DEWEY BEACH – In a unanimous decision Saturday, the Town Council elected newcomer Rick Solloway as the next mayor of the resort town.
The previous mayor, Dell Tush, was ousted from the position after receiving the least number of votes among sitting council members during last week’s public elections. Commissioner Mary Seitz, who chaired the meeting in the absence of Tush, said he was optimistic that the town would solve its legal and financial woes.
“I’m comfortable working with Rick…
Anything we vote on will be the direction of
the town collectively.”~ Mary Seitz, Dewey Beach Town Council
Solloway said the council should not compromise with developers who have filed several lawsuits over a recent zoning code that placed a 35-foot height limit on new construction.
“But we should be communicating,” he said.
Commissioner Marc Appelbaum said the council will meet with its attorneys on Oct. 10 to work out new legal strategies.
“We settled one lawsuit last month,” he said. “We would like (developer) Dewey Beach Enterprises to recognize that everyone is getting along and ask them to drop the baseless suits.”
Solloway said his primary goal is to promote good stewardship on the council.
“We’re supposed to be the voice for town property owners,” he said. “We need to be professional and display common courtesy. I don’t know that’s existed in the past.”
Appelbaum said Solloway would have a unifying presence on the council.
“There’s been tension and in-fighting on the council the last few years,” he said. “This gives us a fresh start.”
Commissioner Diane Hanson, who was approved by the council as town secretary for a second term, said having a new face in Dewey Beach politics would benefit the town.
For her, the coming year means pushing for the approval of House Bill 50, which enforces the town’s height limit, as well as improving town hall efficiency, finding a new town manager and reviewing election procedures.
“There were situations where people weren’t allowed to vote initially,” she said, because of misplaced paperwork.
Resident David King said the 10-minute meeting was upbeat.
“It’s a new beginning,” he said. “I hope it will be good for the town.”
The primary concern for resident Rick Judge is the passage of House Bill 50.
“They have their work cut out for them,” he said.
by Wallace McKelvey | Daily Times (Salisbury, Maryland)