I am writing in support of Jane Gruenebaum for Sussex County Council District 3 because I support smart, thoughtful growth in Sussex County. I hope many others will join me in voting for Jane to bring a voice of reason to county council.
In a July 30 letter, “Long past time to improve Route 9,” Tom Thunstrom wrote that Route 9 cannot handle the current volume of traffic. I agree. With the possibility of huge housing and retail developments at Cool Spring Crossing and Northstar, adding literally tens of thousands of cars inching along Route 9, the problem is only going to get much, much worse. And, even with the widening of Route 24, continued development between Rehoboth and Millsboro is only going to make the traffic problems worse. As it is now, if you make the trip at the wrong time of day, it can take you an hour to go from Route 1 to Route 113! Imagine what the travel time will be with even more housing and commercial development along the route (e.g., Atlantic Fields – 13,135 vehicle trips on an average weekday).
In eastern Sussex, we see county council doing nothing to control development, passing no ordinances that would bring common-sense growth to the area. We build first and then hope money will follow to build the roads, the schools, the infrastructure needed to support all the new people. It's a totally backwards process, the opposite of balanced, careful planning. It's a failure of collaboration of the council, the state and developers, and it is making life in Sussex County harder and harder.
This rampant overdevelopment in the absence of adequate planning and infrastructure is why I'm supporting the candidacy of Jane Gruenebaum for county council District 3. She has shown both her commitment to conscientious, thoughtful growth, and her ability to bring people together to make it happen. Jane was one of the founders and the first president of Sussex Preservation Coalition, which for more than two years has been sounding the alarm about the growth we see all around us: It's growth that benefits developers but harms the quality of life for all who live here. Starting with a small group of dedicated volunteers, Jane built a coalition of 30 organizations and some 4,000 supporters to demand change. And that change must start with county council, which regulates – or fails to – the development we see all around us.
Jane is a coalition builder. She listens; she talks sense. She will reach out with reason and intelligence to state legislators and community leaders along with the other members of county council. We can no longer ignore the degradation of our beautiful coastal community. It's time for a change. Please join me in November in voting for Jane Gruenebaum for Sussex County Council District 3. To learn more about Jane, to volunteer or to contribute, go to janeforsussex.com.
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