The Basic Issues in the Lewes City Council Election

The Cape Gazette posed a set of issue-related questions to me and my opponents in preparation for the May 10 Lewes City Council election. The answers are published in the May 2, 2014 edition of the Cape Gazette and on the paper's web site.

I've republished my answers, as submitted to the paper, in a series of issue-specific blog posts:

• Educational and work background - My training and work experience in government in Delaware make me the right person, at this time, for Lewes. I know land use planning. I know the governments and agencies with whom we must partner to meet the challenges ahead.

• Should Lewes hire a planner? - We should certainly try out the services of a planning professional and seek a staff planner if it works well. I am the right person to bring that planner on board and support her in her duties. 

• What should be the City's role with the Lewes Public Library? - We host the library. Our community identity is closely tied to it. We must always be a partner, and I have the experience to carry on that partnership and make it work for the city. I will make sure that we don't carry the load - financial or otherwise - alone.

• What is your vision for future growth in and around Lewes? - We cannot stop growth completely, but we can control it and guide it. We can make it fit our vision of our city. I know how to do that; I've been doing it for 15 years.

• How would you solve the Lewes Beach Parking Problem? - There's no quick-fix. We will have to be innovative and we will have to do a very good job of communicating with the residents of the beach and those who want to visit the beach. Most of my professional career has been spent in coordination and communication.

• What makes Lewes such a special place? - Our people and the history we share with each other and with the generations that went before combine to make Lewes the special place that she is. We can maintain that spirit, if we work together and respect and value each others' contributions.

Here's the bottom line. The main issues that face the city of Lewes now and into the future all require a strong knowledge of the city, the county and the state. They require experience in bringing together leaders in Delaware to work towards common goals.

I have that knowledge, based on my nearly three decades as a Lewes resident and homeowner and my 15 years in the Lewes Planning Commission. And I have that experience as well, having worked in intergovernmental coordination involving state agencies, all three counties, and the 57 municipalities in Delaware.