Three more candidates file to run in Rehoboth

The field in this year’s Rehoboth Beach election became very crowded as the filing deadline closed June 8.

Three additional candidates filed before the deadline, bringing the total to six seeking two seats. Late filings include firefighter and business owner John Meng, former commissioner Paul Kuhns and newcomer Richard Perry. They join incumbents Patrick Gossett and Bill Sargent.

Kuhns served as a Rehoboth commissioner from 2006-09, a term that included a run for mayor in 2008. Since he left elected office, Kuhns has served as president of Rehoboth Beach Historical Society and as chairman of the board of Rehoboth Beach Main Street.

Kuhns said he was spurred to seek office again because he was disturbed by the direction the city was going on the proposed amendment to the pool ordinance, which would prevent rental owners from operating a pool if they want to have a rental license.

“I thought, ‘Yeah, why not?’” Kuhns said about running again.

While Kuhns said he thought the city was doing some good things in terms of zoning, changing the parking requirements for residential houses and revising the noise ordinance, he said requiring rental pool owners to lock down their pools is way overboard.

“Some regulations do need to be put in place regarding noise from pools,” Kuhns said. “But shutting pools off is unfair to property owners.”

Kuhns, 60, said he liked his prior term as commissioner and thought he’d been away long enough to maybe provide some fresh perspective to the current board. He said having so many candidates reminded him of how the changes to the floor-to-area ratio 10 years ago spurred a lot of people to get involved in city government.

In announcing his candidacy, Perry said he was concerned about the direction in which the current commissioners were taking the city and the growing divisiveness their policies encourage. Perry, running as a resident, said the time has come for a change, and a more common sense approach to governing. He said Rehoboth is a resort community that relies on tourism dollars to fuel local businesses and the city’s financial stability.

“We need to find a way to balance everyone’s needs and all live in harmony in this beach-side community," Perry said. “I want to see a city government that is responsive to all our citizens - not just a few.”

He said the current board of commissioners does not adequately consider the long-term economic impact of their decisions on property value. Perry said those values are being adversely impacted by the commissioners' decisions on pools, proposed zoning changes, overregulation of vacation rental properties and an attitude that businesses and tourists can go someplace else.

“Our city’s budget is highly dependent upon revenues generated from tourism and vacation rentals. Revenues from other sources, such as building and licensing revenues will suffer, as well," Perry said.

He said his campaign will focus on the city’s financial soundness, further improving the recently adopted noise ordinance to reduce the enforcement burden on police, protection of property rights, improving the working relationship between the city and the business community, and improving communication between the city and property owners to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard.

Perry, 66, has a background in investment banking and the law, currently serving as counsel with Stuart Moore Law. He was formerly CEO of Hovde Capital Advisors LLC and was an executive assistant to the chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and the Federal Savings and Loan Corporation.

Meng is back for his second try at a commissioner seat, after winning 163 votes in last year’s election. A member of the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company, Meng is running as a resident. The owner of the Double L Bar on Rehoboth Avenue Extended, Meng, 46, has been a Rehoboth resident for 19 years.

He said he ran again because he thought there were important decisions the commissioners need to make and he wants to ensure those decisions are made.

Unlike Kuhns and Perry, Meng said he was in favor of the proposal to ban rental homes from having pools and wanted to see through the three-year compliance period the proposal calls for at existing rental homes with pools. If anything, Meng said, the three-year compliance period is too generous. He said rental homes with pools causing problems with noise are inconsiderate of their neighbors, so why should the city be courteous to them by allowing them to have a pool for three more years?

Besides pools, Meng said he was pleased with where the city was heading as far as changes to the zoning ordinance that would make it difficult to build large houses. He said he also wants to see the ocean outfall project pass a Saturday, June 27 referendum.

As for what he learned from his last time running, Meng said, “It’s a lot more work than it seems.” He said he liked meeting people on the campaign trail and was taken with how much people wanted to talk.

Lori Bloxom also filed to run as a nonresident, but Bloxom’s property is in an LLC, and she is not registered as a voter in Rehoboth, making her ineligible to run this year per city charter.

“But keep an eye out for me next year,” Bloxom said.

Rehoboth voters have until Friday, June 12, to register to vote. The city election will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center.