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Rehoboth needs to be more proactive

July 14, 2017

A May News Journal story offered the following description, "Sam Cooper has served as mayor of Rehoboth Beach since 1990. He is staunchly against term limits for many reasons and believes in consistency in local government matters ... 'Having long-standing institutional knowledge is very beneficial in moving a city forward,' Cooper said." Institutional knowledge is one thing; moving the city forward is quite another.
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here are three other commissioners - Patrick Gossett, Kathy McGuiness and Stan Mills - who also provide a cumulative deep body of knowledge to the city administration. Moreover, there are persuasive reasons to have term limits; they bring opportunities for people with different backgrounds and perspectives to serve the public. Term limits encourage elected officials to be responsive to their constituents.

And, quite simply, term limits promote fresh ideas. But, this is not really about term limits; it's more about failing to recognize when your effectiveness as a leader has waned.

Regrettably, moving the city forward has been a questionable claim of the mayor for the last few years. Here's a recent example.

On June 30 the board of commissioners held a workshop special meeting to discuss long-range financial planning. At one point the issue of reserve funds came up; someone referred to it as a "rainy day fund." Questions were posed about minimum balances, designated uses, restricted withdrawals, etc. It seems there is no reserve fund provision in the budget. There is no proactive mechanism for systematic safeguards to the city's operations and finances.

In response to this discussion Mayor Cooper described his approach to financial management and creating annual budgets, a practice that has existed, apparently, for decades. He explained that expense figures are set high, while revenue estimates are set low. At the end of the budget period the financials will be in the black, he said.

This passive approach seems typical of the mayor's management style. Don't do anything until it's a problem. When it looks like a problem, go slow; it might resolve itself. And when the matter reaches an unalterable end, legislate the cheapest alternative available, even if it means major impediments to progress in the long run.

Mr. Cooper deserves recognition for his accomplishments during his years of service. However, it's been 27 years! It's time to end passiveness and be proactive; and, yes, it's time for some different backgrounds and perspectives, more responsiveness and some fresh ideas.

Vote for Paul Kuhns as Rehoboth Beach's next mayor in the city election Aug. 12.

Hoyte Decker
Rehoboth Beach

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