Jane Gruenebaum is engaged in a David vs. Goliath battle for the District 3 Sussex County Council seat against veteran campaigner and incumbent Mark Schaeffer. Mark, buoyed by a developer-funded political action committee, has a well-deserved reputation for constituent outreach. He has helped towns like Lewes with important issues such as the dredging of the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal and our future wastewater disposal.
But on the overarching big-ticket item of controlling development and growth, his voting record has missed the mark. He protected developers from paying a fee for new development to help our schools absorb a massive influx of students and has not demonstrated leadership in revising critical county ordinances to pace development. Even when the state recommends against developments because roads and infrastructure cannot handle it, county council and its appointed planning & zoning commission move forward. The results are evident to everyone trying to navigate our roads or make a doctor’s appointment in real time. I see these problems firsthand as the vice chair of the Lewes Planning Commission.
Jane would provide the critical vote to put a needed pause on this runaway development. We need to muster the courage to make this change.
I am a registered, old-school Republican who worked on three presidential campaigns, and was an official member of the transition team for then President-elect George W. Bush. But I am pulling the lever for Democrats this election cycle. Too much is at stake to do otherwise.
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