In a recent mailer, Mark Schaeffer claimed to have voted no on over two dozen developments. In reviewing county council minutes, 21 no votes were counted. But the more significant number is 226. That’s the number of developments for which he voted yes. These developments included a wide array of types: subdivisions, businesses, apartment complexes, residential planned communities, appeals of decisions made by the planning & zoning commission. In other words, when land-use applications came before county council, Mark Schaeffer voted 10 times more often with developers than against them.
In the same mailer, Schaeffer claimed he voted no twice to deny the Coral Lakes development on appeal. He did vote no once to remand Coral Lakes back to planning & zoning, but his colleagues on county council overruled him and did remand to P&Z seeking adjustments (Mark didn't think any were necessary). When the project returned to county council for final approval, Mark voted yes to the project. Mark voted yes to the destruction of the Coral Lakes forest. None of his ads or his mailers acknowledge that.
Schaeffer’s opponent for Sussex County Council, Jane Gruenebaum, has some ideas on what should be done.
1. Ask, “Where’s the infrastructure?” before approving new developments.
2. Establish ordinances that restrict additional development.
3. Require developers to pay a school impact fee (voluntary school assessment) for new developments rather than pass the cost of necessary school expansion to the taxpayers.
It’s pretty obvious what needs to be done. We just need someone who will do it. That someone is Jane Gruenebaum. Please vote for her through early voting or on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 5.
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