Ric Moore is well spoken and skilled in the use of words, but, unfortunately, he lacks understanding of reality. In reviewing his comments on his website, and having attended the recent candidates’ forum, it is evident to me that he has a distorted concept as to how municipal government works and the limits of the city’s authority. I say this after having served on city council for nine years.
Moore makes the accusation that the city is controlled by “…those with the most money or property or power or contacts.” I can assure you this is not true. He also implies that the people have no voice in city government. This is simply not accurate. Except for contracts, personnel and legal matters, all business of city council is conducted in public, and the public is given the opportunity to voice their opinions.
One of Moore’s favorite subjects is the sprawl of developments that is taking place. Unfortunately, he fails to mention that this sprawl is in the county, not in the city. He proposes to fight this sprawl via the city’s comprehensive plan. The major problem with this is that the city’s comp plan has no authority in the county. Sussex County has its own comp plan independent of the city’s. Moore continually refers to Lewes’ 2005 comp plan. Just for the record, that plan is no longer viable and has been superseded by the 2015 comp plan. I can only wonder why he is still holding the 2005 plan up as the standard.
Moore is also calling for the public to be given the opportunity to decide on budget priorities by referendum. He seems to ignore the fact that each year city council has a number of open, public meetings on the budget – giving the public the opportunity to speak. Putting together a budget for the city is always a real challenge – how to meet the needs of the city and limit the need for increasing taxes. Who decides when it is time to purchase, for example, a new trash truck or upgrade the equipment of the police department? We have an elected council to make these decisions.
As I said in the beginning of this letter, Mr. Moore is skillful with the use of the English language, but he is very short on facts. He seems to ignore the past accomplishments of our city government and displays little understanding of how municipal government works. In my opinion, Moore is not qualified for the job of mayor of Lewes.