A question arose at the Meet the Candidates forum at Dewey Beach. I am a landlord for a local printing company. I do not own the business; I only own the real estate.
I have heard horror stories about a commissioner’s kids being harassed at school. Recently, I have seen the town trying to take away a citizen’s First Amendment rights till after the election. I expect that my tenant will be left alone to operate her long-standing Dewey Beach business.
I am running for commissioner to fix the lack of internal control in the town. This lack of internal control enabled eight officers to get 24 ATVs, 22 vehicles, and even six boats. Requests also included the need for a tractor at the Dewey Beach firing range. Would love to go, would also love to know where it is.
If elected, I will work to put in place a robust audit and internal controls committee. That committee will be tasked with holding a request for proposals for a new auditor (rotation is a normal and good practice) and coming up with a package of internal controls for the commissioners to pass. Once passed, the town manager will be tasked with implementing them. Every year at the annual audit, the controls will be reviewed, and the town manager responsible if such controls are not implemented properly.
I am volunteering for this unpaid position because I love and cherish Dewey Beach, and I care for the town’s future. This is the same reason I volunteered to chair the investment committee and manage $4.6 million for Dewey these past five years.
I think the most critical issue is implementing internal controls and proper audits so that the citizens can trust the town administration and our police department.
Without strong internal controls and conflict-of-interest policy, how can the average citizen trust what’s going on Dewey Beach? I had to clean up the mess after a former mayor put Dewey’s investment money into his firm for the commission (and did tricks like placing the funds in the wrong share class to maximize the commission) to the advisor. We now have the funds properly invested in the right share class with a trustee. If elected commissioner I promise to work hard to benefit Dewey’s future.
David Moskowitz
Investment chair and candidate for commissioner
Dewey Beach
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