Campaign season underway in Lewes; elections May 13

Three candidates have filed for two city council seats in Lewes. 

The terms of Councilman Tim Ritzert and Councilwoman Candace Vessella are coming to an end. Ritzert has filed to run, but Vessella, who was appointed to finish now-Mayor Andrew Williams' term, has elected not to run for office. 

“Serving on the Lewes City Council is a very time-consuming endeavor,” Vessella said in a statement. “It has prevented me from spending time with my family, pursuing my many interests, and traveling with my husband. I have chosen not to run for the city council to ensure I have time for these pursuits.”  

Joining Ritzert in the council race are Joe Elder and Bob Heffernan. 

The election will be held at city hall from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday, May 13. For more information about the election, go to www.ci.lewes.de.us/273/Election-Information.

Tim Ritzert

“I enjoy serving on council,” Ritzert said. “I enjoy working on behalf of our residents. I enjoy the effort it takes to problem solve. I derive satisfaction applying myself on behalf of the community.”

Helping to mend the relationship between the city and Lewes Board of Public Works is one of the accomplishments Ritzert is proud of. He said the only path forward between the two entities is cooperation. Citing the adoption of a practice that decouples the execution of a pre-annexation agreement as a requirement for BPW services, Ritzert said he believes the partnership is working.

Ritzert said there are federal grants available for electric vehicle charging stations and charging ports to increase the attractiveness of Lewes. He has been advocating for Chesapeake Utilities, a provider of natural gas, to honor a requirement of expanding into all neighborhoods, not just new subdivisions.  

He said he feels it is wrong to require property owners to pay for repairs of a sidewalk used by and for the benefit of the public. Noting the inconsistencies with sidewalks, he said he intends to propose mayor and city council develop a plan for a network of serviceable sidewalks. He said he also believes that procrastinating on street repairs is not an acceptable action plan.

Joe Elder

Elder, a retired educator, has decided to run after attending and being active in several recent mayor and city council meetings. Elder, who holds two master's and a doctorate degree, said Lewes is a fabulous place to live and the government has a wonderful committee system, but he has noticed issues cropping up. 

“A number of issues that are waiting in the wings involve increasing taxes and making Lewes a much more expensive place to live,” Elder said.

Following 40 years in the academic world, 27 as principal, Elder said his experience in handling public education funding gives him insight into prioritizing. He thinks decisions should be made with consideration to residents, property owners and businesses, prioritized in the same order. 

The former Hershey, Pa., resident has owned property in Lewes for 26 years and believes the livability of the city has been jeopardized. Elder acknowledges the growth in the area, but he thinks Lewes should adapt to the development as much as possible. One of his main priorities will be to enhance livability for residents, making them the top priority when decisions are made.

Elder has picked up on conflict among current council members and thinks it is to the detriment of the community. He thinks mayor and city council will work better with a consensus, noticing more often than not, decisions are not made. He would like cooperation in devising solutions for the serious issues Lewes faces. 

“We need to work together to eat an elephant one bite at a time. It’s going to take a while,” Elder said.

Elder said he is being called to serve on council because he understands the issues Lewes faces, foresees future complications and thinks he can help improve the quality of life for residents, not increase their hardships.

“Let’s not run residents out of town by potentially increasing the cost of living and increasing the cost to repair a home,” Elder said.

Bob Heffernan

Heffernan, a member of the Lewes Planning Commission, is a regular at Lewes government meetings. In addition to serving on the planning commission, Heffernan has also been a member of the sea-level rise and annexation-residential subcommittees and is chair of the newly formed affordable housing subcommittee. 

Heffernan, a mechanical engineer, runs a business making wheelchair ramps. Over the years, he said he has become somewhat of an environmentalist.

Like Elder, Heffernan has noticed the Lewes government is split, making it difficult to advance the priorities of the mayor. He is running to support Williams and to help further what he believes is a good agenda. 

BPW election

There will also be an election for two seats on the Lewes Board of Public Works. The election will be held the same day as the city council election. 

The seats of D. Preston Lee and A. Thomas Owen are up for grabs this year. Lee has chosen to run again, but Owen has not. Joining Lee in the race for two seats are former BPW President C. Wendell Alfred and BPW Mitigation Committee member Barbara Curtis. 

A story on BPW candidates will appear in an upcoming edition.

To register to vote, go to lewesbpwde.gov, visit BPW offices during normal business hours or stop by the BPW offices Saturday, April 15 from 9 a.m. to noon. Registration closes at 4:30 p.m., Friday, April 28.

More information about the BPW election can be found at lewesbpwde.gov/information/election-news.

Editor’s note: The filing deadline for candidates in both the city council and BPW elections was 4:30 p.m., April 6. If any candidates filed after 3 p.m., they were not included in this story and will be added online and appear in an upcoming edition.