Rehoboth Beach candidates make pitch to their peers

Rehoboth Beach is weeks away from holding its first election in three years. In advance of that, the Rehoboth Beach Homeowners Association held a forum July 20, providing the four candidates an opportunity to opine on important issues facing the city.

The four candidates for this year’s election are Suzanne Goode, Rachel Macha, Mark Saunders and Craig Thier. They are vying for the two seats of sitting Commissioners Toni Sharp and Tim Bennett, who both decided to not seek re-election. No matter who the two winners are, both will be first-time commissioners.

Candidates had a three-minute opening statement, three minutes each to answer six questions and then two minutes for a closing statement. The forum was held in the second-floor meeting room of the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company on Rehoboth Avenue, and it was nearly a standing-room-only crowd.

Pam Baker, RBHA board president, emceed the event and reminded everyone that RBHA does not endorse candidates. The forum is to educate and inform, she said.

Topics included how the candidates would approach working with the six other commissioners, how to make code enforcement better, the budget, the balance between economic redevelopment while maintaining a small-town feel, traffic and parking, and their thoughts on how commissioners have done over the past two years.

The candidates recognized that much of the commercial district is in need of redevelopment, but it should be done smartly.

Macha said the city has a reputation for saying no, but businesses need to be able to redevelop and maintain their properties.

Thier said businesses are looking for certainty, but the city’s code is clear on important issues, such as mixed use, which is why he is in favor of moving forward on rewriting code. 

Saunders said growth is a fact of life, but he’s looking for growth that’s in scale with the community. The details count and he doesn’t want Rehoboth to turn in Ocean City, Md., he said.

Goode said redevelopment projects are taking too long to get through the approval process, which leads to the deterioration of properties because they just sit there.

To some degree, none of the candidates thought there was a parking problem, or at least not one large enough to warrant a parking garage.

Macha said the only time there’s a parking problem is on July 4. Other than that, she said, people just don’t want to walk or can’t walk.

Saunders said parking availability is a kind of crowd control. The city doesn’t need more parking, because at some point it will affect the quality of life, he said.

Thier and Goode recognized the far eastern ends of streets near the beach can be congested, which is why both are in favor of figuring out how to best use technology to let people know where parking is available.

A common theme in the answers given by all four candidates was the desire for more accountability, transparency and communication from the board of commissioners.

Citizens aren’t being listened to, said Goode. Public input needs to be more accepted, she said.

The commissioners have lost the trust of the citizens, said Macha. There needs to be a change, with processes and controls in place, she said.

Commissioners have to be out and present in the community, said Thier, describing himself as frustrated, angry and really disappointed.

There needs to be mutual respect and intelligent discussions, said Saunders. Oftentimes there is silence, which perhaps means there’s not enough homework being done, he said.

Prior to the forum, Baker said the event was being recorded and would be available on the RBHA website – rbhome.org. For more information on the Rehoboth Beach Homeowners’ Association, email info@rbhome.org.

Election information

The election will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 10, in the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, 229 Rehoboth Ave.

Any qualified elector may request an absentee ballot by filing a request for an absentee ballot form, which is available online, no later than noon, Friday, Aug. 9. The deadline for the city to mail out ballots is Tuesday, Aug. 6. Ballots must be received by mail or in person before the polls close on the day of the election. The deadline to register to vote in this election was July 11.

For more information, contact Donna Moore at 302-227-6181, Ext. 108, or go to cityofrehoboth.com.