That’s what the City Council of Lewes has left me with, in their handling of the Brittingham property saga on New Road. I have trouble believing all that went down for many months of meetings - in the name of progress.
At the final meeting on March 5 (which was called by the AG of the state of Delaware to reconsider the decisions made by council [in private] about density/wetlands exclusion), council chose again to ignore the repeated pleas of the residents of the surrounding neighborhoods, for a compromise in density.... just a small change, in a token vote for Mother Nature.
Well, the council members ignored our polite pleas again and sided 100 percent with the developer. They even added some extras to make it more profitable for the developer. No scraps or a bone thrown to the people who live in the area and elect these officials. The decision was emphatically delivered and pre-determined. Council let us waste our time again - all for naught.
When Councilman Dennis Reardon read his prepared verdict - voting against our requests - the meeting was uncovered to be a fraud. We had all wasted our time asking for a small compromise in density. We were furious. I do tip my hat to Thierry Poirey for stepping up to the mic and calling Dennis Reardon to account. The whole thing was a farce. I also tip my hat to Councilman Rob Morgan - who was the only council member willing to reconsider the previous decision.
I was so depressed and angry after Mayor Ted Becker made his final confirmation that I just got up and went home. I talked to my wife, Peggy, and told her of the results. I said, “I know who I’m not voting for in the next election.” She informed me that Mayor Ted Becker was running unopposed. Well, so much for having a choice of candidates.
It’s a sad state of affairs that the people have no voice. The overwhelming majority of residents were ignored. All I heard were excuses for why they wouldn’t do the right thing. They went against the people and sided with the out-of-town developer. We were supposed to be reconsidering the previous decision - obviously we weren’t.
Hey - Fred, Dennis and Ted, I have a question... How would you like to have 90 townhouses and all that they bring lined up in your neighborhood? I’ll bet the vote would be different.
Everyone has been talking about keeping the rural integrity of New Road, etc. That’s all talk and no action.
Bruce Chandler
HOA president, Creekside Manor, New Road, Lewes
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