Coastal Point • Submitted: Past presidents of the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce got together last week to celebrate the Chamber’s 40th anniversary.It started, as do many things in small towns, with a conversation at the post office. Then there came a letter from the CIA.

And with that, 40 years ago, the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce was born.

So says the organization’s first president, Clayton Ringler. Now 87 years old and living in Hayesville, NC, Ringler fondly recalled the chamber’s early days in a phone conversation last week.

The post office conversations, Ringler said, led to meetings of the first of the chamber’s organizers at Murray’s Topside Restaurant in Ocean View. Soon, the local newspaper, the Delmarva News, picked up on the chamber’s formation and published an article about it.

That’s where that letter comes into play. It was actually from Odette May, who at the time worked for the Central Intelligence Agency but was looking to retire in Bethany Beach. May, it seems, had seen the newspaper article and was writing to tell Ringler she wanted to get involved in the chamber.

“She said she liked what I said about everything,” Ringler recalled. “I said, yes, you can be our first director.”

And that’s how the first chamber office came to be in May’s bedroom.

On Wednesday, Oct. 26, Chamber Executive Director Kristie Maravalli told those gathered at Bethany Blues for a special 40th anniversary event “there are so many reasons to be proud. So many stories.”

Richard Mais, out-going Chamber president, recognized the growth of the chamber into a group that represents the variety of businesses in the Quiet Resorts. “We have a very diverse group of businesses that are members,” said Mais, who owns McCabe’s Gourmet Market in South Bethany with his wife, Rebecca.

Mais also praised the Chamber staff, which he said “has planned and executed our events and activities flawlessly.”

As he turned the gavel over to new chamber president Ron Derr, Mais said “we want to be sure we are on the right track, with services, events and educational programs we are providing.”

Derr, president of the accounting firm PKS & Co., takes the helm of an organization that now has 733 members – 34 of those new to the Chamber in the past year. He said at the anniversary celebration that he hopes to lead the chamber in focusing more attention on the parts of its service area beyond Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island as well as broadening the “shoulder seasons” – the seasons that bookend the already popular summertime in the beach areas.

Both Ringler and Kenny Crooks, the second president of the Chamber, were awarded the group’s highest honor, the Lighthouse Award, at the anniversary gathering. Although Ringler could not attend due to a broken leg, his cousin as well as fellow Chamber past president Kevin Lynch, owner of Selbyville Pet & Garden in Selbyville, accepted his award for him.

Crooks, longtime owner of Treasure Island Fashions in Ocean View, took the podium to remark that “it’s amazing it’s been 40 years,” recalling the early days of meeting first at May’s house and then at the former Baltimore Trust Bank in Bethany Beach, where Ringler served as executive vice president.

In an interview at his store next to G&E Supermarket on Cedar Neck Road, Crooks said he was “shocked” to hear that the Chamber now has more than 700 members. “The last I remember, it was around 100, maybe” Crooks said.

Both Ringler and Crooks recalled that in the Chamber’s early days, many of the town officials in the beach towns had much more of an “anti-business” attitude than they do today. Ringler said there was an attitude, particularly among those who had moved to the beaches from cities like Washington, D.C., that “we’ve got ours and nobody else needs to come,” so they failed to see how successful businesses could benefit the area.

Ringler said the chamber made its presence known as an advocate for the business community, which led to some tense moments between Chamber officials and the towns. “We would just stick our nose in there,” he said. “We didn’t fight, we just argued.”

Even businesses such as the now gone but long-beloved putt-putt golf course on Garfield Parkway initially found resistance in the town. “It was a long time before we got that straightened out,” Ringler said.

There were, in fact, far fewer full-time residents in the area than there are now. Ringler said that in his early days at the bank, the town had a year-round population of 39. “People thought we were crazy” to open a business like a bank in such an area, he said.

Crooks agreed that the towns have become more “business-friendly” in their policies and actions over the years.

“We’ve had our ups and downs” Ringler said, “but we all just worked together.”

Far from being all business, the Chamber has organized many popular events in the area. One of the first Crooks recalled was a canoe race between the Bethany-Fenwick Chamber and the Milford Chamber. Ringler recalled the early days of the Chamber-sponsored Boardwalk Arts Festival, which at first didn’t extend past the bandstand. Today’s festival fills the entire boardwalk and spills onto area streets for one of the most popular “shoulder season” events.

The chamber office itself has also come a long way from its beginnings Odette May’s bedroom. Thanks to generous donations and work by Frank Raskauskas and William Murray, the Chamber now has an oceanfront office and information center in Fenwick Island which makes it a convenient resource for businesses and visitors alike.

As the chamber celebrated its 40th anniversary last week, current director Maravalli urged members to “Be proud of how far you have come, and have faith in how far you can go.” Maravalli marveled at how an idea of a few business people 40 years ago has prospered and grown along with the area itself.

