David Jasinski elected commissioner in Dewey Beach

Dewey Beach commissioners voted to elect David Jasinski to fill the remaining period of former Mayor TJ Redefer’s commissioner term at the monthly town meeting, held via Zoom May 8.  

The vote was 3-1, with Mayor Dale Cooke and Commissioners Gary Persinger and David Moskowitz voting for and Commissioner Paul Bauer voting against; the term expires in September 2021.

In 2014, town council unanimously selected Jasinski to serve as commissioner for the remainder of former Commissioner Ellen Danaher’s term. Danaher had resigned two months into her term, citing stress. He currently sits on the town planning and zoning commission.  

The vote came after public comment and the reading of letters in support of Redefer’s widow, Bobbie, to fill the term. Callers said Redefer best represented the interests of her husband and, as a nurse, would be a valuable resource during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition to Redefer, Dave Davis, Phil Rowe and Jasinski also submitted their names for consideration, according to callers to the public comment line, prompting one caller to say she was surprised other callers knew who had submitted their names, to the extent they were able to research and write letters against certain candidates.

Town Manager Scott Koenig said the names of all submissions were sent to commissioners May 4 and were not posted on the website or made public. Town Counsel Fred Townsend said none of the four individuals were considered nominees until commissioners opened and closed the nomination process.

Bauer’s motion to nominate Redefer for the seat failed without a second.

Persinger said he was uncomfortable that a very public campaign had supported one potential candidate while other candidates were unknown to the public. Moskowitz said it was concerning that only people with connections to a commissioner knew who the candidates were.

A Highway One-sponsored ad has appeared in several issues of the Cape Gazette, with a growing number of names added each issue, to encourage commissioners to appoint Redefer to fulfill the term; Bauer said 167 names were on the last ad.

Moskowitz said he reviewed the letters submitted to the town in support of Redefer; he said most were identical, with slight variations. He said about 25 percent of them were written by people who did not own property, but who worked in town. Moskowitz said people could be pressured to put their names on a list, and he questioned why someone would put so much money into purchasing ads to promote someone for a voluntary position.

“People loved TJ and people have empathy for Bobbie, but that’s not what makes someone qualified,” he said, adding the town does not have a medical department, but it does have financial issues that need to be solved.

Persinger motioned to nominate Jasinski, saying his broad experience and involvement in town committees make him well-informed and prepared to dig in on all issues; Moskowitz seconded.