Letters to the Editor
Have Dogfish rezoning ramifications been considered?
In early September the Cape Gazette published an article announcing that Dogfish Head Brewery had purchased almost 40 acres from Cannery Village and was asking the town of Milton for a zoning change from residential to large light industrial.
Milton Mayor Cliff Newlands has stated he has been in a “nonverbal disclosure agreement” with Dogfish since March concerning this purchase.
Our development, Chestnut Crossing, is located in town in Milton and part of it directly borders the current property of Dogfish Head. The brewery has grown considerably over the years, according to Dogfish’s preliminary plans filed with and approved by the town.
We were well aware when we bought our house four years ago that our property was next to Dogfish and appreciate the favorable attention it has brought to our town of Milton and the jobs it provides.
Section 4.8.1 (Intent) of the Milton Zoning Ordinance states: (4) Busy days and quiet nights. Neighborhood Businesses, Commercial and institutional uses should be limited in size and intensity so as to enhance a predominantly residential neighborhood.” It would seem that changing 40 acres of in-town land from residential to large light industrial violates this principle, particularly in view of the fact that as the brewery has grown, so have the noise and traffic it generates. At all hours of the day, weekends included, tractor trailers and other vehicles are arriving, idling, backing up and beeping, leaving, being cleaned and refilled or waste discharged.
We have not heard any specific figure as to taxes Dogfish pays or will pay to the town as compared to taxes Milton would collect if approximately 150 new dwellings had been eventually completed by Cannery Village. But we do believe that there is a quality of life factor that should be considered.
Another unknown is impact fees. What is currently required? What does Sussex County require from developers? Can Milton impose them, especially in light of Milton’s current dire financial straits?
Has impact to Cave Neck Road, which we have heard Dogfish plans to build a new road to to reroute its truck traffic, been considered?
Milton will be making an irreversible mistake if it allows the parcel previously zoned residential to be rezoned large light industrial.
Ellen Calhoun and Chris Messick
Milton
Rehoboth and Dewey: Models for engagement
I vacationed recently in coastal North Carolina, in a small community much like our beach resorts. I was struck by the irony of their politics; it was just like ours. The weekly paper serving the community - just as this paper does - reported on the last city meeting and how factions were locked in a bitter, emotional debate about environmental changes some felt necessary, while others viewed as an unneeded expense.
One commissioner stated her concerns in a guest editorial, lamenting her frustration at not being able to accomplish the environmental goals she believed she had just been elected to achieve.
Are the shortcomings of local governments the same in all beach towns? Is it the progressives vs. the conservatives? Do the absentee property owners always conflict with the old guard? Maybe it’s just greed and selfishness?
On that same vacation, while trying to catch up with my subscription magazine reading, I came across an ad for a financial institution that hit home. It presented models for engaging with clients that again struck me with the irony of their applicability to our politicians. Its counsel, which I have altered to apply to our commissioners, reads:
Build partnerships that stress shared responsibility and accountability;
Be open and honest to build trust;
Develop a thorough and mutual understanding of needs and issues to facilitate deliberation;
Do the homework necessary to understand the recommendations and make informed decisions;
Communicate in a clear, straightforward and respectful manner;
Don’t allow emotions to overpower rational thinking;
Use periodic self-examination to ensure you are not impeding progress;
Seek ample transparency;
Establish a long-term, objective-driven framework using the right strategies;
Act cooperatively and flexibly in the short-term to reach consensus on direction;
No question should be considered too basic to ask or answer.
Tonight Rehoboth will install city officials for new terms of office; tomorrow Dewey will vote on a slate of administrators. How will these people govern? Will they consider the concerns of the candidates and their constituencies that they out-polled? Will those already in office bear in mind the issues the election process emphasized?
It may be instructive to all who serve to dwell for a moment on these models.
Hoyte Decker
Rehoboth Beach
Candidate pledges to represent wisely
The past few weeks have been enlightening. As a candidate for Dewey Beach commissioner, I learned to what extent other property owners share my passion for our beach and town. The fundamental theme of my campaign is leadership by listening to the people and making decisions that benefit the largest number of people possible. When voting on issues that impact property values and their use, I pledge to involve the citizens in the decision-making process.
When the majority of commissioners voted against banning alcohol on the beach in 1985, the mayor suggested this be decided by referendum. The majority of property owners made the final decision to ban drinking on our beach. A referendum can be binding or non-binding. It’s a fairness approach to making decisions.
While talking with various Dewey property owners, several questioned my independent candidacy and the apparent alignment of my signs with other candidates’. As you recall, on my mailer, I asked voters for their permission to place signs in their yards. Many of those voters also gave permission to the other candidates whose platforms were most aligned with their vision.
As an independent candidate, I pledge to represent the property owners and not be subject to the preferences of any group or special interest. My comments at town meetings are based on facts and research. I do my homework.
As an independent candidate, I am not accepting any funds from a PAC or special-interest group. I am not soliciting donations, but was fortunate to receive a few voluntary donations. I appreciate any and all endorsements. Many thanks to neighbors, old friends, and new friends for their courtesy and time to discuss what they feel is in our town’s best interest.
Anna Legates
candidate for Dewey Beach Commissioner
Dewey candidate asks for moving forward
My wife, Christina and I are raising our four young children here in Dewey Beach. The kids go to school right up the street; they ride their bikes throughout town and spend countless hours on the beach. My family and I love this town and we defend it with pride when necessary and promote it every chance we get.
For those of you who know me very well, you have found that I bring a driving passion to those causes that I embrace. For those of you who somewhat know me, you have found that I am calm, deliberate and steadfast in my principles and my resolve. For those of you who are just getting to know me, you might find that I am soft-spoken, courteous and respectful. It is with this backdrop that I will offer only one response to the behavior that is spreading into my town, other local towns and in communities throughout the country.
Dewey Beach, please wakeup. The types of correspondence that have been widely distributed over the last few days, weeks and months are truly amazing to me. We are tearing apart the very people that live directly beside us. We are berating the people that we walk past on the street every single day. We have divisions in this town that I have never seen before. The longer we, as a town, continue this type of behavior, the further we will drive the wedge of polarization and the further our town will suffer because of it.
I have witnessed decade-long friendships torn apart. I'm sure some are thinking ... it’s politics, it's not personal! I'm here to tell you that it is personal. I hear it every day. I read it every day. I live it every day. Being personal is not based upon your intent ... it is based upon perception. If you don't realize that ... look around at our town. Our neighboring communities believe our town's political posturing is a mockery. We must first grow from this behavior before we can advance our beloved town.
