Eight years ago, when the current Lewes Mayor Ted Becker first ran for the job, he made the following assessment about the town and his predecessor. "A lot of what we've been able to accomplish is a result of the community or civic spirit of Lewes. A portion of that is Jim [Ford] having an open government where people could come and express their opinion and be heard." Today, not many of us would use those words to describe our city government.
This year, we have a choice about the city's direction. We have three candidates running for mayor, and we are in their debt for having the courage to take on a job that can be found under the dictionary definition of thankless task. What really differentiates them is their perception of the challenges facing the city and the approach they will bring to finding consensus and fixing problems.
We need a mayor who recognizes the city has much to do to be fair, accountable and forthright. We need someone willing to listen to others, and take advantage of the talent and experience in our community. We need a mayor whose solutions are effective because they reflect and address community interests and concerns. And, we need a mayor who's proven he can work with all of the city.
That's why I'm voting for Andrew Williams and hope you will as well. He knows what needs to be done, and he's proven he can work with others in and outside of government to fashion solutions that all of Lewes can support.
Andrew is the best choice, not just for change, but change for the better.