Milton mayoral candidates make their pitch

With Milton’s municipal election less than two weeks away, the candidates gathered at Eagle’s Nest Church Feb. 19 to make their final pitch to voters.

Mayoral candidates John Collier and incumbent Ted Kanakos were the main attractions at a candidates forum put on by the Milton Chamber of Commerce, moderated by the Delaware League of Women Voters, and broadcast live over YouTube. While council candidates Annette Babich and Larry Savage are running unopposed, meaning their seats are secure, both were allowed to speak at the forum.

In his opening remarks, Kanakos, seeking a third term, played up his accomplishments since becoming mayor in 2016: overseeing the hiring of Kristy Rogers as town manager, reorganizing and strengthening the police department, completing the Rails to Trails, and improving the commercial district and the town’s water infrastructure.

“Although we have accomplished much over the past six years, there’s always more to do and new challenges to be met. I do believe these challenges are what make the office of mayor so exciting,” Kanakos said.

Collier, who currently serves on Milton Town Council, played up his experience as a two-time councilman and the town’s former project coordinator. He said he is the most prepared candidate to move the town forward into the future.

“I’m not one to brag about accomplishments, because everything I did, I did as part of a team, whether as part of the team in town government and administration or on town council. It takes a concerted effort of all of us to make these things we’re proud of happen,” he said. 

The candidates were then asked questions submitted from the voters. Collier and Kanakos were asked about the possibility of a new police station and a new town hall. 

On the police, Collier said the town is currently doing a good job retaining officers, although he’d like to see more pay incentives to both retain current officers and attract new officers in the future. He said the town should have been studying a new police station 10 years ago.

“It’s not enough, and we need to start taking a serious look at developing a process and a plan for a new police station,” Collier said.

Kanakos said the town is looking into finding 2.5 acres of land in town for a new station. He said the department’s nine officers are all experienced and certified, a change from the past when the department had a hard time attracting experienced officers.

“People want to come to Milton to work,” he said. “We have worked very hard on raising the minimum salary. We have rebuilt our fleet of police cars. But there’s no two ways about it, we need a new police station.”

On town hall, Kanakos said the town is looking at expanding the current building by enclosing the rear porches, which would give the building three new offices. 

Collier said he believes the town should look toward building an administrative complex, where police and town administration would be under the same roof. He said he would like to see such a building within town, since town hall is the cultural center of Milton.

The candidates were asked what they would do with the site of the old wastewater treatment plant on Front Street, which will be demolished once Artesian builds a new plant on Route 30 to serve Milton and surrounding areas.

Collier said he has a vision for that area, but before anything can happen on that land, a number of underlying issues must be resolved, notably nuisance flooding on Front Street. He proposed that the town should negotiate with the state’s Division of Fish and Wildlife to relocate the boat ramp to the site of the former treatment plant. 

“It’s not something that’s going to happen overnight. We need to sit down and come up with a plan,” he said.

Kanakos said the site of the former plant will be returned to the town once the new plant is online. He said he would like to see the Governor’s Walk extended out to that area as part of a park with a kayak launch. A problem with moving the boat ramp, Kanakos said, is that the ramp was deeded to the state in perpetuity. He said he wants to keep oil-powered boats off that part of the Broadkill River.

The candidates were asked about the recommendation from the traffic calming ad hoc committee for a feasibility study of turning Milton’s main streets – Federal, Mulberry, Union and Chestnut – into one-way streets. 

Kanakos said trying to one-way those streets is not realistic and represented idealistic thinking. Collier said while the committee’s report had some good ideas, he did not think that particular one was realistic. 

Council candidates give remarks

In her comments, Annette Babich discussed her journey to Milton; she moved to town in 2018 and opened the Inn The Doghouse bed and breakfast after a career in events planning and finance in Brooklyn, N.Y. She now serves on the board of Milton Theatre and organized the Dog Days of Summer Festival. 

She said, “I remember the first time we visited Milton and discovered Irish Eyes, Milton Theatre, 302 Bicycles, Ogre’s Grove and Suburban Farmhouse, and thought, ‘What a cute town.’ One of the best things Milton has given me is a sense of belonging and a sense of pride in a community. A sense of pride and responsibility is why I want to serve the community as councilperson. I truly love Milton and plan to stay here for the long term. It is my home.”

As a councilwoman, Babich said, she wants to help develop and promote Milton for commercial growth, grow arts and culture, and maximize the impact of events in town. She said to help facilitate this, she wants to reestablish the Milton Economic Development Committee to implement projects identified in the comprehensive development plan. Among those items are redeveloping Front Street and encouraging the development of Milton as an economic destination. 

Babich also wants to establish an arts and culture committee, and a community center in town to be a hub for families to socialize, recreate and share information. Finally, she wants to establish an events committee to work with community leaders to help schedule and promote events to get residents and tourists to spend their time in Milton.

Savage, who was appointed to town council in 2021 after the death of Councilman Michael Coté, will now be serving a full three-year term. A 45-year Milton resident, Savage said as the town grows, he wants to encourage smart development. He wants Milton to maintain its small-town image, highlighting features such as Milton Memorial Park, the new boat ramp at Wagamons Pond and the Rails to Trails. 

Polls will open for the Milton election at 8 a.m., Saturday, March 5, at Milton Fire Department, 116 Front St., and close at 6 p.m. Affidavits for absentee ballots will be received until noon, Friday, March 4.