We count all the three candidates running for Rehoboth Beach commissioner as friends, which makes it difficult to choose who to vote for in Saturday's municipal election. So we decided to give our votes to the city instead of the candidates, to vote for what matters to us most about the future of the city and the strongest course to protect it.
There is one issue in particular that concerns us greatly: the ever-increasing commercialization of our residential neighborhoods. It is the one issue that will make or break us from wanting to continue living here. And although there is no turning back on technology and the means by which people now book accommodations on third-party websites, there are still decisions to be made about how much commercialization is acceptable, and how it affects the day-to-day existence of the neighbors of these properties.
And if you think that this issue is of no concern, take a look at the little cottage next door or down the street and imagine a huge house with people constantly coming and going at all hours, surrounded by parked cars. Property owners in Country Club Estates should pay particular attention. There is an increasing number of teardowns that are being replaced, designed and built never to be occupied by their owners. What effect will it have on the strength of our community, in the way we interact with our neighbors, how we deal with the resulting congestion, noise, parking, trash removal, and dealing with absent and sometimes anonymous investors?
We feel the city must do more by discussing and defining, with engaged public participation, the limits on the number of occupants on a rental property, about the nature of a property functioning as essentially a mini-hotel with short-term stays, some lasting less than a week. Do we want this? Does the city need this to prosper, or will it degrade and diminish the quality of life we have long valued? And will it threaten the long-standing tradition of part-time rentals of owner occupied homes? Change is inevitable, so let us lead instead of follow it.
This will be a trying issue to solve with all its moving parts. It will require creative thinking, being open-minded, an understanding of the financial implications, to have vision, energy, and the ability to compromise. After seeing how the three candidates conducted their campaigns this year, we find that Gary Glass has been the most outspoken, the most committed, and the one most equipped with the tools to deal with the challenge.
We did not observe that his opponents were as willing to expend the kind of political capital needed to tackle this problem. It may be a smart political strategy to avoid potentially divisive topics, but we would rather know what someone is eager to do than what they might do. We urge you to take the long view for the next three years, who of the three has the best chance to move this forward on the commission's agenda. We believe you will agree it is Gary Glass.
Kate and Bunky Markert
Rehoboth Beach
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