When I have a cause that I embrace, I do so with a driving passion. I am stepping up today to embrace the preservation of this town. We need to be a community respecting who we are and what we cherish and value, combined with a rational and deliberate approach to what we need to do in the months and years ahead. I’m asking you to join me today in my attempt to return a reasoned and responsible approach to town governance. We as a town need to create consensus by finding common ground.
I urge you to perform your own due diligence on the seven candidates seeking town commissioner seats. No one individual or organization can do this on your behalf. I have met all six of the other candidates and they are all fantastic people with very interesting and admirable backgrounds. Perform your own due diligence. Once you have done that, I believe you should vote for the three best candidates based upon your due diligence.
I had the pleasure of visiting with legendary coach John Wooden several years ago in Los Angeles. I asked him if he had any regrets that he could discuss. He said, “I wish I had danced with my wife when she asked me to. She always used to ask and I always found a reason not to. I certainly wish I could dance with her right now.” One of his other great quotes is very appropriate for Dewey Beach and especially during this election season.
“You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one.” I hope that after Saturday, whoever inhabits Dewey’s commissioner seats will take a reasoned and responsible voice along with a clean slate to work with them on their first day.
Rick Solloway
former mayor and
current commissioner
Dewey Beach
Walsh deserves support in Dewey election
As this year’s Dewey Beach election approaches, I continue to be appalled at the negative tone of the various candidate campaigns and assorted political wrangling. I’m not pointing fingers at anyone, just making a general comment. There is a huge amount of misinformation being passed off as truth, and a letter in the Friday, Sept. 9 issue of the Cape Gazette provides a prime example.
In this letter, Lynne Meyer of Dewey Beach states that the current owner of the Ruddertowne property bought the parcel of land knowing there was a 35-foot building height limit in Dewey Beach, and implies company officials had no right to propose a 68-foot-tall redevelopment project. This statement is true on its face, but a huge chunk of vital information is missing.
The purchaser of the land also knew that, in the Dewey Beach Comprehensive Development Plan (which was crafted over several years with great input from a variety of stakeholders and carries the force of law since it was approved in 2007), the town had expressed its intention to work with the developer of that specific Ruddertowne parcel in order to gain the maximum benefit for the town from the redevelopment, and was willing to offer “relaxed bulk standards” in return for concessions from the developer. The town government, not the developer, came up with this plan. That’s important to know.
In a September 2008 report on the proposed updates to town zoning code, submitted by planning commission Vice Chair David King, the commission said, “the ‘bulk’ of a building is the sum of its setbacks, its height, its floor area, contributions from open decks and architectural details, and its relationship to neighboring structures and its natural environment.” So relaxed height standards were clearly affirmed as part of the mix for the Ruddertowne developer and the town government.
Later in the letter, Meyer says that the lawsuits against Dewey arose because the developer wanted the proposed 68-foot-high redevelopment plan to go forward.
Not true at all. The lawsuits arose after the town’s building official granted preliminary approval for the developer’s plan for a 35-foot-high project, and then the approval was denied in a complete reversal of the town’s due process of the building permit system. The town provoked the lawsuits by not following its own rules.
Voters in this election, as in any election, need to be well informed of the real facts, not just the election rhetoric put out by agenda-driven political factions. If you don’t know the real facts, don’t assume that letters printed in the paper represent the truth. That section of the paper is clearly labeled “Viewpoints.”
In the spirit of full disclosure, let me end by saying that Dewey Beach commissioner candidate Claire Walsh is my sister, and I support her bid for another term on town council. I think she was a good, conscientious and hardworking commissioner in her previous term, and she is running again in an effort to continue to improve the town she was born and raised in and is raising her daughter in, while caring for our mother, Alice Walsh, another former Dewey Beach commissioner who has lived in Dewey Beach for almost 60 years.
Good, responsible government is my sister’s ultimate goal for the town she calls “my home sweet home.” God bless America and Dewey Beach!
Bernadette Hearn
Rehoboth Beach
Dewey’s CPD should change name to CCD
Four to five years ago Citizens to Preserve Dewey was founded by Washington interests, not Dewey Beach interests. CPD started by sending every homeowner a letter with basically one question: "Are you in favor of the 35-foot height limit?" If so, give us your email address. We, like the majority of owners and residents, were of course in favor and we gave CPD our email address. Wrong! Little did we know that the 35-foot height limit was just a smoke screen to get a foothold in Dewey and a mailing list. The real intent (agenda) of CPD is only known to the founders, Joy Howell and Joan Claybrook, not to the rank-and-file members of CPD like our current Mayor Diane Hanson. She is just being used.
The big question is should we, homeowners and residents of Dewey, allow an outsider who is suing our town to run for council? Where will she find the time to represent us? Both Diane Hanson and Joy Howell have stated they want the town to be family-oriented and anti-bar and loud music. If they are true to their motto "preserve Dewey" they should understand that Dewey was founded by businesses, like bars, motels, restaurants and yes, homeowners who were renting properties.They all created the "Dewey Way of Life" and we, the people, like to preserve that image, a vibrant town alive with young people renting our properties and having fun.
Albert Genemans and Marguerite Henthorn
Leesburg, Va.
Vote Hanson, Howell, Legates Sept. 17
Very detailed letters in support of Dewey Beach commissioner candidates are being published as the Saturday, Sept. 17, election day approaches. This letter will be short and to the point.
Residents and property owners of Dewey Beach, if you want a commissioner who will welcome individuals, listen to their concerns, educate when indicated and vote their views, vote for Diane Hanson. She has demonstrated the courage to stay the course.
For a commissioner with experience in many levels of government, who has the determination and will support the enforcement of town codes and ordinances, vote for Joy Howell.
For a commissioner who knows the history, does the research and will work to help Dewey Beach receive its fair share of grant money, vote for Anna Legates. She will ask the people what they want.
Remember Sept. 17 and please vote for Diane Hanson, Joy Howell and Anna Legates.
Eleanor and James Tyler
Dewey Beach
Former Dewey mayor says no to Hanson
I love Dewey Beach, its employees, police, lifeguards and our businesses. I look forward to the season with the onslaught of tourist and the end when the locals return. It saddens me greatly to see what is happening to the greatest beach town there is.
Diane Hanson claims credit for the gambling ordinance and right of petition, beautification, movies on the beach, bonfires, and even alluded in a way to give her credit for the 10-year education environmental program done by Todd Fritchman at Sunset Park. Each of these items was started with no input from Hanson well before she ever ran for office.
I guess when you have no accomplishments of your own you have to take credit for what others have done.
I think we should take a look at some of the things that happened on Hanson’s watch for which she really should take credit - or responsibility.
