Four vying for two Dewey Beach seats

Four candidates have filed for two open seats in Dewey Beach’s municipal election Saturday, Sept. 15.

Commissioner Courtney Riordan did not file for re-election.

Incumbent Gary Persinger was first elected in 2016 and has been a Dewey property owner for over 30 years. Commissioner liaison to the town’s budget and finance and investment committees, Persinger said he attends as many other committee meetings as possible to stay informed.

“There’s more work to do and still a lot of problems, and we need to move forward and work on them,” he said. “I have enjoyed being a commissioner the last couple years and making a contribution to the town.”

Persinger said the town needs to combat sea-level rise and bayside flooding.

“Climate change is getting worse, and we need to figure out what to do and how to afford it,” he said. “I really want us to be on top of our budget and finance issues. We need to stay on top of our expenditures and put aside money for the future.”

Persinger has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in statistics, and has served as treasurer of his condo association and PTA organizations. He spent 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry managing research and policy development for state and federal legislative and regulatory efforts.

First-time candidate and financial entrepreneur Bill Stevens started visiting Dewey in 1990 and moved permanently in January 2017. He said he wanted to run for commissioner a year ago but had to complete a one-year residency requirement first.

“We love Dewey Beach and Delaware so much so that we made Dewey our formal residence,” he said. “I decided to run because I love the town I call home and want to give back.”

Stevens said he loves legally walking his dog on the beach, kayaking in the bay, enjoying the beach and all the local restaurants and nightlife. He said he is familiar with Dewey’s issues the past several years regarding a management and human resources standpoint.

“I believe in keeping the property tax low and in nominal increases to the accommodation taxes,” he said. “We need to address bayside flooding but not necessarily though a special assessment or another tax. I would like to improve the cleanliness of the town, support efforts to make parking areas more consistent with crushed shells versus mud, and improve our position on recycling for both the residents and businesses.”

Managing director of Baltimore’s McQuade Consulting, Stevens has a background in business, public accounting and auditing, and has served as a chief financial and human resources advisor for small companies. He has a master’s degree in accounting and a bachelor’s degree in finance.

Chartered financial analyst and certified public accountant David Moskowitz has a bachelor’s degree in management and master’s degrees in industrial relations and business.

“I'm running for Dewey Beach commissioner to contribute my financial skills combined with my love of the town,” he said.

As Dewey’s investment committee chair for nearly five years, Moskowitz said he has the experience and skills needed to guide the town financially when building permit income from Dewey Beach Enterprises ends and the town’s need for infrastructure improvements escalates.

Moskowitz said he joined his HOA board soon after buying his home when he learned the HOA had only $300 in savings but estimated repairs totaled more than half a million dollars. As HOA president, he said he prioritized the community’s needs, increased savings, and communicated with stakeholders to resolve problems and complete needed repairs.

Moskowitz said he is also running in response to a Dewey man’s recent arrest after an audit committee meeting.

“A citizen attends an audit committee government meeting,” he said. “Attendees are handed meeting materials which are considered public. Reporters leave with the materials, no issue. The citizen who had been criticizing the subject of the audit leaves with the same document and is charged with theft and disorderly conduct. He will now have to spend money on a lawyer. He is also unable to contact any Dewey audit committee member or commissioner until after the upcoming election! Unfortunately, I am not describing a third-world country. I am describing Dewey Beach in 2018.”

Moskowitz said the citizen will win in court, and Dewey Beach have to pay legal fees.

“It’s not just the result I’m worried about, but the actual process of how a citizen can lose their First Amendment rights in Dewey Beach,” he said. “If elected commissioner, I will work to bring everyone into the discussion so we can avoid problems like this and save the town time and money.”

Moskowitz’s website is deweybeach2018.com.

First-time candidate James Petruccelli did not respond to requests for comment.

Election information

Eligible voters must be registered to vote, 18 years of age or older who are bona fide residents, property owners, property leaseholders for more than five years provided the lease is recorded with the Sussex County Recorder of Deeds or a settler/creator and trustee of a valid trust that is the owner of real property within city limits.

Eligible voters may vote by absentee ballot before the election or by voting machine on election day.

Absentee affidavits are available in Town Hall, 105 Rodney Ave. Absentee voting takes place  in town hall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 27 to Friday, August 31, Tuesday, Sept. 4 to Friday, Sept. 7, and Monday, Sept. 10 to Sept 13. Absentee voting ends at noon, Friday, Sept. 14.

Weekend absentee voting will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 1 and Saturday, Sept. 8 in Town Hall.

The election will be held 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 15, in the Dewey Beach Lifesaving Station, 1 Dagsworthy Ave. Call Dewey Beach Town Hall at 302-227-6363.