I am grateful that Suzanne Goode has entered the race for one of the two open seats in the upcoming Rehoboth Beach election. Suzanne is well known in Rehoboth Beach for her strong desire to bring accountability, transparency and fiscal responsibility to the city government. I have no doubt that Suzanne is committed to reining in spending, generating revenue more prudently and restoring free speech for sitting commissioners during public meetings. She also aims to improve the city's budgeting and comprehensive development plan processes to ensure financial stability.
More importantly, I know Suzanne to be an open-minded and intellectually curious person who is eager to hear and learn from others in the community. Suzanne will bring a fresh and much-needed perspective to Rehoboth Beach government.
The recent controversy surrounding the lavish contract awarded to the new city manager, Taylour Tedder, exemplifies how our municipal government as a whole is losing touch with its constituents. In the past, our city leaders were responsive to citizen concerns and delivered tangible value, as demonstrated by the major reconstruction of the Boardwalk and the renovation of Rehoboth Avenue. Unfortunately, the current mayor and commissioners now seem more focused on identifying new revenue sources than on controlling expenses.
Despite initially promising to provide an explanation for the terms of Tedder's contract, Mayor Stan Mills has since stated that he will not be doing so. He cited the discussions among his colleagues as taking place in the privacy of executive sessions. This is not a one-off incident; city employees increasingly rely on private consultations to avoid scrutiny and demand that citizens engage the tedious FOIA process to get basic information.
Tedder's contract was announced shortly after the city passed a $38.7 million budget that included increases in property taxes, parking rates, rental taxes and other fees. The expenditures that overwhelmed the budget seem excessive – $2.4 million for the phase-one construction of Baltimore Avenue restrooms/beach patrol headquarters; $380,000 for phase one of a LED retrofit of lights in the median of Rehoboth Avenue; and $2.5 million for the State Road pump station reconstruction.
The city's focus on taxing and spending is particularly troubling when combined with a planning process that has failed to take advantage of the private sector's potential contributions to the beautification of the city. The dilapidation of commercial properties on Rehoboth Avenue serves as a stark reminder of the city's flawed planning process.
We see the familiar signs of a municipal government that has grown tired and detached from the community. It is time to rejuvenate our municipal government, starting with the Aug. 10 election. I wholeheartedly support Suzanne Goode in this election.
Finally, I welcome Taylour Tedder to Rehoboth Beach and wish him all the best – as you can see, there is work to be done to rejuvenate our municipal government. I hope we'll soon be able to say that Taylour Tedder was worth every penny we paid him.
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