Transparency requires open communication with citizens
Residents of The Glade near Rehoboth Beach say state officials have discussed a land swap with Epworth United Methodist Church for over a year, but the residents were not invited to offer input. The proposal involved seven acres of publicly owned open space to be traded for 5.7 acres owned by the church and used by Rehoboth Little League.
In another case, homeowners in the Breakwater community took Delaware Department of Transportation to court because DelDOT planned to build an extension to the Junction-Breakwater Trail through common land in the development, even though the agency had never properly recorded a necessary easement. When homeowners pointed out there was no easement – and won in court – DelDOT’s response was to declare it would take the needed land by eminent domain.
Now a citizens’ group says compromise on the proposed land swap could be in the works, and Bryce and Bill Lingo, developers of Showfield, a tract that adjoins Breakwater, recently agreed to allow the trail extension to pass along their community, so long as forested buffer requirements would be relaxed to accommodate the trail.
Still, these deals remain unsettling. What exactly are the rules for protecting statepurchased open space and when can state officials give away open space land? Once DelDOT admitted it failed to record the easement, shouldn’t that have been enough for the agency to forge a compromise or establish a different route?
State officials and candidates for public office all call for greater transparency. They hold all kinds of meetings seeking public comment on dozens of topics. At the same time, there is no requirement these officials actually respond to public comment; too often, after gathering input, the agencies appear to proceed with more arrogance and less transparency than ever.
The trail issue has now been resolved, and the land swap may also reach a resolution.
Still, state agencies should take note. Transparency requires more than just asking for public comment; it requires open communication with concerned parties and working out compromises and policy that takes into account the input received.
