Only 18 Days to Dewey Beach Election Day 2019!
Newcomer Philip Rowe is trying to make the case that the incumbents in Dewey Beach have failed to act in many cases on critical issues facing the town including everything from infrastructure to expensive consultant reports. But the incumbents disagree and fought back on several of his challenges during Saturday’s 90-minute forum. His success will depend on his ability to convince the town’s voters in less than three weeks.
The four candidates — Rowe, on the left, with Comm. Dale Cooke, Mayor TJ Redefer and Comm. Paul Bauer — debated and discussed the issues this past holiday weekend at the Dewey Beach Civic League’s annual candidate forum held at the Dewey Beach Lions Club. The event was thoughtfully catered, once again, by Steve “Monty” Montgomery of The Starboard!
Topics of concern to town voters this year include bar violence, accommodation/occupancy tax, economic development, expanding the beach tax (the town’s only “property” tax) to cover the bayside beaches, short/long-term town goals, the budget, the recent police consultant report, financial planning, critical infrastructure, parking, litigation, sea-level rise, among others.
More than 60 people attended the event. But if you missed it, the Dewey Citizens for Accountability posted the entire forum here on YouTube.
The following day, the three incumbents held a rally at Grotto Pizza. They were accompanied by the Hon. Kathy McGuiness, state auditor, and Sen. Ernesto Lopez, who also attended the candidate forum.
Despite The Starboard featuring the popular Amish Outlaws at virtually the same time, they had a respectable showing.
Mayor Redefer and Comm. Bauer are running as a team. But why was Comm. Cooke there if he says he is running a completely independent campaign? In his defense, Comm. Cooke said Mayor Redefer and Comm. Bauer invited him to attend. He would attend Rowe’s events as well if he were invited.
Rowe is asking voters to “bullet vote” for him as he sees that as his only path to victory.
Election day in Dewey Beach is Saturday, September 21, 2019. Please see the town’s website for info on absentee voting which begins today!
Stay tuned to WGMD and WGMD.com for more Dewey Beach campaign news in the coming days.