Hanson claims financial responsibility as one of her goals, yet this town has lost more money under her watch than during the term of any other commissioner in its history.
• Under Hanson’s leadership: Non-litigation legal bills quadrupled to $265,000 as have our insurance deductible and premium. It went from a $2,500 deductible to a $100,000 deductible with a $65,000 premium.• Reserves were depleted by $560,000 for Bayard Avenue, placing the town at risk; $928,000 was spent to improve state and private property with no public input. While Hanson claims to want to give people a say, you were denied a referendum to decide how and if this money should be spent.
• Our town went into debt, for the first time in the history of the town, with a $450,000 10-year loan. In 2009, Bayard could have been done with grants resulting in a smaller payback of $158,000 but Hanson voted no.
• The town is considering a special assessment so that you can repay the 10 year loan. This is a property tax in disguise.
• The town paid $50,000 and an additional $93,613.88 was paid by the insurance company because Town Manager Gordon Elliott was illegally fired and the town settled.
• As mayor, Hanson has continually forced town employees to do her will after being advised it is beyond her authority to do so. Town employees and businesses have never felt so threatened.
• Hanson placed a noise complaint on a business that was closed.
• Hanson has misrepresented her stand on 35 feet. The PIC transcript shows her testimony that she helped develop the Ruddertowne agreement and consistently agreed to go forward three separate times in executive session. She grandstanded with her no vote (it had already passed), probably believing no one would discover her involvement in the settlement.
• Hanson tried to force the town to pay her legal fees for the PIC complaint, costing the town over $5,000 in legal fees. She was voted down twice. Our charter indemnifies people if their actions are in good faith or in the best interests of the town. When disregarding legal advice, lying and withholding information, you should not be indemnified.
• Hanson wanted to change our indemnification ordinance to cover everyone, without regard for their actions. The insurance company intervened, stating she was putting our coverage at risk.
• Hanson has misused the town attorney, having him draft and redraft useless ordinances that are never acted upon. She schedules two and three meetings a month, and scheduled a six-hour meeting costing several thousand dollars unnecessarily, including paying over $400 for an overseas call from Commissioner Seitz with no input from him and no action taken on the majority of the agenda.
• Hanson was investigated by the Attorney General’s Office for physically attacking a 75-year-old female Budget and Finance Committee member who wrote a letter supporting employee bonuses.
Hanson and CPD opposition to a required procedural amendment prevented HB 50 (which would have placed a 35-foot limit in our charter) from passing.
Please vote no to Hanson and Howell Saturday, Sept. 17.
Dell Tush
former mayor (2006-09)
Dewey Beach
Przygocki, Solloway there when needed
I am writing in response to Mr. Gritti’s, Sept. 2 letter to the editor "It’s time for Zeke to go in Dewey Beach.”
Mr. Gritti you are somewhat correct! Commissioner Zeke Przygocki does need to go; however, he needs to go right back to his seat as a commissioner and continue to serve the town, just as he has done for the past two years. My wife and I have been witnesses to his service to others and the town.
During the November 2009 nor’easter, Commissioner Przygocki along with Mayor Rick Solloway made their way down our flooded street to make sure we, our property and neighbors were safe. During the blizzards of 2010, again Commissioner Przygocki and Mayor Solloway checked on us, and helped residents, businesses, the police and town officials deal with the storms. As hurricane Irene approached, Commissioner Zeke, being the only DEMA and FEMA disaster preparedness and relief-certified commissioner, helped prepare the town for evacuations, and stayed and worked in Dewey throughout the worst of the storm to selflessly serve the town. In all of these situations, we never saw any other commissioners out in the storms but Zeke, Solloway and Laird.
Commissioner Przygocki also has volunteered to coordinate and assist at several town events. Commissioner Przygocki spent two days of his Thanksgiving vacation to help prepare for the town’s first Christmas tree lighting. He and his wife assisted with the 2011 Dewin’ It Right activities, and they spent hours to help execute and judge the Restaurant Olympics to raise money for Destination Station.
In addition, my wife and I had expressed our concern about the safety of a traffic light at Bayard Avenue and Route One. Commissioner Przygocki promptly returned our email and followed up with a phone call and action from DelDOT. Our concerns have always been addressed in a very timely and professional manner.
Finally, Mr. Gritti, the joke in town hall is over. It is done. Time to move on. People learn from their mistakes. I also believe you should make a phone call to Commissioner Przygocki regarding the information about the electric and water being turned off during the hurricane. I am certain Commissioner Przygocki will offer you the facts on that situation.
The bottom line is Commisssioner Przygocki is an asset to our town. He is very involved, willing to help, selflessly give his time and truly cares about the people of Dewey Beach. So instead of calling for Commissioner Przygocki “to go,” Mr. Gritti, perhaps the next time the town is in need, you should follow Commissioner Przygocki’s lead and you yourself should go and see what you can do to help Dewey Beach. Re-elect Commissioners Przygocki and Solloway...they are there when you need them!
Anthony Ranieri
Dewey Beach
Dewey can take lessons from Rehoboth
For several years, I have observed the politics and governance of Rehoboth Beach evolve alongside our neighbors in the Town of Dewey Beach, and have been struck by the distinction between the two communities. Both towns obviously had long periods in which they were largely controlled by a group of real estate speculators and developers and large business and property owners. The watershed event in the recent history of Rehoboth was the rezoning of the Burton parcel on the west end of Columbia Avenue from commercial to residential following a planning commission recommendation. It required a thorough public process leading to a commission vote making the zoning change. It was high conflict with raised voices in which the character of that neighborhood in our city was at issue.
Subsequently, there was a second political struggle over reducing the floor area ratio for certain types of development, successfully limiting, in another public process, the size of a structure that could be built on Rehoboth's small lots. Tough elections preceded and followed those actions, as well as other important city actions like the tree ordinance, with the central issue always being debated that of the long-term character of Rehoboth Beach.
The idea of community character that prevailed during this period is one which was most recently confirmed in the Save Our City survey taken earlier this year with a good response rate and clear findings. It portrayed a fairly common view of a more traditional community, with a premium on residential living, but with a blend of architectural styles, dedication to environmental values and protection, and an overall community feeling. This summer's election in Rehoboth was contested but not nasty, and all of the candidates projected similar views favoring the character of the city with differing ideas and styles for protecting and enhancing it. Developers and the real estate speculators may have had favorites in the election, but they weren't saying and they were not a central factor; private citizens were.
Merely as an informed outside viewer, I get a completely different feeling about the upcoming election in Dewey. There, it seems clear that the large property owners and developers are still highly involved and influential, and that the kind of high-conflict politics that haunted Rehoboth for years is the method being used. The difference may well be that Dewey is still not yet centered on the actual character of the city it wants to protect and enhance.