“Thank you to all who carried the torch,” she said.

Selbyville is getting back to normal after a water violation earlier this year. Drinking water tested at south Main Street showed decreasing levels of a disinfection byproduct called Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs).

In May, Delaware Division of Public Health announced that the Town of Selbyville’s water supply had exceeded the maximum contaminant level (MCL) at the Main Street pipe. The allowable four-quarter average of TTHM is 80 parts per billion (ppb). But this spring, the Office of Drinking Water found that Selbyville was averaging 123.8 ppb.

Selbyville responded by constant flushing of the water and more independent laboratory tests, Councilmember Rick Duncan Sr. reported over the next few months.

So on Sept. 22, TTHM measured only 71 ppb, so the average plummeted to 92.5 ppb.

These numbers are much more promising. But state tests only occur every three months, so mathematically, Selbyville’s average won’t return to official compliance for a while.

“It is encouraging that their results are improving,” stated Andrea Wojcik, Div. of Public Health’s chief of community relations. “The town has been working with the Office of Drinking Water on implementing some actions to reduce TTHMs. This includes actions such as flushing [water] mains, especially dead ends, to reduce the age of the water …”

“Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs) are created in water systems when chlorine that is added to prevent bacterial contamination interacts with organic matter in the source water,” Wojcik stated.

Selbyville water tests are regularly performed at several locations across town. TTHMs have plagued the southern pipes before, since the water usage is lower near the dead ends. TTHMs form when disinfected water sits stagnant in the system for too long.

But ultimately, the current TTHM violation isn’t cause for alarm, according to Wojcik.

Residents were not instructed to boil their water or take other corrective actions, which has been required in a more serious water situations. TTHMs can present increased risks to infants, the elderly or those with other medical problems, so people could consult with their doctor.

“The amount of THMs formed when drinking water is disinfected is thousands of times lower than the amount that could cause severe poisoning. Some people who drink water containing trihalomethanes in excess of the MCL over many years may experience problems with their liver, kidneys, or central nervous systems, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer,” Wojcik wrote.

“Selbyville’s readings over time have not demonstrated a pattern of high levels which could lead to such health problems,” Wojcik added. “The health risks linked with THMs in water are very small, compared to the risk of potentially deadly infectious diseases in drinking water that is not disinfected.”

Residents concerned with the water supply could install extra protections, like a carbon filtration system on the faucet.

Anyone with questions can contact Selbyville Town Hall at (302) 436-8314 or Sharon Scheers, at the Office of Drinking Water at (302) 741-8627.

Water test results are online by searching “Selbyville” at https://drinkingwater.dhss.delaware.gov. The original Division of Public Health notice is online at www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/hsp/drinkingwaternotices.html.

Some of you might have heard there is an election coming up pretty soon.

Yes, Tuesday, Nov. 8, will see people from around the country cast their ballots for who they believe will best serve their needs and interests. There are plenty of local races that are sure to be of interest to our readers.

As is the Coastal Point’s tradition, we have asked many of our local candidates a series of questions and shared those answers with our readers. We are sharing those answers by the seat the individuals are running for, and in alphabetical order.

State Senate, District 20

Gerald Hocker (R)

1. What do you feel are the biggest issues facing your district? How would you plan to address them?

We need jobs and good paying ones. This will solve many problems and we will not solve them until we do get jobs here.

I was the sponsor for Right-to-Work for three different General Assemblies and it did not get anywhere. All we are trying to do is bring good paying jobs here and to me that will help the unions and not hurt them. We are trying to help all aspects… When they spend money, they create money. We’ve lost over 50,000 manufacturing jobs since the 70s and we are not looking at bringing anything back.

2. What ideas would you have for tackling the State’s budget problems and creating a balanced budget?

I have voted against most all budgets. In no way will I do anything legislatively that I would not do in my own business. If you cannot make your budget then you need to take a major look at your expenditures.

Each year the rate of government spending increases and our budget was well over the inflation rate. We must get that under control. When you talk to those on Joint Finance, they keep saying, “It will be better next year.” Well, “next year” should have come years ago. Nobody can run a successful business and put together a budget the way the State does and then pass that budget.

3. What are your thoughts on how to fund transportation priorities?

I feel we are doing a good job with that now. At one point we started stealing from it, year after year for ongoing budget items instead of trying to control our spending. It created a major problem for the Transportation Trust Fund. During the past General Assembly we passed some new revenue sources. The tradeoff was that we would create a constitutional amendment which has to be passed in two consecutive General Assembly sessions to secure the Transportation Trust Fund. This was passed last year in the 148th Assembly and I feel certain it will pass in the upcoming 149th General Assembly as well and a lockbox will be created.

