BY KRISTEN SMITH CAPE GAZETTE
DEWEY BEACH - Some residents and officials who are still trying to grasp last year’s $700,000 deficit wonder why thousands of dollars in holiday bonuses were given to town employees.
At a Christmas party at the home of Mayor Dell Tush, Town Manager Gordon Elliott distributed $200 checks to the town’s 23 employees. Commissioners — who did not approve the bonuses, which totaled $4,600 — were not invited to attend the gathering.
“It’s no skin off my nose that I didn’t attend the party, but when you’re giving out town funds, and it’s questionable whether it was authorized, that comes under the category of ‘OK, I’m going to be giving out these secret bonuses,’” said Commissioner Rich Hanewinckel. “It’s pretty mind-boggling. The budget was blown right there.”
According to the profit and loss budget through the end of October, which is posted on the town’s Web site, Dewey Beach exceeded its personnel budget by $103,000.
“The thing that makes this even more troubling is that the council, including the mayor, voted unanimously to give the town manager an explicit directive to cut unnecessary spending (in October) because the depth of the deficit was beginning to reveal itself,” Hanewinckel said.
Elliott, who also received a holiday bonus, said he supports the mayor’s decision.
“(The Town Council) didn’t vote to cut holiday bonuses. They voted to cut unnecessary spending, and I think they considered this to be necessary … they must have,” he said. “I also feel the employees deserved something. I’ve been here 26 years and we’ve always gotten some sort of Christmas gift from the town.”
Resident Joy Howell, who regularly attends Town Council meetings, said she finds the move “disturbing.”
“Our Town Council voted in October to cut unnecessary spending, so I’m not sure why our town manager and mayor were able to cut and sign these checks,” she said. “This is an abuse of authority.”
Tush did not return calls for comment.
BY KRISTEN SMITH • STAFF WRITER • ksmith@dmg.gannett.com