To the extent Dewey citizens are trending, as did Rehoboth, toward a more residential life, a comfortable blend with business and an improved quality of life in the city, the larger financial interests in Dewey are resisting mightily. Developers have tried for years to bully Dewey, including threatening and costly litigation, high-rise development and increasing the commercial activity and bar and nightclub activity that has characterized Dewey for years. Developers everywhere clearly like to make the rules they play under, and they surrender control grudgingly, so nasty personal politics are the order of the day.
Every election is crucial. Dewey Beach should and will go where it chooses, but for Dewey voters to move through the same kind of difficult transition that Rehoboth did and to have citizens controlling city decisions, rather than large special interests, is a great challenge. To prevail, voters must ignore personal attacks on individuals, such as the unconscionable months-long campaign against Mayor Hanson, and look to the individual candidates who articulate a vision for Dewey that is consistent with the character for the town they aspire to, and then do it again next year. Look away from those who rely on personal attacks and vilification.
What I hear from the Citizens to Preserve Dewey is consistent with the kind of city character that voters in Rehoboth have sought, supported, and won, for years. They understand that winning doesn't mean that developers and special interests go away, nor should it; it just means that they have to abide by rules that citizens, rather than special interests, make to protect the character of where they live. Because of this, I root for candidates Hanson, Howell and Legates, and remind you that the large property owners, the dominant business owners and the high-rise builders each have just one vote just like you do.
Guy Martin
Rehoboth Beach
In a democracy the majority rules
I have been a property owner for 40 years and over the years have served on several town committees and was the Dewey Beach transitional liaison between town managers. After reading all the recent mail and email the decision on this year's election breaks down to two obvious choices: 1) those who think they have the right to make decisions for you and 2) those who believe in giving you, the people, the right for a referendum.
Several years ago I had a long discussion with a Dewey commissioner about the benefit of having a referendum on a matter that impacted the use and value of our properties - a matter that in most small coastal towns would have easily qualified for a referendum. I was shocked to hear this commissioner say, “I was elected by the people to think and make decisions for them.” I always believed I elected people to represent me - not to think and decide for me. With the sole exception of Diane Hanson, our current commissioners have demonstrated they feel they not only can think for us but also will decide important property value issues for us.
Was the deal with Dewey Beach Enterprises what the people wanted? Well, it does not matter what you thought, because with the exception of Diane Hanson, all of your other elected commissioners did not give you the chance to decide for yourself. To avoid a referendum the deal with DBE was structured as a resolution. Approving the deal by resolution was intentional, because it denied us, the property owners, the right to petition by referendum. I know of no other municipality that changes zoning by a resolution. Who knows if the citizens would have voted in favor or not? When the commissioners did this they circumvented the will of the people. A referendum is the means to provide all the citizens an opportunity to be heard on any important matter. I believe the citizens of Dewey Beach are quite capable of thinking and deciding for themselves.
So let's look at two of the other candidates and what they are saying:
Joy Howell has tried to preserve for the citizens of Dewey the right to have their voices heard. She has devoted thousands of volunteer hours serving on various town committees and spearheaded the efforts for keeping property owners informed about town business. I think Joy Howell has earned the opportunity to serve the people and to help prove that the voice of the people is important and our right.
Anna Legates, who is running as an independent, has demonstrated on many occasions that she believes the citizens' voices should be heard on all significant matters. She also has dedicated thousands of volunteer hours serving on various town committees and representing the voice of the people at town meetings.
For property owners who want to have a voice in deciding the future of Dewey Beach the choice is clear…
Vote for Anna Legates, Joy Howell, and Mayor Diane Hanson Saturday, Sept. 17.
Kenneth W. Lodge
Former Dewey Beach
transitional liaison
Hanson, Howell, Legates trustworthy candidates
Our summer home in Dewey Beach is on Van Dyke Avenue. One of the joys of living in this location is the wonderful sunrise and sunset views we have enjoyed ever since purchasing our property in 1990. Unfortunately, our home is in the epicenter of the fallout from the Ruddertowne redevelopment project and I consider that project, as proposed today, a threat to my property rights that were in place long before Dewey Beach Enterprises bought their property.
Four years ago, when my neighbor Diane Hanson informed me of the Ruddertowne Redevelopment Plan, I decided for the first time in my life to get involved locally. Looking back four years later, I cannot believe that this nasty political theater continues to this day.
The finish line is in sight and if the voters have the insight and wisdom to elect the right people in the Saturday, Sept. 17 election, the concept of fairness will define the town council for the next 12 months.
There has been much rhetoric surrounding these issues; however, there are a few absolute truths that will hopefully help you make the right decision when you walk into the voting booth Saturday.
• The Dewey Beach building code adopted in 1981 called for a 35-foot building height limit.
• The comprehensive plan adopted July 29, 2007, by the state specified no height limit.
• The updated Dewey Beach Building Code adopted in 2008 specified a 35-foot height limit.
• Only one of the five town commissioners lived up to their promise to the people to support the 35-foot height limit and that was Diane Hanson.
In 2008, when 86 percent of the voters in a referendum voted to memorialize the 35-foot height limit, they did not empower the commissioners to bypass this core issue. However, Laird, Solloway, Pryzgocki and Seitz decided to override the will of the people by accepting the Ruddertowne Redevelopment Project, called the MAR, with its 46-foot height provision. Further, they voted for an agreement instead of the usual ordinance, circumventing the citizens' right to another referendum. Unfortunately, they did this because of a misguided belief it was in the best interest of the town. Contrary to their opinion, I believe that 86 percent of the voters still support 35 feet because they collectively have the knowledge to recognize the potential damage to our delicate barrier island and Rehoboth Bay. The town could be forced, at great expense, to confront the potential environmental issues, very much like the Bayard Avenue project, long after the developer has moved on to bigger and better things.
Having made a number of great friends and wonderful acquaintances during this journey was a benefit I never anticipated. So when I endorse Diane Hanson, Joy Howell and Anna Legates, you have my personal assurance that these are three of the most well-intended and trustworthy individuals you will ever meet or elect to office. None of the candidates I am endorsing, individually or collectively, have a financial or hidden agenda that will influence their decisions in conducting the affairs of our beloved beach town.
Tony Murray
Dewey Beach
Sarasota, Fla.
Editor’s note.. Murray is the lead plaintiff, one of four property owners that filed suit on August 15, 2011 against Dewey Beach Enterprises, Ruddertowne Redevelopment, Inc., Dewey Beach town officials and the Town of Dewey Beach.