If that is the case, we have done a good job in turning infrastructure spending around. We have adequate revenue sources to do the job as long as we do not take from it. This past year, our own Secretary of Transportation said that even if she had more money, she did not have the manpower to do anymore road projects, and that is a good deal.

4. What do you consider to be the state’s role in funding first responders and beach maintenance?

We fund this with a percentage of transfer tax now to the county. I feel that our State’s role, along with the county, is to make sure that we have the best resources possible and we have done a good job in making this happen. Our first responders through our EMT members are among those of the top EMT professionals in the country.

The problem lies now with our volunteer fire companies in the resort area in that the working class does not have the time to join our local fire companies. This is another reason why we need to bring manufacturing jobs back. When we had the good paying manufacturing jobs, a large percentage of the countywide fire company members came from DuPont workers. They have the time to spend in volunteering their services. We need to put a plan in place now that is going to assure that our fire companies remain strong and have the manpower to respond to emergencies. We have taken a look at a type of revenue funding for those fire companies in need of assistance that is probably going to be introduced this next year to help with these issues.

5. What else should people know about your goals and qualifications?

I have lived here all my life. I know the area and I know the people. I've been in business in this area going on 46 years and I know how to get the job done as I have proven. I have created jobs, met payrolls, and I have the ability to help people.

My main goal in the State Legislature is regulatory reform. Regulations have really cost the State’s economy more than what the average person realizes as far as small business startup. We are losing more small businesses than we are creating, and that is a shame. Small business is the backbone of our economy. I'm there to be a friend to the business community whether large or small.

Perry Mitchell (D)

1. What do you feel are the biggest issues facing your district? How would you plan to address them?

The economy in Sussex County should be improved. Income inequality has grown in Delaware pulling apart families. Many families are living from paycheck to paycheck. Raising the minimum wage will help to mitigate this inequality. I have a jobs plan that I will introduce when I am elected. Another issue is the rising electricity rates. Our rates will increase about $25.00 or more from the combination of the DPL increase and the PJM (transmission) increase. I will address this by holding hearings and finding out why our rates are so high. Delaware has the 6th highest rates in the nation. Seniors need to be helped with affordable housing and transportation. There is a shortage of doctors in our area and I will help with that. Go to http:pmitchell22.wix.com/perry for more information.

2. What ideas would you have for tackling the State’s budget problems and creating a balanced budget?

I believe that we may have to make cuts in funding the state budget. I have a plan to bring manufacturing jobs into Sussex County. If I can increase jobs and improve the economy, state revenues will increase. This will help the state budget.

3. What are your thoughts on how to fund transportation priorities?

I would look to increasing the motor vehicle tax as a first option. A second option is to increase tolls. East-West roads such as route 24 need widening.

4. What do you consider to be the state’s role in funding first responders and beach maintenance

I believe that the state should have a limited role. Local governments already fund first responders and the federal government largely funds beach maintenance. Should problems arise with these activities, the state would need to look at emergency funding.

5. What else should people know about your goals and qualifications?

I served on the Ocean View Planning and Zoning and the Ocean View Council. I have a Masters Degree in Public Administration and an ABD in political science from Catholic University. My goal is to serve my constituents. My degrees in political science give me skills in understanding government agencies and getting them to respond. I will fight for my constituents and get things done for them.

State Representative, District 37

Ruth Briggs King (R)

1. What do you feel are the biggest issues facing your district? How would you plan to address them?

One of the biggest issues affecting my District is the opiate and heroin epidemic that impacts so many families, businesses and public safety issues. This problem is prevalent through-out Delaware and our nation. We simply must have a plan that incorporates our various agencies, service providers, and our resources to identify resources, coordinate delivery of services, and provide some real solutions and relief to families. Infants and children remain in harm’s way while others become victims to theft and the addict has limited access to services to battle the addiction. The Governor and the past administration did not see this epidemic as a priority issue, but we know better and must do better for Delaware in 2017.

Second major issue in my district is the need for jobs and economic growth. The 37th District needs employment opportunities and business growth to support the individuals and families that live here. I will continue my efforts to improve the business climate in Delaware that would support and encourage economic growth and expansion of businesses. We need jobs and opportunities in Delaware that support the retention and expansion of current business as well as invite and encourage new business to consider a move to Delaware. We must overcome the regulatory barriers that are costly to Delaware including the high cost of energy and right- to- work laws that challenge companies. Ultimately, Delaware looses when businesses choose other states. We need to become an employer friendly state with competitive energy costs, improved workers’ compensation rates, streamlined regulatory processes that realize time is money to business. Delaware can adapt some changes to become business friendly without sacrificing key issues. By generating job and business growth, we generate income and revenue for individuals, businesses, and the state. Two examples within the last year are Sun Behavioral Health with 120 new jobs, and JD Shockers with 85 new jobs, plus others that are soon to be announced...

