Keller Hopkins files for District 5 council seat

Keller Hopkins of Georgetown has filed as a Republican candidate for the recently redrawn District 5 Sussex County Council seat. Hopkins is currently serving on Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission, a post he was appointed to in 2016. His term runs until 2023.

He is running for the seat currently held by John Rieley of Millsboro, who was elected in 2018. Rieley has not publicly announced whether he plans to run for a second term.

Hopkins is a small-business owner who specializes in installation of underground utilities. His office, located in Bridgeville, opened 35 years ago.

As a member of the planning and zoning commission, Hopkins said he has championed reasonable growth and been a vocal opponent of sprawl into farmlands. “We need to aggressively encourage growth around our municipalities and along our major highways, and stop the practice of allowing sprawl into our farmlands,” he said. “We need proactive development management. The current practice by the current 5th District councilman of rubber-stamping sprawl doesn’t work and needs to stop now.”

Hopkins said the incumbent councilman has voted to raise taxes on small businesses and citizens a number of times in his short tenure on county council. “Sussex County has tremendous tax revenue with large surpluses, and there is absolutely no reason to vote for tax increases. I will never support or vote to raise the taxes of the people of Sussex County,” he said.

Hopkins and his wife of 38 years, Joann, have seven children and six granddaughters.

District 5 includes the center of the county from Milton south to Millsboro, and from Route 1 on the east to west of Georgetown.

The District 4 seat, held by Doug Hudson of Dagsboro, is also up for election.