Susan Stewart files for Rehoboth Beach mayoral race
Citing a desire to lead Rehoboth Beach through a new master planning process called Reimagine Rehoboth, Commissioner Susan Stewart has filed for the mayoral race in the city’s 2026 election.
The city recently launched Reimagine Rehoboth. According to the city’s website, this initiative is a citywide master planning effort that will shape the future of the downtown, neighborhoods and public realm. A request for information has been issued, with responses due in a couple of weeks.
Rehoboth Beach is at a genuine inflection point, said Stewart. The planning process that follows will shape what Rehoboth Beach looks, feels and functions like for decades to come, she said in an email May 3.
“The next mayor will either lead that effort with vision and steady hands, or watch it drift,” said Stewart. “I am running because I believe Rehoboth Beach deserves the former, and because I bring a combination of legal and financial expertise, planning experience and principled leadership that this moment requires.”
Stewart didn’t waste any time submitting her paperwork for mayor. The city issued a solicitation of candidates May 1. Later that day, Stewart filed her paperwork. She is running for mayor after less than one year as commissioner.
Stewart said she ran for commissioner in 2025 to bring transparency, fiscal responsibility and principled leadership to city government. With Reimagine Rehoboth launching now, the next mayor will set the tone for that entire process, she said.
“The decision to run for mayor is not a departure from that work; it is an opportunity to do more of it, with greater capacity to lead,” said Stewart. “When I weighed staying in my current seat versus seeking the opportunity to lead this effort directly, I concluded that this is where I can serve the best.”
However, Stewart said she is not specifically running against anything that Mills has done during his tenure as mayor. In addition to the master planning process, there are infrastructure projects that require attention, and she said, there’s a need for leadership to restore civility and trust at city hall.
“This campaign is not about any one person; it is about the next chapter for Rehoboth Beach,” said Stewart. “I have tremendous respect for everyone who has served this city, and I am not interested in relitigating the past. What I am interested in is the future. My entire campaign is organized around the commitment to deliver Reimagine Rehoboth the right way, with broad community input, fiscal discipline and follow-through.”
In addition to the mayoral office, the seats for Commissioners Patrick Gossett and Mark Saunders are up for election.
Gossett has been a commissioner since 2020. He previously served for nine years before deciding not to run in 2018.
Saunders was appointed in December 2024 to fill the seat of former Commissioner Don Preston, who stepped down after a little more than one year as commissioner.
As of press deadline May 4, no one else has filed for any seat.
The city’s 2026 annual municipal election is Saturday, Aug. 8. Interested candidates must turn in a petition by 4:30 p.m., Monday, June 1.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
