I want to applaud the courageousness it took for the town employees to write the letter asking for the dismissal of Town Manager Marc Appelbaum. This has been a long time coming.
Diane Hanson and council have continually covered up the actions and the disregard of the town code by Marc Appelbaum. There were allegations of sexual harassment dating back to 2010, one by the former female town manager while he was a commissioner.
The commissioners are all aware of the actions of this town manager and have turned a blind eye with Mayor Cooke praising him at every turn even while being aware of his abusive behavior. They hired Appelbaum fully knowing he had no qualifications to do the job with no formal training. The town has placed themselves in serious liability by their very inactions even after being alerted to the complaints on Friday.
They have done nothing and have allowed him to be in town hall with no action on their part. This alone is cause for serious concern of their qualifications to lead the town. They should all resign since they show no leadership. I fully support our employees and have known their personal struggle as do many others.
I remember when I first ran for office, town hall was a happy place with longtime employees. All that changed with the election of Diane Hanson, who was always wanting to take away from the employees even with fighting against giving them their Christmas bonuses even though they had always received them and deserved them. I have watched employees leave due to working conditions and the morale go down the toilet.
Kudos to them for their bravery and for standing up. When the letters of support start coming in please keep in mind that there are people who reap pay increases and bonuses from Appelbaum who don't want their free ride to end. It should also be noted that many of the town employees are neighbors and friends of and hired by Appelbaum to do his every whim. This is wrong.
Dell Tush
former mayor of Dewey Beach
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