Sussex County Councilman George Cole is contemplating retirement; he says his decision hinges on Sussex’s Land Use Plan.
After 32 years as a Sussex County councilman - that’s eight consecutive terms - Cole says he’s very close to officially announcing he’s stepping away.
"I thought about it four years ago; things changed; I changed my mind, which politicians tend to do. So I put four more years in. I thoroughly enjoy the job. I enjoy the issues we deal with. And right now we have a great group at the County Council and we’re tackling some issues in this Land Use Plan...the current update of the Land Use Plan...which is required every 10 years,” Cole said.
Cole says work on that Land Use Plan - which he would like to be a part of completing and putting into ordinance form - may give him second thoughts about retiring when his current term ends in November.
Cole notes that the current Land-Use Plan was adopted 10 years ago by a Democratic-controlled Council. He would like to see a new one adopted under the current Republican-controlled Council.
Cole is on the clock to make a decision. The deadline to file for this year’s election if July 10.
When asked what retirement looks like for him - Cole responded - well NOTHING changes, probably. I’ve got my antique used-furniture business and I’ll continue with my real estate business in Bethany Beach where I live.
