Rehoboth Beach’s new mayor is sworn into office and calls on commissioners to respect the process when it comes to meetings.
Susan Stewart was easily elected to the city’s top job last month, picking up 61% of the vote in a four-way race that pitted her against two of her commission colleagues and a political newcomer. On Friday, Stewart took the mayor’s chair for the first time.
In an address to commissioners and a large audience at Friday’s meeting, Stewart talked about the city’s ongoing process of developing a master plan to guide development, saying that she was happy to see a lot of energy from the community around the development of a master plan.
"That energy is a gift,” she said. “Our task now is to use it to harmonize two things that sustain this city: the tourism driven revenue that keeps our tax burden amongst the lowest in the region, and the character and quality of life that make Rehoboth special. These are not competing goals and our community driven master plan will protect both.”
She also had a message for members of a commission that can sometimes be unruly. She called on her colleagues to remember that they should communicate only with the city manager, not call on other staff members with questions.
“Our charter requires that we work solely through the city manager and I ask that all commissioners discontinue the practice of reaching out directly to his subordinates,” Stewart said.
She also cautioned commissioners to exercise more discipline in their remarks during meetings.
“Please keep your discussions to the agenda item being considered,” she warned. “Please reach out to the city manager or me directly to request that agenda items be added to the calendar rather than making such requests in meetings.”
With Stewart officially taking office as mayor, it fell to the commission to appoint a replacement to fill her commission seat. Commissioners tapped Barry Caldwell, an attorney and business executive with experience in the public and private sectors.
“His nomination reflects both his considerable professional experience and the fresh perspective he brings to the board, qualities that speak directly to my commitment to raising the level of professionalism and effectiveness of this board,” Stewart said.
Caldwell will serve the remaining two years of Stewart’s term on the commission.
