Rowe drops lawsuit against Dewey commissioner, town

Dewey Beach commissioner candidate Phil Rowe said Nov. 21 he will drop his lawsuit against Commissioner Paul Bauer and the Town of Dewey Beach.

“I decided to drop the suit based on the town’s legal problems,” Rowe said, referring to the indictment of Dewey officer Gregory W. Lynch Jr. “I don’t want to add to it, and I don’t want to serve now. The people who created the mess should be the ones who have to clean it up.”

Rowe filed the complaint Oct. 3 in Delaware Superior Court, stating the election and seating of Paul Bauer as a resident commissioner were illegal because Bauer was not a domiciliary of Dewey Beach, and therefore ineligible to sit as a resident commissioner.

Bauer attorney Glenn Mandalas said he asked his team not to comment on the dropped lawsuit until they have confirmation from the court.