I support Kuhns, Fuller and Macha for Rehoboth. In this crucial election for Rehoboth, voters will decide if they move backward to the days of the Sam Cooper commission or continue moving forward into a better future for all. Rehoboth needs a mayor and commission who will meet the needs of its homeowners, businesses and visitors, working together in harmony, if the city is to thrive. This election is being held in the midst of two crises impacting the city: the coronavirus pandemic and the fight for equality for all. Rehoboth is not immune to either.
There have been intimations by some about who the candidates support for president. Rehoboth elections are nonpartisan yet each of the candidates I am supporting have proudly told me they endorsed Joe Biden.
Two announced candidates represent the past. Their previous votes on the commission brought the city close to bankruptcy supporting what many call Rehoboth’s City Hall Palace. Their policies brought demonstrators to city hall because they didn’t understand the need to keep all the important sectors of the city working together. There was a lack of real planning and budgeting for the future.
I urge voters to make their votes count; re-elect Mayor Paul Kuhns, and elect Hugh Fuller and Rachel Macha commissioners. Some pose the question “Is it better to elect experience or someone new?” Rehoboth can have both; electing new members to the commission with the right experience needed to move the city forward.
Both Hugh Fuller and Rachel Macha have a wealth of experience. Hugh is a successful businessman owning the Purple Parrot and Iguana Grill. He has lived and worked in Rehoboth Beach for 30 years. His family is from the shore. He understands budgets and knows his businesses can’t be successful without a strong cadre of happy full-time residents. He has walked the streets of Rehoboth nearly every day for 30 years and understands the city and its issues in depth. His ability to work with everyone was first honed in the military as a member of a presidential honor guard. He is committed to keeping Rehoboth Beach a welcoming community for all with the small-town feel everyone loves.
Rachel Macha is a born and bred Delawarean. She and husband Rich bought their first home in Rehoboth 20 years ago and now live here full time for the past three years. Rachel is a mom of five and a businesswoman with a software/technology company. She is on the Rehoboth Beach Planning Commission and her goal is to keep Rehoboth Beach the place she has loved all her life.
Mayor Paul Kuhns has worked to move the city forward, walking a fine line to meet the demands of the various constituencies all important to the success of Rehoboth. Some thought he didn’t move fast enough; others thought he moved forward too fast. That is the sign of success, a compliment to him as a thoughtful man always willing to listen to all. He understands the complexities of ensuring both homeowners and business owners’ needs must be met for Rehoboth to succeed. I watched him in action, at meetings of the commission, and am confident he deserves another term. He served during these dual crises when no one could have predicted the issues the city would face. He has navigated the economic shutdown working to ensure businesses will recover. He understands without its wonderful restaurants, tourist businesses and hotels, on and off the boardwalk, Rehoboth won’t continue to be the place we love. He is doing this without proposing new taxes on homeowners.
Re-electing Kuhns mayor, and adding Fuller and Macha to the commission, will enable Rehoboth to survive these difficult times, and they are not over yet, but thrive and move successfully into the future. Voters shouldn’t revert back to a commission and mayor who wasted precious resources and taxpayer money on unneeded palaces.
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