Desperate lies swirling around Dewey
It must be election time in Dewey Beach. I have received a bushel of mail and email. I have read it all. I have tried to digest it all. I have received mailings from each of the candidates. This I expect and appreciate. What I don’t appreciate is the tone of the bulk of the correspondence that I have received. I have received letters filled with allegations and doctored facts. I have received dispiriting letters from people I considered friends, people who, it seems, have gone off the deep end. I have received letters sent in the middle of the night, poorly written and filled with vague accusations with no proof. The more I receive, the more I just assume that the latest email or flier is just more lies. Desperate lies.
Mean-spirited lies. Self-serving lies.
The business/bar community is desperate to win this election. Why? They want what Dewey Beach Enterprises got. Why have they spent so much money on fliers attacking candidates, in particular Diane Hanson? They know that she will stand up to them just like she stood up to Dewey Beach Enterprises.
I hope that the citizens of Dewey Beach recognize this desperation for what it is: an attempt by the business community to subvert the will of the electorate. We voted to keep the height restrictions of 35 feet in place. While DBE may have obtained the right to overbuild their property, it is not too late to preserve what is left of Dewey Beach. I hope that the citizens of Dewey Beach will recognize that three candidates, Diane Hanson, Anna Legates and Joy Howell, will stand up to the business community to preserve the town we so love. If you want lots of tall buildings and lots of density, if you want more problems than you already have, vote for someone else. If you want to enjoy Dewey Beach for many years to come, vote for Diane Hanson, Anna Legates and Joy Howell.
Gene SirLouis
Dewey Beach
Former Dewey mayor takes CPD to task
Is it possible that there will ever be peace in Dewey Beach? We have had one issue after the other with the most recent one causing the town to look hard at bankruptcy. This one has been going on for four years. It’s time for the flame throwers to go away and let the town heal.
Four years ago the group calling themselves Citizens to Preserve Dewey appeared, asking for donations, and stormed ahead using inciting language to stir up the property owners.
We all agree, both commercial and residential, we don’t want to be Ocean City. No question about it. Nor do we want to be Las Vegas. We are a beach resort town. People come here to enjoy the ocean, meet with family and friends and take part in the local activities.
Yes, the budget is balanced, but only after major cuts to town services. Lifeguard coverage is probably the most unfortunate, followed closely by the reduction of seasonal police protection. How can the mayor be proud of that? The money coming in is being used mostly for varied legal issues, not the lawsuits brought on by the CPD flame throwers. I ask, where do CPD donations go when they are not declaring themselves a PAC? They are not registered as a non-profitable organization and there are no reports of their income or expenses.
The present mayor of 11 months in last week’s chamber of commerce forum stated she had been mayor for two years. Reality, she has been mayor for 11 months. I absolutely take offense, having served as mayor for three full terms and another three as a commissioner.
CPD cofounder Joy Howell delivered a letter of “serve notice” on one of our largest business owners in Dewey with the threat that “any distribution” of a Washington Post article she claims is false as “defamatory and libelous.” He is a litigation attorney and a threat of a lawsuit against him is not very smart. This shows what we can expect if she is elected to council. More legal bills. She is now calling his reaction of banning her from his establishments a result of her political beliefs. Huh? Also, the Washington Post article is now being called a flier. If it was false, where is the Washington Post retraction?
For those of you who vote in Dewey Beach, please, please, vote for anyone other then these two candidates. I’m voting Rick, for his financial expertise, Zeke, because he is downright honest and has been there working with the town employees. They love him. Claire, for her common sense and representing the families in Dewey. She and her family have been here all their life and she is raising her daughter here in Dewey. These three candidates are all full-time Dewey residents and meetings can be held locally.
Pat Wright
former mayor and commissioner with years on council
Dewey and Rehoboth property owner
Keep Dewey a peachy, beachy town
Well, it was only a matter of time! That dastardly, totally false slur, anonymous, of course, against upstanding Joy Howell was a sure sign that The High Rise Guys have their shorts in a knot because courageous people in Dewey are not about to cave in to their rotten tactics. When it gets that dirty, folks, you know that they are up to more than an eight-story hotel.
So, be sure to vote, vote, vote for Diane Hanson, Joy Howell and Anna Legayes, Saturday, Sept. 17, to keep our peachy, beachy little town free of ugly high rises.
Elizabeth Cadell
A Dewey Hornet
Dewey Beach
Hanson, Howell, Legates will protect Dewey
It has been claimed that the issues involving the upcoming Dewey Beach elections are confusing, almost baffling. This is the direct result of the efforts of those who would muddy the waters. Seldom has an election framed the issues more clearly. On the one hand, a big-money developer has spent mightily to promote his idea of progress. It includes tall buidings, multi condos, and high-density living. Unfortunately, that vision also carries with it traffic nightmares, horrible parking problems, overwhelmed beaches, and increased criminality. Think Ocean City.
On the other hand, the future could be governed by a council of commissioners committed to responsible growth, to seeking input from property owners before agreeing to major changes to building codes, to enforcing existing codes and laws and to developing and approving responsible town budgets.
The developer has resorted to all the tactics that one might expect a greedy, wealthy bully to employ to get his way. Included are the filing of multiple lawsuits in an effort to force the town into insolvency. Included also have been a number of attempts to intimidate and muzzle the opposition and to circumvent owner input into the developer’s plans.
Throughout it all, and at substantial personal expense, Mayor Hanson has remained steadfast in her opposition to both the building plans and the developer’s tactics. She deserves to be supported by a like-minded council. A vote for the team of Diane Hanson, Anna Legates and Joy Howell will provide that support.
Norman Cartier
Newark
Hanson wants to create gated community
Diane Hanson is bankrupting Dewey Beach with her disregard for the law and our visitors. In her make-believe monarchy Hanson wants to create the gated community of Dewey Beach. Her invented reality has gone too far.
Because of Hanson, government no longer functions to protect and serve, but to finance her own imagination and confusion. Hanson’s Tea Party-like strategy of divide and rule is keeping our government from performing basic functions and a healthy quality of life. With a plastic smile, town employees tell Hanson what she wants to hear for their job security (including the town lawyer). The highly paid building inspector eats breakfast and sips coffee while laughing it up with his friends during working hours. The police seem more concerned with revenue and politics than safety. Like a great magician, she wants you to look at south Dewey while the rest of the town burns.
The habits, concepts, and wordiness of Diane Hanson are not a good fit for the natural course Dewey has been evolving into. Transplants would like to rewrite the history of Dewey Beach to ensure their retirement is filled with rich people like them who have lots of money to spend the winter of their lives with. They don’t care much for young people who still have to make a living. Hanson and her fabrications must go.
