Kuhns to challenge Cooper for Rehoboth mayor’s seat

There will be a race for the Rehoboth Beach mayor’s seat as nine-term incumbent Sam Cooper will take on Commissioner Paul Kuhns in a rematch from their 2008 contest.

The Saturday, Aug. 12 election will also feature three candidates running for two commissioner seats.

Cooper is seeking his 10th term in office, at the end of which he would have served for 30 years as Rehoboth’s mayor. Cooper became mayor in 1990 and has held the post continuously ever since, fending off challenges from Bob Sokolove in 2005, Kuhns in 2008 and Tom McGlone in 2011 and 2014.

Cooper said he ran again because wanted to see the completion of the city’s two major public works projects: the new City Hall and an ocean outfall to dispose of the city’s treated wastewater.

“I think it would be a disservice to the city to bug out now with this wastewater thing so close,” he said. “I think I still have a lot to offer.”

Cooper said he was encouraged by people who have told him how much they enjoy Rehoboth.

“It’s a constant fight. The city’s changed over the last 27 years, but I think we’ve kept to our basic tenets. It’s a small town with a vibrant population. I think there’s a lot of people who would like to commercialize it, and that’s not my view of it.”

As he embarks on his 10th election campaign as mayor, Cooper, who will be 65 this summer, acknowledged the grind of preparing for another round, and the busy nature of being mayor.

“I don’t feel old. But it’s a pretty grueling schedule,” he said.

Still, Cooper’s determined to see the two large projects through, particularly the $52.5 million ocean outfall, which he has been involved with since 1998.

Challenging Cooper will be Kuhns, who was re-elected to the city commission in 2015 after losing his seat in 2009. Formerly involved in the financial services sector, Kuhns is a co-owner of the Summer House and Arena’s restaurants. He said he had been considering a run off and on for a few months, but decided to run after being encouraged by constituents.

Kuhns said the difference between running in 2008 versus now is that the community is much more familiar with him now. When he ran in 2008, he had only been a city commissioner for two years.  Kuhns said then, when he would visit citizens, he was always asked what he had done on the commission. He said now, after a stint as chairman of the board of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce, and his continuing service as president of the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society and the Rehoboth Beach Film Society, he has a wider range of experience in the community.

While praising Cooper’s work in building Rehoboth into what it is today, Kuhns said he believes it’s time for a change. He said he would be pro small business and pro tourism, while also working to keep Rehoboth’s small-town charm. Kuhns said people he has talked to believe the current administration has not been as transparent or doing as much community outreach as it should be. He said the city has not been doing long-term planning and needs to be more proactive with the community instead of reactive.

Schlosser joins the field

Meanwhile, Commissioner Lorraine Zellers announced she will not seek a fourth term in office. Zellers had debated not returning in 2014, but decided to run again after support from constituents. This time, however, she has decided to step aside.

“This was not an easy decision, but I retired almost three years ago and have two beautiful grandchildren, ages 3 and 6,” Zellers said in a letter. “I realize how quickly they grow up, and how I want to spend more time with them and traveling with my husband. I recognize that I don’t want to keep juggling so many things.”

Zellers said she has enjoyed her nine years on the commission and she is proud of the board’s accomplishments. Zellers said with the new City Hall project nearly finished and approval of permits for the city’s ocean outfall by Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Shawn Garvin, she was comfortable stepping down.

“While bittersweet, I wanted to leave on my schedule on my terms. It doesn’t mean I’m going away, just taking time to enjoy life a little more,” she said.

With Zellers out, three candidates are now vying for two open commissioner seats. The field includes incumbent Commissioner Kathy McGuiness, who will seek a second term in her second run as commissioner; Susan Gay, a part-time resident who serves as chairwoman of the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Trees; and Lisa Schlosser, who, like Gay, is a newcomer to politics.

Schlosser is a nonresident transitioning to being a resident after retiring in November; a veteran of the Army, she retired from the U.S. Army Reserves in 2012 as a lieutenant colonel. Schlosser is a volunteer with Delaware SPCA and an instructor at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. She has been a property owner for 15 years and worked in information technology and cybersecurity for the federal government. Schlosser said she wants to bring a balanced, pragmatic approach to solving city problems, and she brings experience in issues such as budgeting and technical services.

“I just love Rehoboth,” she said. “I really believe that we need to continue forward progress but do this in a balanced and pragmatic approach. We always have to be looking at our expenses and sources of revenue, and put in place new sources. I think it’s really important that we retain our small-town charm, but we do want to continue to foster opportunities so that small businesses can grow and thrive.”

Schlosser said she is excited to get started on her campaign.

“The bottom-line theme of my campaign is: everyone matters, everyone counts. And I really want to be the voice of residents, nonresidents and guests who enjoy our town,” she said.