In a well-coordinated, but ill-intentioned, move at last week's Rehoboth Beach commissioners' meeting, Commissioners Mills, Sharp and Gossett surprised newly elected Mayor Kuhns by refusing to confirm his choice for the open commissioner seat.
Although they had purportedly agreed in advance to support Mayor Kuhns' choice of former Commissioner Pat Coluzzi, they surprised the assembly by twice voting her down as the recommended replacement.
Throughout most of the evening's proceedings, the Shameful Three voted as a bloc in what was clearly a predetermined strategy. Despite calls for open-mindedness by both Commissioner Sharp (who had trouble heeding her own advice) and Commissioner Schlosser, the meeting devolved into a head-shaking farce that has sadly become the norm for our city.
I went to the meeting with the hope that our sitting commissioners had heard the voters' message, that we want to move forward together, that the divisiveness of the recent past is not how we want the rest of the country to view us. I was sadly disappointed. The actions of these three have clearly indicated that they are ignoring the majority voices of their own constituents in favor of rancor and a continued deep split between our city's residents.
I am once again called to action to condemn our leaders who override the majority's voice. We truly need to replace these three with leaders who instead value the peace and inclusion requested by our residents.
Kelley Gillespie
Rehoboth Beach