townshend personally, but by her strong reputation. He met her briefly during the interview process and believes she will be a strong fit. 

“She’s personable, outgoing, full of energy, and, most importantly, passionate about coming to Lewes,” he said. “I predict in a month or two, they’ll be saying ‘Paul who?’ I want Ann Marie to be very successful for her and for Lewes.”

Townshend said she is very familiar with Lewes, as she often takes day trips to the city with her family. 

“We’ve always spent time in Lewes,” she said. “We come down there to eat, to shop. We’ve done the Junction and Breakwater Trail. It’s just a great place.”