The July 13 Cape Gazette carried a letter from the current city mayor, Paul Kuhns, arguing against the experience of his opponent, Stan Mills, and his 12 years of service as a city commissioner. (Readers can here raise a hand, if they found the mayor’s missive to be goony and uncool.) 

In essence, Kuhns argues that he did more “in three short years” than Mills has in his much longer tenure. Let’s look at some of those years and how each man brought his experience to play. Immediately upon taking office, Kuhns introduced a heavy-handed control, limiting citizen input at commissioners’ meetings, including the bizarre insistence that those wishing to speak make their presentation before the meeting rather than nearer the end when participants would have a better knowledge of the board’s intended actions. Consistent with his history, Mills supported citizen input.

Although it was never discussed in his campaign, the first item to be presented on Kuhns’ agenda was the provision of voting rights for LLCs. The response to this hijack of democracy was loud and widespread, but it took the admonishments of constitutional experts and the Delaware ACLU before it was finally laid to rest. For his part, Mills was in a minority on the board, but he voiced his reservations about allowing non-persons to vote, something that less than a handful of American communities allow.

Rehoboth is fortunate to hold a highly valued asset in its wastewater treatment plant. Control of costs, rates, and profits put the city in an enviable position. It is critical that Stan Mills be in a position to lead on this issue, since Paul Kuhns still plans to give it away, benefitting investors and non-city interests, despite the public’s previously expressed overwhelming opposition.

I have observed Stan Mills for the most part of his 12 years in office. He is a diligent public steward who has consistently shown a commitment to the city and its best interests. I have not always agreed on a particular position he might take, but I trust that he acts transparently on principle, has a balanced perspective and truly values the input of his constituents. For me, this is the type of  experience I want with a mayor, in striking contrast to the experience we’ve endured with the current mayor. Yes, Experience Matters for constituents. Vote Mills for mayor.