Mears ends 30-year tenure on Sussex boards
Bruce Mears, a boutique home builder based in Ocean View, suggested repeatedly in the early-1990s that Sussex County create a residential building code to improve safety and quality of construction.
At the time, the county had a commercial building code, but no rules for residential construction. Mears urged two councilmen to create a residential code. One was finally completed in 1995.
When he noted the new rules were not always being followed, Mears was offered a seat on the Building Code Board of Adjustment and Appeal panel in 1996. The board had handled commercial codes for years, and its work was expanded to residential construction when the new code was adopted.
That began a 30-year run for Mears serving on county panels overseeing land development. That tenure ended at the conclusion of the Feb. 18 planning & zoning commission meeting with a few tears, laughter and praise.
Mears sat on the Building Code Board of Adjustment and Appeals panel through 2019, serving as chair for 15 years. The last 16 months on the board overlapped with his appointment to the Sussex County Board of Adjustment. In January 2019, he was appointed to the planning & zoning commission.
Jamie Whitehouse, director of the county Planning & Zoning Department, said during the Feb. 18 meeting that he and his staff reviewed agendas and meeting minutes of past meetings during Mears’s tenure. Mears attended 30 board of adjustment meetings, missing only one, participating in 150 public hearings during that time, Whitehouse said. He attended 159 P&Z meetings, missing 13 during that period. He participated in 795 public hearings – the last two of them for proposed solar power facilities in the southern end of the county – plus 1,500 other business items.
“What folks see here in this room is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Vince Robertson, an attorney who assists the commission.
“There’s all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into this,” Robertson added. “There’s a public hearing … All of the commissioners go out and visit the sites. They all look at what’s on the docket. They all give a thoughtful review. In my tenure with Bruce, he’s at the top of the list of people who do that.”
Commissioners and staff praised Mears for bringing his knowledge from his building background to help the boards on which he served.
“We’re going to miss your analytical approach,” Whitehouse said. “Your architectural knowledge and your technical knowledge have been extremely useful to staff and to me and you will be missed.”
“It’s been a pleasure and honor to be able to work with you,” P&Z Chair Holly Wingate said. “You will be sorely missed, [especially] your expertise and your dedication to our county, and your love for our county.”
Mears said he was proud of Wingate becoming the first commission chairwoman.
David Hutt, a Georgetown lawyer who represents applicants before the commission, arrived near the end of the meeting. He said he was watching online from his office and came to thank Mears for his service and praise his work.
“Not every decision you’ve made, I’ve agreed with,” Hutt said. “But it probably wouldn’t be a good planning commission if I did agree with every decision every time.”
Wingate handed the gavel to Mears to conclude the meeting.
“It’s an honor to serve,” Mears said, firmly pounding it on the table.
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
