Diane Hanson Files for Re-election as Commissioner in Dewey Beach

Incumbent Diane Hanson is running for re-election as commissioner of Dewey Beach

Hanson pledged to work with her fellow commissioners to secure a 35-foot height limit in the town’s charter.

“I sponsored the 35-foot charter provision and am committed to work hard at getting it approved by the state Legislature to maintain our town’s character,” she wrote in a Wednesday, Aug. 5 press release.
She wants to offer leadership to the commission, she wrote, and to foster an environment friendly to both families and businesses.

Hanson chaired the Unity for Beauty Day event, organizing volunteers to plant and collect trash throughout Dewey. During her term as commissioner, she wrote, the commission approved a new zoning code and balanced an ailing budget.

At a July 31 town council meeting, Hanson acknowledged the lack of unity surrounding the commission’s efforts to support House Bill 50, Dewey’s proposed 35-foot height limit charter change. During an Aug. 5 phone interview, she said her background in team building uniquely equips her to renew and streamline the commission’s energies.

“A team needs to have common goals; they need to clarify their roles and responsibilities; they need to clarify their expectations of each other and they need to have good communication,” she said. “I will strive to help the council get those efforts in place.”

At this point, she said, she is unwilling to compromise on the 35-foot height limit. She will do everything in her power to place the limit in Dewey’s charter, she said.

Hanson has owned Creative Resource Development, a Philadelphia-based consulting firm, for 23 years. She received a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, and a master’s degree in organization dynamics from the University of Pennsylvania.

She has served as president of the Beach House Condo Association for the past nine years, and served as a member of the Ruddertowne Architectural Committee in 2007.

A full-time resident, Hanson lives with her husband, Bill, on Dickinson Avenue.

“I have a vision of a community where the property owners, businesses and town government work together to resolve the challenges we are facing,” she wrote. “I have a vision of a clean, safe and community-oriented Dewey Beach with very active home rentals and businesses that also balance the needs of families.”

Commissioner hopefuls must file by Thursday, Aug. 20. Eligible voters cast their votes Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Lifesaving Station on Dagsworthy Avenue from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

By Rob Kunzig