Oh, and by the way I have been a full-time resident of Dewey Beach for at least three years, and the town continues to block my right to vote. My license shows our Dewey Beach address and it is from here that I vote for president and all state officials. Diane Hanson’s corruption shows no bounds.
Tom Deptula
Dewey Beach
Choices black and white in Dewey Beach
You will rarely see letters to the editor from this lifelong resident of Dewey Beach, but the myriad of recent propaganda spread amongst the voters of our town deserves a response.
Dewey Beach has always been a simple, no-frills beach town run by volunteers without a property tax. Just a beach, a bay and a vibrant night life. It does, however, have one liability: it has valuable real estate which makes it ripe for outside developers to come in and try to change our town.
For the past four years, this town has been sued six times by one developer who finally beat the town into submission and now has the right to build beyond the Dewey Beach zoning code with increased height and increased density. The developer’s attorney, Kathleen Jennings, has now moved her law office to Dewey Beach and joined Highway One’s law firm, Phillips, Goldman & Spence, P.A. who are proudly and openly displaying the campaign signs for Rick Solloway and Zeke Pryzgocki.
At the same time, Highway One is waging a smear campaign against Mayor Hanson, has banned candidate Joy Howell from its bars and liquor stores and has openly endorsed Rick Solloway, Zeke Pryzgocki and Claire Walsh for commissioners. It looks like the developers and Highway One have an agenda that suits Solloway, Pryzgocki and Walsh. So if you want a majority council supported by the developers and bars, these are your choices.
On the other hand there is incumbent Mayor Hanson, who is running for her third term. Mayor Hanson is the longest-seated member on council and has represented the majority of voters who want to keep Dewey Beach at 35 feet. With support from fellow council members, Mayor Hanson can successfully continue her platform.
Joy Howell is the cofounder of Citizens to Preserve Dewey, a citizens’ group whose only focus for the past four years has been to keep Dewey Beach from being overdeveloped. Her tireless volunteer hours have the gratitude and support of the majority of property owners who share this mission.
Anna Legates is a 30-year resident who has attended more council and committee meetings than most commissioners and who, steadfastly, protects the laws of Dewey Beach and the will of the people.
It is a very simple campaign this year and a very important one. Either we go high-rise and density or we stay a uniquely charming beach town. If you want to keep Dewey Beach as it is, you should vote for Diane Hanson, Joy Howell and Anna Legates. If you want Dewey to become a big town with the big-town issues, you can vote otherwise.
I have been here all of my life and have witnessed every growing pain. High-rises and density are much more than growing pains. This would be the end to the town we know and in which we have invested. Dewey is unique; no boardwalk, no Ferris wheel and no high-rises. Our rentals are fabulous and our real estate speaks for itself. We do not need more density, more height, more crowds and more trouble.
You, as voters, have a chance to tell them Saturday, Sept. 17, who you think is going to do the right thing for Dewey Beach. This is a pivotal and volatile time for our small community. Please consider the source when you read the campaign literature and be aware of pop-up organizations which hide their true identity and appear each election year. We do not need some outsider’s vision to change our skyline and we are much too sophisticated to be bullied into submission…either by smut literature or intimidating lawsuits.
Please vote for Hanson, Howell and Legates. I am.
Rick Judge
Dewey Beach
Dewey voters: Don't get fooled again
I’m sure we all look forward to the time when we stop receiving the nasty letters from Highway One and others who seem hellbent to distort facts and to manipulate information to get you to take your eye off the ball.
This is an important election in Dewey Beach.
When the dust settles and prior to you voting, I would like you to consider the following:
Our old zoning code clearly defined our town’s height limit of 35 feet. Our new zoning code clearly defines our town’s height limit at 35 feet. There was never a time in the last 25-plus years when our zoning code allowed any building above 35 feet.
Dewey Beach Enterprise claims otherwise; they are wrong, and it is my unwavering belief that if decided by a court of law, DBE would lose and be denied any authority to build above 35 feet.
In spite of my belief, I felt that a compromise to put the matter behind us and to heal the town may have been best. I worked hard as a commissioner to reach a suitable compromise. Regrettably, time ran out during my term before we could reach a compromise that I thought would be in the town’s best interest.
There are aspects of the current deal that I like and some that I don’t. But if given the opportunity I would not have supported this deal as I believe it lacks many critical protections for our town.
However, here is a question that I believe you need to ask yourself as you cast your vote for the three commissioners in this election:
Rick Solloway and Zeke Pryzgocki were aware that when last polled, 86 percent of the voters stood firm to keep the town’s height limit at 35 feet. Two years ago Rick and Zeke publicly promised to support a 35-foot height limit and promised to support the will of the people. Why did they ignore the will of the majority? If they thought this was such a good deal for the town, they could have insisted on a referendum to hear the voice of the people. What were they afraid of? Whose side were they really on?
Obviously Rick and Zeke feel that it’s OK to violate our zoning code in order to settle a lawsuit. If they did it once, they will do it again. They chose to violate our zoning code and to ignore the will of the people by denying us a vote on an issue that impacts our entire town.
Now it’s your turn. You now have the chance to hold them accountable.
By contrast Diane Hanson took the principled position to ask that there be a referendum so that you, our citizens, could weigh in on this critical issue before violating our zoning code. In other words she honored her promise to respect the voice of the people.
Although I do not always agree with Diane Hanson, Joy Howell and Anna Legates, I am convinced that they believe they have an obligation, if elected, to represent the voice of the people. That is a position I respect and support. I’m sure you do as well.
Please join me and vote for Diane Hanson, Joy Howell and Anna Legates.
Send a message that Highway One, DBE and a few other business owners do not control our town.
Marc Appelbaum
former commissioner and budget and finance chairman
Dewey Beach
Put Dewey's best interests ahead of own
Read it and weep: This is an excerpt from a letter of mine previously published in the Cape Gazette, but I think it needs to see the light of day again.
“Over time, many changes came to Dewey, and all were dealt with and lived through. While the buildings and the faces that made up the town changed, the spirit of Dewey Beach remained essentially the same.
“However, in recent years, a disturbing trend has emerged. The ‘haves’ who were fortunate enough to be able to afford to buy in Dewey during the real estate boom gradually banded together under a variety of names. The most recent addition to the pack is the so-called Citizens to Preserve Dewey. What these groups conveniently choose to ignore is the glaring fact that by bringing their big-city politics and litigious attitudes to this small, charming beach town, they are destroying the place and the way of life they so loudly profess to love.
“What gives any group the right to say, enough change has happened; it’s time to stop?Even if, as they claim, they are in the majority, they have to allow their elected officials to do the job for which they were voted into office.
