I was dismayed to see that the Town of Dewey Beach turned down the offer of Dewey Beach business owner Steve Montgomery to pay for extra police assistance on Memorial Day Weekend. The position taken by the town manager makes no sense. The town manager apparently claims there is a conflict of interest in having a business pay for extra police assistance. That is clearly incorrect.
Countless businesses, churches, community organizations and others routinely pay for extra police assistance to provide security and safety and they have no conflict of interest issues. It is good for the Town of Dewey, its residents, its visitors, and the general public to provide for extra police for events. Steve Montgomery of The Starboard has provided payment for such events many times over the years.
When the town manager rejected that support and decided that the town would pay itself for extra police presence, he essentially gave away town funds rather than use donated funds which is the opposite of what a good town manager should do when handling town finances. The town decision was a bad one.
David Ferry
Dewey Beach
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