Mayor Dale Cooke celebrated in Dewey Beach
Dozens of friends and supporters gathered at The Starboard Sept. 2 to celebrate the retirement of Dewey Beach Mayor Dale Cooke after many years of service to the town.
Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, presented Cooke with a tribute from the House of Representatives.
“His devotion to serve the local beach community has been unmistakable as his efforts have touched the lives of both the residents and visitors of this fine town,” Schwartzkopf said. “Mayor Cooke has always done what's necessary to keep the Town of Dewey Beach running in a professional and safe manner. I truly admire his outstanding leadership, his honesty, integrity and ability to make correct decisions for the betterment of the community.”
Town Manager Bill Zolper thanked Cooke for his guidance and gave him a framed souvenir poster marking the celebration in his honor.
Cooke said he was asked earlier if he thought he did well in Dewey Beach.
“I said no, Dewey Beach did well by me,” he said to applause and cheers from guests. “Dewey Beach and Delaware accepted me as part of their family, and that's kind of hard sometimes in Delaware. Sometimes if you're not from here, you don't understand Delaware. It’s a great state, it really is.”
First elected in 2002, Cooke served as commissioner until 2008; he was re-elected in 2015, 2017 and 2019. He served a one-year term as mayor in 2016 and was also interim town manager for several months until a new town manager was hired in March 2018.
Cooke was unanimously elected mayor at a special town meeting in April 2020 to fill the vacancy created by the death of Mayor TJ Redefer, and he was elected to a full one-year term in October 2020.
Before moving to Dewey, Cooke worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, several Boys’ Clubs in the greater Washington, D.C. area, and for the United States Postal Service. As a U.S. Marine, he served in both Vietnam and Cuba. Cooke said he is looking forward to spending more time with his children and grandchildren.
