Five candidates vying for two seats in Rehoboth election

For the first time in three years, there will be an election in Rehoboth Beach.

The filing deadline for the municipal election was June 3, and after the dust settled, five candidates emerged. None of them were incumbent Commissioners Toni Sharp and Tim Bennett.

The five candidates are Joseph Cardinale, Suzanne Goode, Rachel Macha, Mark Saunders and Craig Thier. No matter who is elected, it will be their first time serving as a Rehoboth commissioner. Goode ran for office in 2019 and filed in 2021, but ultimately withdrew. Macha ran for office in 2020 and 2021.

Goode, Saunders and Thier filed early enough in the call for candidates for this year’s election that they’ve been given the opportunity to express why they’re running for office.

Goode has been a full-time Rehoboth resident since 2017, after first purchasing a condo in 2005. She said she’s running because the city needs to rein in spending, generate revenue more efficiently, and bring accountability and transparency.

Saunders has been a property owner since 2005 and full-time resident since 2013. He said his top issues are quality of life, the budget, and maintaining the balance of Rehoboth’s charming small-city feel with a vibrant, in-scale business community.

Thier has been a property owner since early 2002 and a full-time resident for about three years. He said he is running for office to help the city ensure financial stability by improving and enhancing the budgeting and comprehensive development plan processes.

Macha and Cardinale, who both filed on the day of the deadline, did not provide additional information on why they are running for office.

According to city records, this is only the third time since 1990 that five candidates have filed for an election that doesn’t include a race for mayor. In all three cases, the incumbents did not seek re-election – Sharp and now Mayor Stan Mills in 2019, and Richard Darley and Warren MacDonald in 1995.

Bennett said his professional and work schedule has been increasingly in conflict with city meetings. Additionally, he said, the number of executive session meetings in the past year has made it a challenge to properly balance work and board of commissioners obligations.

Bennett said he enjoyed his tenure and learned a lot about Rehoboth.

“It has been a privilege to serve the city and have the trust of the residents to continue to make Rehoboth Beach a great place to visit, work and call home,” said Bennett.

Sharp said she made a personal decision not to run for re-election. However, she said, public service is important to her and she may not be finished yet.

The filing deadline for this year’s election came after commissioners made two decisions that came in quick succession and seem to be at odds with each other. Both have been questioned by the public since they were made.

In March, commissioners passed a $38.7 million budget that included an increase in property taxes, parking rates, rental taxes, wastewater meter fees and a future increase to mercantile license fees to close a deficit in excess of $4 million. Commissioners also adjusted the projected revenue from Dewey Beach’s wastewater fees by $300,000 and decreased the administration contingency fund by $100,000.

Less than a month later, in April, city commissioners announced the hiring of Taylour Tedder as city manager, providing him with a compensation package that municipal government insiders have described as groundbreaking. Commissioners have not yet explained how they got from former City Manager Laurence Christian’s annual salary of $160,000 to Tedder’s annual salary of $250,000, plus $50,000 in moving expenses and a $750,000 home loan that will be forgiven in full if he stays for seven years.

Mills said having five candidates running for two seats demonstrates a high level of interest, which is something that has been somewhat rare in recent Rehoboth Beach municipal elections.

As for why there are so many candidates, Mills said it could be for a number of reasons – city finances, rates and fees, the hiring process for the new city manager, and the creation or amendment of new laws.

“I am hopeful to learn more about each candidate’s background as they campaign in the weeks ahead,” said Mills. “After all, the two high vote-getters will be joining me and four other commissioners at the commissioners’ table in September.”

The Rehoboth Beach Homeowners’ Association will host a candidate forum at 10 a.m., Saturday, July 20. According to the RBHA website, the forum will take place in the upstairs meeting room of the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company’s Station 86, 219 Rehoboth Ave. There is elevator access.

Important election information

To vote in Rehoboth Beach elections, voters must be at least 18; a city resident or freeholder for at least 30 days, or a 10-year leaseholder for at least six months; and registered in the city's Book of Registered Voters. The deadline to register to vote in this election is 4:30 p.m., Thursday, July 11.

Absentee ballots will be available beginning Wednesday, June 26, and will be mailed to all who have a request form on file. Absentee ballot request forms must be filed no later than noon, Friday, Aug. 9. Absentee ballots must be received via mail or in person before polls close on Election Day.

For more election information, contact the city’s election officials Donna Moore or Steven Perry by emailing elections@cityofrehoboth.com or calling 302-227-6181, Ext. 159.