Share: 

Diane Hanson steps down as Dewey mayor

Dale Cooke will be the town’s 12th top elected official for the next year
September 27, 2016

Story Location:
1 Dagsworthy Ave.
Dewey Beach, DE
United States

Dewey Beach held its annual organizational meeting Sept. 24, when by a unanimous 5-0 vote, Commissioner Dale Cooke was elected as the town’s 12th mayor.

Mayor Diane Hanson, who was first elected mayor in 2010, did not seek re-election to the post. Her 6-year tenure is the second longest consecutively and ties her for the second most years as mayor.

Hanson read a prepared statement before being the one to nominate Cooke. She said when she was first elected to council in 2007, excessive noise, disorderly houses, litter, public intoxication and inappropriate behavior, and a $750,000 budget deficit caused much frustration for property owners.

“Since then I’ve taken a very step-by-step, planned approach to address these many problems,” she said. “As a result of all of this work, property owners now tell me they are very pleased with the direction the town is headed and recognize that we have much to brag about.”

Hanson described the current makeup of town council, which also includes Commissioners Mike Dunmyer, Courtney Riordan and newcomer Gary Persinger, as the most professional during her time on council.

She also showed her support for Cooke.

“He is dedicated to this town, and I believe he will make a good mayor,” she said.

Cooke thanked Hanson for her countless hours of volunteer work. He said sea level rise, costly infrastructure projects and trash pickup were the three major issues he’d like to begin to address.

Dunmyer, who now begins the second year of his first 2-year term on council, gave his full support of the move. He said Hanson had been the town’s backbone for a long, long time, and then he described Cooke as the least biased human he’s ever met.

Riordan and Persinger, who defeated former Commissioner Gary Mauler during the town election Sept. 17, were sworn in for 2-year terms that end in September 2018.

Following the meeting, Hanson, whose fifth 2-year term ends in September 2017, said she felt a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She also said she hadn’t decided if she was going to run for re-election next year.

“I didn’t say I wasn’t,” she said.

Dewey’s longest tenured mayor is Bob Frederick, who served from 1994 to 2002. Bruce Vavala was the town’s first mayor and served in the roll twice – a 2–year stint from 1981 to 1983 and a 4–year stint from 1987 to 1991.

Town manager’s workshop

Dewey Town Manager Marc Appelbaum says the town will take a serious look at parking the the town’s rights of way.

At an end of the season workshop Sept. 24, Appelbaum said he frequently deals with the negative consequences of the town’s parking spots not being well defined. It’s about being clear, he said.

“It’s time to belly up to the bar and do something,” said Appelbaum, adding that the number of parking spots in town shrinks by 1 or 2 percent every year. “Now is the time to tackle the situation and to have the courage to do it.”

Cooke said he will be recommending the town mark off front yard boundary setbacks.

Appelbaum said the town has contacted a surveyor to see if a bulk price can be agreed on for the whole town.

Not including four of five town commissioners, seven people attended the workshop. Appelbaum holds the meetings periodically to take a pulse of the public. This was the first workshop since April.

Former Commissioner Harry Wilson, currently a member of the town’s trash and recycling committee, owns and rents a number of properties in town. He said he’s concerned the June Bugs – a term used by locals to describe teenagers and young adults – are staying in town longer each year. The people the town would like to see, adults, he said, have been conditioned not to show up until the second week in July.

Appelbaum said it’s difficult to require private property owners to rent to specific groups of people. He said this past year the town had taken a more active approach to enforcing occupancy levels and permitting.

Appelbaum also said things are evolving in Dewey, and he said, he believes the town is slowly growing up.

Judy Scanlon, who lives on the oceanside of New Orleans Street, raised several issues she said she would like addressed for next summer including more trash cans on the beach later into the season and stronger town presence on the beach late at night to keep the noise down.

“We like the fresh air too, and we shouldn’t have to sleep with our air conditioners on all year to sleep,” she said.

Subscribe to the CapeGazette.com Daily Newsletter