Fiscal management seems to be a hot topic in this year's Rehoboth Beach elections.
After repeated discussions in the candidate forums, letters to the editor, and campaign materials, I have thought long and hard about the subject. How ironic to me that Paul Kuhns, trained on Wall Street, touts himself as better prepared than Mayor Cooper to watch over our municipal budget. Wasn't his specialty municipal debt? And since when has Wall Street ever been good for Main Street? Do you really want to trust someone from Wall Street with our financial future?
And, we should ask, what is Commissioner Kuhns' record during his five years on the city commission? Has he presented ideas and built consensus for them on the commission to better manage our city's finances? In fact, it has been the opposite.
Throughout his years on the Rehoboth Beach Commission, he has repeatedly advocated for expensive, unnecessary projects that would have taken the city into debt.
In the race for commissioner, we have a candidate in Lisa Schlosser, who is actively campaigning for Mr. Kuhns, who tells us she has experience in federal budgeting. She claims she would be good at containing cost overruns. But who is known for more cost overruns than the federal government?
These two candidates, who are running as a ticket with incumbent Commissioner Kathy McGuiness, tell us their experience is what we need to bring better fiscal management to our city. What experience can Commissioner McGuiness point to in her 15 years on the commission that has effectively helped the city manage our financial affairs? Not all experience is equal, and not all experience is good. I'd rather stick with Mayor Cooper, who has successfully led the city through many great municipal improvements, secured lots of grant money, and built a $5 million surplus, all while not raising our taxes.
Vote for the candidate who has relevant and proven experience in managing our city. Vote for Mayor Sam Cooper to keep us on track.
John Bisch
Rehoboth Beach
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