Dale Cooke runs for Dewey Beach Town Council
Dale Cooke said he’s running for Dewey Beach Town Council for two simple reasons.
“I think I have something to give, and I enjoy doing it,” he said recently from the porch of his home on Chesapeake Street in north Dewey.
The 2015 municipal election for Dewey Beach is scheduled Saturday, Sept. 19, and Cooke is the first candidate to throw his hat in the ring.
Three town council members are up for re-election as commissioners – Mayor Diane Hanson, and commissioners Anna Legates and David Jasinski. The commissioners select the mayor.
Cooke previously served on town council from 2002 to 2008 and currently sits on the town’s planning commission and marketing and audit committees. He’s a full-time resident and has been a homeowner in town for nearly two decades.
A regular at almost every town council meeting, Cooke said he’s tired of long meetings where nothing is accomplished and divisiveness among council members and people sitting in the audience.
It’s just unnecessary, he said.
Cooke said he’s prepared to do what’s in the best interest of the town. He said that begins with what’s best for homeowners and property owners, then businesses and then visitors.
“I’m going to do what’s best for Dewey,” he said. “It may not be the best for me. It may not be what’s best for my neighbors. But I won’t be pressured into voting any one way.”
Cooke’s got an opinion on most issues in town.
He’s said he disagrees with how the town went about purchasing a property on Route 1, but he likes the idea of the town having a Route 1 presence and thinks it’s time to figure out what to do with the property.
He also likes the idea that property owners in flood zones will be able to rebuild to FEMA standards without losing living space, even if that means broaching the town’s 35-foot height limit by a few feet. This issue will go to referendum during the election.
He said he thinks relations among town residents, business owners and town officials seem to be relatively calm, and he would like to continue to make it be that way.
Cooke said he wants to leave a legacy of working with his neighbors and town officials and being honest during difficult discussions that affect Dewey Beach.
“When I croak, I want people to say, ‘He helped the town,’” said Cooke, smiling and admitting it might be a naive approach. “I enjoy it. I really do.”
The deadline to register to vote for Dewey’s 2015 election is Wednesday, July 15. The candidate filing application deadline is 5 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 20. All absentee ballot affidavits must be received no later than noon on Friday, Sept. 18.
For more information on the election, contact Dewey Beach Town Hall at 302-227-6363.
