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Don’t be fooled; future of Sussex at stake

September 3, 2020

With so much civil unrest in our country, it may be hard to get excited about the upcoming Republican primary in Sussex County Sept. 15. But, this is worth your attention! This race will determine the future of Sussex County and whether we are going to have responsible development under I.G. Burton’s leadership or unbridled development under Mark Schaeffer. I.G. Burton is one of those rare politicians who is able to work with people on both sides of the table to achieve positive results on difficult issues. Losing him would be a great loss to Sussex County.

The ordinances that Sussex County Council, under the leadership of I.G. Burton, is working on like buffers and wetlands protections are already in place in New Castle County and Kent County, and were recommended in the Sussex County Comprehensive Plan. They are necessary to reduce flooding and protect our water quality. As more and more farms are developed in Sussex County, farmers cannot expect to continue to subdivide their land without regulations to protect the homeowners purchasing those subdivided lots. If the tables were turned they would want the same. It would not be good for the farmers, or any property owners, if word gets out that Sussex County has a reputation as a place that doesn’t care about the impact of land-use decisions on our water quality and quality of life or that our streets are flooding. Fast forward 20 years and ask yourself if Sussex County will be a place you will want to live or invest in if developed under Mark Schaeffer’s policies or I.G. Burton’s?

With I.G. Burton and Mark Schaeffer, the choice is clear. Mr Schaeffer says he is not a developer, but he is a commercial real estate broker and may be involved with a development group building a hotel on Route 1. This is not always easy to ascertain as his holdings may not be in his name. His proposal for buffers and wetland protections is not adequate and will only lead to controversy as every property is developed. It is my understanding that the jobs that Mark Schaeffer brought to Smyrna were largely based on a Walmart Distribution Center that was the center of controversy with the residents of Smyrna for several years. Mark Schaeffer was mayor of Smyrna, but is no longer. I suggest you check these things out for yourself and talk to the folks in Smyrna before you vote.  

I have had the honor of working closely with I.G. Burton on a number of traffic, land-use and open-space preservation initiatives. He has done more to preserve open space in District 3 than any other legislator on Sussex County Council. It was I.G. alone who facilitated the purchase of the Jones Farm on Kings Highway to not only protect open space, but to protect our water quality. He also preserved Hudson Park and the Dorman Farm as open space. As he said in a recent interview, “If there are no fish, who will want to come here?” He is a strong proponent of beach replenishment, and said “If there are no beaches, who will want to move here?” But he is also fair-minded and understands that Sussex County economic growth is important to business. He knows that it is not a matter of whether or not we grow, but how we grow.

I.G. Burton understands the traffic issues in Sussex County better than any other council person. He knows what needs to be done to fix them, and is working diligently on traffic solutions with DelDOT. But he doesn’t only work on short-term solutions. He is working to make sure that Sussex County Council receives traffic-impact studies from DelDOT before land-use decisions are made and not afterwards, as so often happens today under the current DelDOT way of doing business. Don’t be misled by Mark Schaeffer’s TV ads and brochures indicating that he is going to fix traffic and that he initiated the Traffic Improvement District. He doesn’t even know the correct boundaries of the TID or that only DelDOT can initiate a TID. I.G. Burton is light-years ahead of him on this issue and is working to ensure that the TID when implemented will actually produce the traffic improvements promised by DelDOT with adequate funding.

Mark Schaeffer ran against I.G. Burton for Sussex County Council in 2016 and lost.

Now he is trying to defeat I.G. again in the Republican primary hoping that might be easier to win than a general election. Whoever wins the primary wins the election, as there is no Democrat opponent. For this reason it is so important that anyone who is a registered Republican and supports I.G. Burton get out and vote or vote by mail. And, if you are not registered, talk to your friends and get them to vote. Every vote will count in this election. The future of Sussex County is at stake. Don’t be fooled.

Gail Van Gilder
Lewes
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