Clean sweep needed in Dewey Beach
Despite the cacophony of lawsuits, misinformation, electioneering, Public Integrity Commission filings and the contentious resignation of Town Manager Diana Smith, Dewey Beach has trotted into fall on the strength of a solid summer.
By many accounts, Sunday through Thursday found more families with children on the streets and well-guarded beaches of Dewey. Evening movies on the beach drew strong crowds, and many businesses reported sales improved over recent years.
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, when the party and live music crowd swells the scene, numbers of people were high while the problems usually associated with drinking and late-night partying were, according to police, officials and business owners, not as serious as in previous years.
Dewey’s infrastructure, Smith’s resignation notwithstanding, shows a community of fundamental strength. With effective and quiet-working committees, the town continues to hone its policies and procedures to ease the wild gyrations that have characterized Dewey politics through its first three decades of incorporated existence.
But the transition to a more balanced, collaborative and less sniping community requires change. The chemistry at the commissioner level is not good. The last two years have compromised the incumbents’ ability to work well together for the benefit of the town, with no improvement in sight. For that reason Dewey voters would be best served by electing three new commissioners in the Sept. 17 election.
To improve Dewey's leadership chemistry, bringing aboard veterans Anna Legates and Claire Walsh, and adding a new perspective from David Ferry, holds the most promise.
Legates and Walsh know Dewey Beach inside and out. They have institutional memory dating back decades. They remember that almost-mythological common ground that for a fleeting time inspired the Ruddertowne discussion. Most importantly, they understand the essential middle ground that drives constructive governance.
In Ferry, a lawyer trained in conflict resolution, Dewey voters have the opportunity to at least gain a better, less-tarnished understanding of its budget-challenging and runaway legal woes, without a three-digit expense meter running constantly. As with medicine, effective governing relies, ultimately, more on art than science.
At this point in the town's history, Dewey needs the lighter, more artful touch that these three candidates offer.
