A tale of two cities: Lewes ambassadors visit UK mayor

It was the best of times for Frank and Sally Powell.

There they were Nov. 18, the official unofficial ambassadors of Lewes being ushered into a meeting with Emily Clarke, the mayor of Lewes, England.

While it might not have been a state visit, the Powells said it was quite stately.

“She invited us for tea and cakes,” Sally said. “Her office is wood-paneled, with leather couches. It’s plush and very mayoral, in a way.”

The Powells’ audience with Clarke was made possible by Lewes Mayor Amy Marasco, who contacted her UK counterpart ahead of time.

Marasco appointed the Powells as her ambassadors. She gave them gifts to give to Clarke on her behalf, and a letter reaffirming the friendship between the two Leweses.

“If it is true that all roads lead to Lewes, both yours and ours, may those paths draw ever closer together,” Marasco’s letter read, in part.

Clarke sent back some mementos from England, in return.

The Powells described the mayor as young, outgoing and community-minded. She is a mother of two, a kindergarten teacher in the morning, before assuming her duties at city hall in the afternoon.

“We chatted about a lot of different things. They have similar issues there, like affordable housing, especially housing for teachers,” Sally said. “Farmland is being taken up there too.”

She said they also talked about America’s 250th celebration and the connection to Thomas Paine.

Paine, the English-born Founding Father, lived above Bull House in the center of Lewes from 1768-74. He is known for his pamphlet “Common Sense,” which laid out the argument for American independence from the British.

The Powells said Mayor Clarke was open to the idea of coming to Lewes for America’s 250th, even if not in an official capacity. Marasco said she might go to the UK, as well.

Sally is originally from Cambridge, England, about 125 miles north of Lewes. She and Frank, a Philadelphia native, met in Barbados when Sally was working there. They settled in Delaware in 1985.

Lewes is located near England’s south coast, about a 30-minute drive from Brighton Beach. Lewes has a population of 17,000.

The Powells said their visit also included a stop at a bookshop that dates from the 1500s and lighthouses that overlook the English Channel.

Lewes, England, has a real castle, but Lewes, Del., has King’s Ice Cream.

“Lewes gets overlooked because people want to go to the beach at Brighton, but it’s quite a worthy destination,” Frank said.