“Insisting that they, and only they, represent ‘the will of the people’ is not the way to preserve Dewey.
“Running a vicious campaign of rumor, innuendo, misinformation and unfounded outright accusations against elected officials and volunteer committee members is not the way to preserve Dewey.
“FOIA complaints, ethics charges and threatened lawsuits are not the way to preserve Dewey.
“After many years of hard work, and yes, much public input, Dewey’s Comprehensive Development Plan was finally approved. Part of the plan addresses the vital need to keep the town’s commercial center thriving. The Rusty Rudder and Ruddertowne are indisputably the heart of that center. To see them bulldozed to make way for 48 town homes may very well sound the death knell for other commercial ventures, as some town business owners have themselves predicted. Anyone who truly wants to preserve Dewey should put the entire town’s best interests ahead of their own narrow agenda and stop the pissing contest this issue has turned into.”
This letter of mine was originally published in the Cape Gazette Aug. 10, 2007. In the past four years, how much “preserving” has CPD accomplished? Ask yourself that before you go to the polls in Dewey Beach Saturday, Sept. 17.
Alice Walsh
Dewey Beach
Dewey has opportunity to defend itself
A lawsuit, filed by four Dewey Beach property owners Aug. 15, 2011, in the Chancery Court of Delaware, was initiated for the benefit of all property owners who objected to Dewey Beach Enterprises’ manipulation of town officials, town employees, Dewey Beach zoning regulations and Delaware law. This lawsuit, which is about both process and precedent, was the last legal option open to the property owners who had effectively been cut out of the process by the cunning tactics of DBE attorney Shawn Tucker, apparently complicit with the willing participation of a majority of the Dewey Beach Town Council.
Shortly after the September 2010 election that put Jim Laird, a lobbyist for a Pennsylvania energy firm, in a position to be the swing vote on the Dewey Beach Town Council, he took advantage of the new dynamic on that body by apparently asserting himself, through self-promotion, as a so- called “risk assessment expert.” Within a few short weeks, Mr. Laird inexplicably became an almost instant “expert” in very convoluted, complex problems, which included six lawsuits that had unfolded over three years before his involvement.
However, he neglected to recognize one very important fact - no commissioner or group has the right to violate the Dewey Beach Zoning Code for any reason. The other two advocates of the process, candidates Zeke Przygocki and Rick Solloway, were elected to the town council in 2009, affirming a platform which upheld the 35-foot town height limit because they couldn’t get elected otherwise, and then almost instantaneously betrayed the voters to support the developer and the proposed plan for a structure significantly higher than the 35-foot limit.
Solloway, currently running for re-election, when confronted by his failure to uphold his support of the 35-foot height limit, has been known to brush off concerned property owners with the comment “things change.”
I am not a lawyer and this is merely my humble opinion, but it is, I believe, an informed opinion. I suspect that I may have some bad news for all the defendants: this case is likely to be held in the Chancery Court on an accelerated basis, because DBE plans to break ground this fall, so it is likely to be decided quickly. More potential bad news for the defendants is that all of the nonsense and manipulation about the comprehensive plan and the Ruddertowne Architectural Committee will, in all likelihood, be swept aside. This court will deal strictly with facts. The Delaware Chancery Court has only five judges. Those judges deal on a regular basis with business-oriented issues, and they are quite experienced with these types of problems. There are no juries, so they will hear this case with a degree of objectivity that has been missing up until now. It is important to note that the plaintiffs are seeking no monetary damages, nor do they have a direct financial interest in the outcome of this ill-conceived project that DBE seeks to undertake. Their only interest is the enforcement of the Dewey Beach building code from abuses by town officials and DBE.
If you are a Dewey Beach property owner, please take the time to read the plaintiff’s complaint. It is available online. After you read the document, I think you will come to the same conclusion that I have: these four people, the last line of defense, are truly courageous in their pursuit of transparency, truth and justice. I believe that the plaintiffs will prevail, because they have compelling, legitimate legal concerns that affect each one of us. After seriously considering all of the issues at stake, I have come to the conclusion that this Saturday, we have one more opportunity to protect our town from developers attempting to violate our laws for outrageous corporate profits at our expense! Let’s try to get it right this time by electing the commissioners who will support the views of the majority of the property owners. That means that there is no real choice but to vote for Diane Hanson, Joy Howell and Anna Legates.
Michael Durkos
Dewey Beach
Don't let greedheads take over Dewey
As one of four people who own the oldest oceanfront home in Dewey Beach I want to thank the Delaware Coalition for Open Government and John Flaherty, its executive director, for supporting our efforts to stop the greedheads from destroying Dewey Beach and its way of life. We are often told by these greedy businessmen and women that this is simply the price for progress.
Those of us who care about quality of life in Dewey Beach and about not only human life, but all life, should ask our government representatives to define their idea of progress so we can have a clear idea of who we are voting for. My idea of progress is not wading through an ocean of people just to take a swim in the Atlantic. My idea of progress is not sitting in traffic for hours during my vacation time.
My idea of progress is not seeing our environment destroyed little by little in the name of their holy greed! The question remains, when is enough enough? The answer for greedheads is always never!
Nothing is more traditional than the American Western. Time after time we see one greedhead or another forcing Clint Eastwood or Jimmy Stewart to stand up and fight for the poor town folks who are at the mercy of the big corporate greedheads! I would have included John Wayne in the last sentence, but then there is “The Searchers.” As a young John Wayne fan I admired him, but as I got older I never understood how he could say the "Indians got what they deserved." Some things never change, and those of us who are trying to fight the good fight find ourselves in the same position as the indigenous people of Turtle Island (The North American continent).
The greedheads who are trying to force their ways on us don't care about what is right or wrong only their greed!
I have gone to a lot of their meetings and tried to work through the system, but unless we can find a hero in the state and national government to come riding to our rescue I am afraid our fate will be the same as America's indigenous ancestors; our way of life will be destroyed! That is not progress!
It must be hard to be the greedheads and look at yourself every morning in the mirror and realize you are not the champion of the people, but just another greedy corporate criminal. Outlaws have more morals than them!
Georgie Jessup Mauler
Jessup, Md.
Dewey Beach
Let's get Dewey Beach back on track
Since 2007, Citizens to Preserve Dewey has had four of its people on the town council: Diane Hanson, Rich Hanewinckle, Marc Appelbaum and Marty Seitz. Marc and Marty claim to be independent, but they were supported by CPD and voted lockstep with them. Former mayor Dell Tush also came under their influence at that time and was fully in line with them for a while until she started to diverge from them, at which point they threw her under the bus and actively went after her instead.
