Rehoboth commissioner candidates to appear at July 31 forum

Rehoboth Beach Commissioner Kathy McGuiness has spent her time on the campaign trail for re-election touting her experience and knowledge of city issues.

Looking to play off that, McGuiness held a coffee-with-the-candidate event at Browseabout Books June 30 that was supposed to feature police Chief Keith Banks and Rehoboth Beach Patrol Capt. Kent Buckson.

And that’s where the first controversy of this year’s Rehoboth election began.

McGuiness said she was informed by City Manager Sharon Lynn that her event was political and that the two department leaders would not be able to appear.

“I made it clear that was not a political event, that it was informational. I was not going to be speaking. That was very disappointing and concerning,” McGuiness said.  

“This appeared to me as a ‘candidate event’ and by the city’s charter and all ethical state and federal laws that I’m familiar with, public employees are not permitted to engage in political activity. The city solicitor confirmed my interpretation,” Lynn said.

Having served more than 15 years as a commissioner over two separate terms, McGuiness is certainly a recognizable name around Rehoboth. After a run for lieutenant governor last year, her state profile is also high - instead of Buckson and Banks, she hosted Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach and Sen. Ernie Lopez, R-Lewes.

McGuiness, the incumbent, is one of three candidates for two commissioner seats. She served on the board from 2000 to 2013 and then returned for a second stint in August 2014. The other two candidates, Susan Gay and Lisa Schlosser, are both first-time candidates. All three are running as nonresidents and at least one of the newcomers will take a seat as incumbent commissioner, Lorraine Zellers, declined to run.

The Rehoboth election will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 12, at the Rehoboth fire hall.

While experience and her contacts at the state level are a selling point, McGuiness said the issues she is most concerned about are transparency and fiscal responsibility, particularly when it comes to the City Hall project and the upcoming $52.5 million wastewater outfall. She said she and other commissioners have not been included in the process of making decisions on these projects.

Referring to the outfall, McGuiness said, “I was surprised by how many people are unaware that it is going on. We are not communicating properly if people do not know what we’re talking about. There’s a piece or two missing from the puzzle about our communication,” she said.

She said she would like to have more open meetings and to provide drawings of the project and put them where the public can see them.

“I would really like to see us amp up our awareness now instead of being reactive.”

McGuiness said she plans on holding additional meet-and-greets with firefighters and business owners, as well as legislative wrap-ups.

“Whoever wins, kudos to them, because it’s tough to put yourself out there,” she said.

Schlosser proposes a stay on outfall

Fiscal accountability has been a big part of Schlosser’s pitch to voters.

She made that pitch at her home on Dover Street before the July 2 fireworks show, answering questions and debating with constituents.

A military veteran who helped craft budgets in both the private sector and within the federal government, Schlosser is running on a platform championing long-term financial planning. Schlosser said she would like to put a temporary pause on the outfall project until a more detailed financial plan can be assembled. She said she would like to see an independent panel look at the project before any money is spent and then would hire a full-time manager to oversee the construction work. Schlosser said she would also want to see check-ins to communicate what is happening with the project to the public.

“The same people who were running the City Hall project are now running the ocean outfall project,” she said. “People are very concerned about the debt we’re occurring. Going over budget. We’re coming into a new era of our city. I don’t think we’ve ever had $70 million in loans we have to pay off in addition to city services.”

Like McGuiness, transparency is also a big issue for Schlosser. She said she was also concerned about the recent decision, since changed, to close a section of the Rehoboth Avenue sidewalk to finish work at the front of City Hall.

“The needs of the citizens, businesses in this area, and our guests were not considered.   I am very disturbed about the lack of transparency and process for this decision,” she said.

Schlosser said she would like to see Rehoboth maintain its small-town feel but retain room for managed growth. She said she has owned property in Rehoboth for 15 years, but that the campaign experience is the first time she’s ever gotten to meet large groups of people within the town.

“Regardless if I win or lose, I’ve gotten to know 1,000 more people than I knew before. That’s been pretty awesome. It’s made me want to get involved one way or another. I’ve learned what people really care about,” Schlosser said.

Gay looks to maintain Rehoboth character

Gay has so far had a series of low-key events and door-to-door meetings with voters to make her case, based on maintaining Rehoboth’s quality of life.

She said transportation and parking were large issues for her.

“We have to have room for more people but fewer cars. Whether that means a jitney service, I’ve seen that recommended; that’s a good idea for alleviating things for residents.”

Gay said another important issue for her is trees - she serves as co-chairwoman of the Mayor’s Advisory Council on Trees - and she would like to see a private-public partnership in order to increase the city’s tree canopy.

“The city has to make up for lost ground,” she said.

One place all these issues can be addressed is the city’s comprehensive development plan, which is scheduled for an update in 2020. Gay said the plan needs to look at the town holistically and have a shared vision of where the city should go in the future. She said Rehoboth in recent years has been a perfect storm of aging housing stock with high land values, leading to older homes being torn down in favor of larger, newer ones.

“It’s unfortunate. But it’s a reality. The opportunity it gives us is to have a vision and have the CDP reflect that.”

Gay said she has gone to almost every city meeting for the last three years and now she’s hoping to get a seat at the table.

“Just by being in the audience, I’ve seen where improvements can be made. I feel like I can hit the ground running.”

Information for the public is also a big part of Gay’s campaign.

“The biggest problem in the city right now is information flow,” Gay said.

Referring to the City Hall project, she said, “If it had been done more proactively, what we have versus what we voted on, it’s not that different. It goes really to public education and outreach. I think we need to tell people. To dispel myths and get everyone on the same page.”

Gay said she is glad the city is trying to be proactive on the outfall - a town hall meeting is planned for after contractors are approved - to prevent the same issues cropping up that came up on City Hall.

“People can ask the commissioners to explain their decision. They need to explain the why.”

Chamber sets July 31 forum

The Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce will hold a candidates forum at 10 a.m., Monday, July 31, at the Rehoboth fire hall.

The forum will last one hour and 15 minutes and will include mayoral candidates Paul Kuhns and Sam Cooper and commissioner candidates Kathy McGuiness, Susan Gay and Lisa Schlosser. Cape Gazette publisher Dennis Forney will serve as moderator and Chip Hearn, a chamber board member and owner of Peppers, will serve as timekeeper.

The event will begin with a mayoral debate with each candidate asked four questions from the chamber. There will be a one-minute response and a one-minute rebuttal.

Following the mayoral debate, the commissioner candidates will answer five questions from the chamber before a full debate where all five candidates will draw a question with a one-minute response and rebuttal from the other candidates.

The forum will end with a question-and-answer session from the floor which will last 10 minutes. Questions can be directed at one candidate and must be asked in one minute. Candidates will have one minute to answer the question.