When I nominated Robert Mitchell to be the next member of the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission from the 2nd District, I picked him because he is knowledgeable about land use and because he is level-headed. According to our rules, each county council member is allowed to nominate a commission member from his or her district. The entire county council is to interview the candidate and approve them if they are qualified to serve in that position.
But it would not have mattered who I nominated. Mr. Mitchell interviewed well and was clearly qualified. But the majority on the county council will disregard the intent and tradition of this nomination process to nominate their candidate. The majority had already decided who they wanted to put on the commission, and that is the person that they have recruited to run against me in the 2024 election. Putting him on the commission is an attempt to raise his profile before he runs. This shows his motivation as well. He has openly shared he has the three votes.
Never before have the commission and our rules been abused in this way to score political points. The majority has decided to use a nuclear option to get what they want. Sussex County politics and our land-use policy will never be the same. There is no going back from this. Future councils will do the same thing. The majority may get their way for now, but they may regret this sooner than they think.
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