Rehoboth mayor puts home on the market

In the middle of an election cycle, Rehoboth Beach Mayor Paul Kuhns has put his Stockley Street residence up for sale. The home was listed June 15 by Bryce Lingo and Shaun Tull.

In an email June 17, Kuhns said he and his wife have wanted to downsize for years. According to the listing online, the roughly 4,000-square-foot home has six bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms. The listing says the home was built in 1941, underwent a renovation in 2011 and sits on a double lot, 100-by-100-feet.

“With the strong market and very limited supply of homes like ours, we decided that this would be a good time,” said Kuhns. 

Section 3 of Rehoboth’s charter requires the mayor to be a bona fide resident and domiciliary of the city. It also says the mayor shall have lived in the city for at least 12 months immediately preceding the date of election.

According to Sussex County records, Kuhns does not own another property within city limits. The couple does own other property in Delaware and Maine, said Kuhns.

Kuhns said he and his wife intend to secure a contract from a prospective buyer before focusing on another property in the city.

“Due to the volatility of the real estate market, I do not think it wise to purchase prior to a signed sales contract,” said Kuhns. “We have no intention of leaving town. Still too much to do.”

The move to sell his home comes about six weeks after Kuhns filed for re-election May 1. He was the first of all seven candidates to file. He said he suspected the timing of the listing would become a topic of conversation in town.

“However, it is what we have been considering for a number of years and it makes sense to do it now,” said Kuhns. “There are plenty of properties in town that we can consider.”

The city’s 2020 municipal election will be held Saturday, Aug. 8. Kuhns, who was first elected mayor in 2017, has two opponents – Commissioner Edward Chrzanowski and former Commissioner Stan Mills. According to city election officials, it’s the first time in at least 30 years there are three mayoral candidates. 

Neither Chrzanowski nor Mills had much to say on the subject.

Chrzanowski said Kuhns’ putting his house on the market is a non-issue.

“I completely understand his desire to downsize and appreciate his intention of securing a buyer before renting or buying another home,” said Chrzanowski, in an email June 17.

Mills simply referenced the section of the city charter detailing the residency requirement.

As long as the mayor maintains his status as a bona fide resident and domiciliary of the city, then he meets the qualification for the mayoral seat, said Mills, in an email June 17.

Rehoboth 2020 municipal election information

The election is Saturday, Aug. 8. Absentee ballots will be available beginning Wednesday, June 24; they will be sent to everyone who has an absentee ballot request form on file. The deadline for the city to mail out ballots is Tuesday, Aug. 4. Ballots must be received by mail or in person before the polls close on the day of the election.

To be eligible to vote, a person must register on or before Thursday, July 9. Any qualified elector may request an absentee ballot to vote by filing a request for an absentee ballot form, which is available online, no later than noon, Friday, Aug. 7. For more information, contact Donna Moore at 302-227-6181, Ext. 108, or go to www.cityofrehoboth.com.

Editor’s note: Chrzanowski is no longer a candidate for mayor. He announced his was withdrawing from the race after deadline June 18.