Reardon, Beaufait win Lewes election

Lewes voters have re-elected Fred Beaufait and given the nod to longtime city resident Dennis Reardon to serve on city council.

Reardon, top vote getter in the May 11 election, finished with 510 votes; Beaufait garnered 405 votes. Candace Vessella polled 279, and Nancy Stenger Joseph finished with 161 votes.

Beaufait said he’s looking forward to serving two more years.

“We’ve got to decide what we’re going to do with the current library building. I would like to see something for the citizens, not necessarily for our visitors but for our people. They put the money into it,” Beaufait said. The city owns the building and pays for utilities.

He said with plans for the new library moving ahead, the city needs to be careful about taking on financial obligations. “We’ve got to manage our budget so that we don’t overspend,” Beaufait said. He said he’s also concerned about increasing traffic in Lewes as a result of more people living inside and nearby the city.

Reardon said he’s pleasantly shocked about his victory. “I came into this with no agenda and no preconceived notions. I think the fact that I ran last year and I joined some committees got me out there to meet more people,” he said.

Lewes Mayor Jim Ford, last year, appointed Reardon to the Lewes Planning Commission.

Reardon said residents should know he’s committed to open-space preservation.

As a Bay Avenue resident, he said he feels good about city council now having a representative from the bayside of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal.

“I think that’s important for the welfare of the whole city, to have different areas of the city having representation on the council. I’m real happy for that,” he said.