Cape Henlopen Senior Center needs new board

New year’s resolutions aside, people are averse to change, and the older we get, the harder it is to accept new routines.

So it should come as no surprise that problems surfaced when the leadership of Cape Henlopen Senior Center changed following the departure of its longtime director.

A center that had been humming along for decades, offering a welcoming place for people to gather, socialize, travel and take part in activities, has for months been caught up in turmoil. Some people don’t like the new director; longtime employees have filed complaints. The president of the board stepped down. A liability insurance carrier is canceling the board’s policy at the end of January.

In response, the new president of the board – also a former board president – says it’s a small group that is dissatisfied; most members, she said, say the new director is doing fine. The controversy has revealed, however, that the center’s board has had a relaxed attitude toward the bylaws, especially in filling board vacancies. There’s nothing like controversy to reveal missteps; if the board is not constituted according to the bylaws, anything it decides can easily be challenged.

At Cape Henlopen, taxpayers provide two thirds of the annual funding, about $210,000. It’s a lot of money to hand over to a board whose decisions can be questioned. Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf has said state funding is in jeopardy if the board is not properly constituted.

No one likes to be bullied, but it’s time for the board to recognize problems must be remedied so this turmoil can end.

If a majority of members are satisfied, they can easily re-elect the same board. Or, members can properly elect a new board. Either way, electing a new board is the best way to move forward.

Senior centers statewide receive taxpayer funding. The problems at Cape Henlopen reveal a general lack of oversight in the way centers operate. It’s time for this to change. State taxpayers and residents who need the vital services senior centers provide deserve better.