During this four years, CPD has had a significant effect on the town and on its employees. Prior to CPD, the rule in the town was that only the mayor could contact the town attorney. This broke down in 2007 when CPD got its way and suddenly everybody on the town council was making calls and racking up legal bills. John Brady soon tired of this and the fact that people would not heed his legal advice and he quit. He was replace by Glenn Mandalas who was more cooperative - for a while. This year he started to counsel the town in a way that displeased CPD and now he may be looking for a new job.
The biggest, most expensive employee issue has been the town manager. CPD didn’t like Gordon Elliot so they got him fired - which cost the town a huge severance package. They were on the committee that selected the new town manager (Diana Smith), then started riding her so hard that she recently fought back and demanded that they either leave her alone and that Hanson stop trying to micromanage her, or she would resign for cause. Well, they didn’t lay off and Smith quit and the town is going to end up paying her a huge severance package as well.
But CPD’s influence doesn’t stop there. Talk to some of the people at the state house - they know full well what CPD is capable of. There was a chance that HB50 (35-foot height charter change) might get through the Senate until CPD showed up and started haranguing the legislators. That pretty much closed the deal right there. I wonder if Joy Howell asked Pete Schwartzkopf Who paid him off? A question that she asked of me in 2007.
CPD is also very good at bending the truth to suit them. They know that 86 percent of the town did not vote for a height charter change; it was 86 percent of the people who voted, which works out to something under 40 percent of the electorate, but still they repeat this claim. Then there is the “fact” that the homeowners are paying all this money into the town while the businesses and the tourists are doing almost nothing. I happen to be one of those homeowners and, aside from a small beach replenishment tax, pay nothing to the town.
According to Joy Howell, “…property owners who rent their properties will contribute about $440,000 this year [to the budget]…”. I didn’t know that rental licenses were generating that kind of money. She couldn’t be speaking of the accommodations tax because that is paid by the renters, not the property owners. A fact that I have pointed out to CPD more than once.
The main problem with CPD is that they act like thugs in a drive-by shooting - spraying lead all over the place hoping to hit their target. But so far, they have mostly been hitting the bystanders. Their ill-considered actions have cost the town tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands of dollars. For what?
Exactly what have they accomplished other than to make some lawyers richer? And just what are they doing with all the money they collect in fundraisers in Washington, D.C. and Silver Spring? They aren’t spending it in Dewey, that’s for sure.
CPD must go. Elect Rick Solloway, Zeke Przygocki and Claire Walsh, and let’s get this town back on track.
Graham Smith
Dewey Beach
Diane Hanson track record very troubling
We purchased a home in Dewey Beach in 2007. Our family loves this town and we want Dewey Beach to move beyond the bickering that has consumed the town's attention, not to mention its budget, in recent years.
We have remained quiet until now because we are not the type of people who like to feed the frenzy. When we saw the flurry of mail going around about Diane Hanson, we started to realize that we were not the only ones who have had a bad Hanson experience. We cannot speak to the merits of all the information going around about her, but we do have some personal experience to share that, in our opinion, suggests a troubling pattern of personal behavior that apparently extends to Mayor Hanson's political responsibilities, as well.
Our family, as well as other members of our property association, have had several run-ins with the Hansons. One such incident occurred recently when Bill Hanson complained to the Dewey Beach Police, arguing that our association owners were trespassing on his property. The so-called property at issue was actually a public private right of way (i.e., a driveway parcel) that separates our two properties. This is an accessway to the rear of our properties established in each of our respective deeds. Mr. Hanson demanded the police prosecute us.
The real story is that the Hansons seized a portion of the right of way and utilized it as a parking spot for their rental unit and, in spite of several personal requests, refused to vacate.
We were forced to obtain a survey to confirm what was already clearly written in both of our deeds and, ultimately, had to take legal action against their condo association to remedy the situation, forcing the owners of both our property association and their association to incur substantial legal costs. As their lawyer stated, the Hansons “openly, exclusively, notoriously, continuously and adversely” took and used the right of way for their private gain. We found this particularly ironic since then-Commissioner Hanson was leading an official Dewey Beach commissioner-led effort to address a developing problem relating to people parking illegally in driveway rights-of-way.
Mr. Hanson has been nothing short of a bully since we purchased our property and, to that end, frequently invokes his wife's position of power within the town to underscore his threats. In another instance, Bill Hanson confronted our contract landscaper, suggesting that we were impermissibly improving our property, for which we had obtained a town permit. Again, he invoked his wife in this effort. Based upon what we have learned recently, it would appear that our personal experience with the mayor and her family reflects the manner in which she governs the Town of Dewey. There was no amicable discussion about resolving this issue with us. Indeed, it was confrontation, not cooperation, that reflected the Hanson’s interaction with others.
We feel this is relevant to the upcoming elections. We are trying to do our research on the other six candidates and we will not attempt to tell you how to exercise your three votes. But we feel our costly and very unfortunate experience with the Hanson family needs to be heard, and we strongly encourage you to consider anyone else but Hanson. In short, it is time to turn the page on the Hanson legacy. Dewey Beach will be better for it.
Peter and Shannon Gleason
Dewey Beach property owners
Former Dewey employee speaks his mind
My request is now, when you finish voting Saturday, Sept 17, to leave the politics in the booth. Too many people have been caught in the crossfire and sadly some of those people have been town employees. I do support Commissioners Zeke Pryzgocki and Rick Solloway. They don’t spin the truth, they listen, do what is right for the town no matter what criticism they may face, and most importantly are there when you need them. It was as much an honor working with them as it was with the employees of Dewey Beach. They are the true friends of the Dewey Beach property owner, business community and town employees. In my humble opinion, if Solloway and Pryzgocki were not associated with the town, some of the employees would have left a long time ago.
However, I have meet and spoken with both Claire Walsh and David Ferry. Both have shown great understanding of the true issues facing the town. They seem to be only working in the best interest and seem to want to solve the problems and not create new ones. Recently, there were accusations made by a candidate in which they thought an employee was trying to sabotage the election. That same person looked into a way of preventing me from speaking in favor of two candidates. I am not going to say who that person is, but this a just a simple example of what politics is doing to the past and present employees of the town.
The employees have faced harassment like this for a long time. Diana Smith, Commissioners Pryzgocki and Solloway have done their best to protect Town Hall from letting politics influence its actions.
I simply care deeply for the town and most of all, its employees. You have four great candidates to choose from: David Ferry, Zeke Pryzgocki, Rick Solloway and Claire Walsh. Voting for them would protect the town and its employees for years to come.
Mike Koston
recent Dewey Beach employee
