|
Joan Deaver, an outspoken activist and controlled-growth advocate, announced Monday, June 9, that she will run for Sussex County Council’s 3rd District. The seat, which represents Lewes, Milton and Milford, is held by Democratic incumbent Lynn Rogers, serving his third term. Deaver, 66, also a Democrat, is originally from Baltimore. She has lived full time in the Cape Region since 1994.
“We’re giving people a real chance here. After a while you have to step up and that’s what I’m doing.
“It’s the last thing I thought I would do, but it’s time for a change and I hope others will follow,” she said.
Deaver began her local activism near her home in 1998, when neighboring farmland was being rezoned to commercial.
She said she received little notice of the rezoning and called it alarming. She roused others to oppose it, and the while the county planning and zoning commission did not approve the rezoning, county council did, she said.
“I’m used to people being able to appeal. Around here, you have to have deep pockets to get an attorney. I’m for the people. This is our life here. It shocked me into action,” she said.
In 2004, Deaver organized Citizens for a Better Sussex to protect the quality of life in the rapidly growing Cape Region. She is president of the nonprofit association but said she is giving up her post to run for council.
Last year, the Delaware Department Transportation (DelDOT) announced plans to build a Western Parkway – a move opposed by critics who said it would remove farmland without solving traffic woes.
In response, Deaver, who lives on Plantation Road near Lewes, formed the Plantation Road Coalition to oppose the four-to-six lane highway. “It grew into a coalition of diversity. A no-build coalition,” said Deaver. That coalition consists of rural residents, farmers and African-American residents of Jimtown – all opposed to DelDOT’s plans, she said. “Inclusiveness is key,” she said.
She also said she hopes to serve a four-year council term after the 2010 U.S. Census, which may allow for better representation through redistricting. “My campaign is about a fair, inclusive and equitable districting,” she said. “I’ve been getting wonderful response. They say, ‘Finally, there is real chance for Sussex County,’” she said.
Deaver lives with her husband, Bill, and has two children. She said she enjoys gardening and last year, she sold flowers in front of her Plantation Road home. “It’s a family tradition, my parents used to sell fish,” she said.
Deaver said she will file to run within a few weeks.
Rogers, who has not yet filed, has yet to say if he will, following a horseback-riding accident that left his wife severely injured. “I’m waiting for the doctors to tell me what to do now,” he said.
Republican Judson Bennett, who lost by three votes to Rogers in 2004, filed for the 3rd District seat in January. “I don’t understand exactly why she’s doing it because we have been allies in the past. She’s supported my campaign in the past. I’m not sure at this point what to make of it. I’m a managed-growth candidate and she’s a managed-growth person. I think I’m the best guy for the job, but I think she’s dedicated to her principles. If she ends up being the Democratic candidate, it will be a spirited election,” said Bennett. Said Deaver, “We have to get through the primary. We have to focus on the primary.”
Three district seats – all held by Democrats – are up for election in November. None of the incumbents has filed for re-election.
|
