As we celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, we remember the Declaration of Independence that proclaims our “unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” and then enumerates the wrongs of that era’s monarchic government, including its refusal to pass laws that were “necessary for the public good.”

Every year, that makes me ask: Do we, today, have a government willing to pass the laws we need for the public good and our own pursuit of happiness?

That is a big question, so let’s start at the local level: Do we currently have a government in eastern Sussex that protects our quality of life, as articulated in the Delaware Code, by following a comprehensive plan that prioritizes the general welfare of the many over the economic interests of the few? It seems we do not, but we really should.

It is my belief that the quality of life in eastern Sussex for the people who live here ought to be a top consideration when approving new development. That is why I applaud a new document issued by the Sussex Preservation Coalition: the Agenda for Livable Communities. As it states, we all want livable communities that are “safe, healthy and environmentally responsible.” However, in eastern Sussex, our happiness is hindered because decisions allowing “unbridled growth … undermine livability” and the general welfare. If we are to have the livable communities we want, argues SPC, we need “public policies that protect the rights of the many, not policies that privilege the few.”

As a person who aspires to be the voice of this community in the Delaware House of Representatives, I enthusiastically endorse the agenda for livable communities. As I knock on doors all over the 14th Representative District, people have told me over and over how worried they are about our quality of life if we continue down the path of unchecked development with little regard for the impacts on our communities.

I share the concerns of my neighbors in RD 14, and in response I tell them that while land-use decisions are largely a county council concern, there are things that the General Assembly can do to make things better. For example, we could pass an adequate public facilities ordinance that would require adequate infrastructure be in place before builders build, we could strengthen environmental regulations to preserve clean water and slow the erosion of our shorelines, and we could require impact fees that are commensurate with the increased community needs that accompany growth. We can do those things in Dover to address the problems in eastern Sussex.

As the Declaration of Independence states, government should be responsive to the will of the people. And we have the freedom to vote. Let’s make sure to elect people who value livable communities, and want to protect and improve the quality of life for all of us.

Claire Snyder-Hall
Rehoboth Beach