Finally, the need for new and improved services including: Broadband access, which includes bandwidth and speed, ensure senior services to age in place are available, address budget issues that ultimately impact everyone in Delaware. We need to support business with sound and fair policy that supports growth and expansion — this will generate revenue to improve flooding and drainage, maintain roads and address education funding. I have been and will continue to keep these issues on my priority list!

2. What ideas would you have for tackling the State’s budget problems and creating a balanced budget?

First, I have served on the State’s Joint Finance Committee and tried to provide a better budget for the Citizens and Taxpayers of Delaware. I am a proponent of zero- based budgeting, which eliminates the bloating created by special interest in the budget process. Too many items in the budget were special or were “one time” expenditures that return and become a recurring expense. We need to remove the special interest of a few for the good of all Delawareans. Second, I would insist we revisit the expansion of Medicaid as well as the increased cost of the “affordable care act.” These expensive decisions have tremendous costs to Delaware and we must not rely on the “one time” money to fund our budget. We should actually eliminate the death tax, aka the estate tax, which is actually creating a loss of revenue. We should revisit and implement some of the recommendations of a special task force that met to develop a strategy. Delaware taxpayers cannot sustain the current spending and revenue policies. As I have stated, a quote from Seth Godin, “stick with the right stuff, quit the wrong stuff and have the guts to do one or the other.” Its time!

3. What are your thoughts on how to fund transportation priorities?

Require a percentage of the budget goes to the Bond Committee for transportation project rather than giving what little amount is “left over” from the budget.

Keep the “lock” on the transportation fund and not permit “switch” funding or use for any other budget items. Ensure all who use our roads and transportation system pay through current taxes, registration, and tolls. Provide a business solution that encouragers “trailers” to have Delaware not Maine tags to ensure they pay for our roads they use for profit. Stop wasting funds on “Cosmetic” improvements and place taxpayer money on priority projects.

4. What do you consider to be the state’s role in funding first responders and beach maintenance?

First, the State does not fund first responders, Delaware’s taxpayers as well as anyone purchasing insurance pay for first responders in the First State. The State budget allocates funds to ensure public safety for our strong volunteer network through the Grant in Aid portion of the budget. The cost to “outfit” one fire fighter with appropriate gear is close to $27,000. The State and or the County or Municipality would have to increase taxes if we did not have volunteers and the cost would be staggering. People buying property in Delaware pay a 3 percent realty transfer tax where 1.5 of that, by law, goes to the county or town. That money is specifically designated for public safety and emergency services. A basic need of citizens is safety and security and our volunteer system is a tremendous value and service.

Beach maintenance is another topic that is “local” to the residents and businesses located close to the ocean and bay. Tourism is an economic engine for the entire State and people. The maintenance and preservation of the “beach” area is an important source of jobs and services. I served on a Committee as well as the “Coastal Economy” and we cannot afford to abandon the beach maintenance since it impacts our well being. On the other hand, we must balance homeowner/property owner rights with their responsibilities. Those who elect to own and construct homes and structures in flood prone areas need to accept that no agency can insure or prevent the potential for loss. I support those residents who want dedicated funding through special tax districts where they fund their needs much like sewer districts.

5. What else should people know about your goals and qualifications?

This is an important election and many difficult issues, including the projected budget shortfall, affect all of Delaware. Experience, education, and local knowledge on issues are extremely important. It has been my pleasure and honor to work for and work with the people of the 37th. As you make your decision on November 8, know your candidates position on important issues. I have earned endorsements from the NRA for defending second amendment rights, I have earned a title, “watch dog” of the budget, I have earned endorsements from Independent Business (NFIB), Delaware State Troopers Association, the FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) and even the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). I am making a difference and hope to continue my work for you.

Paulette A. Rappa (D)

1. What do you feel are the biggest issues facing your district? How would you plan to address them?

The biggest issues facing the 37th are the issues impacting Seniors, the heroin-related crimes, and flooding, and protection for residents living on leased land. Long Neck and Oak Orchard have exploded with retirees that have moved here, often without their adult children. This population increase has strained the medical resources and Senior services necessary for these residents to age in place with dignity. We need to restructure our health delivery system so that we can free up the primary care services to attend to more serious needs. I propose utilizing community care workers to handle the routine health checks, such as blood pressure, Coumadin checks, pace-maker monitoring – that are clogging up the system. Some of these services are being provided remotely, but more can be done to centralize the services within the community. The heroin-related crimes are a direct result of a lack of treatment, identification, and mental health services that all of Sussex County struggles with. I will be a strong advocate to have funding to expand more services down here and work with law enforcement and social services to coordinate effective programs that will support the addicted and their families. Oak Orchard has been historically plagued with flooding issues. I believe it is now time for Oak Orchard and possibly Long Neck to establish themselves as special districts – their own governing bodies – so that they would be able to finance directly or have access to funding sources and plan more effectively how to address this lingering problem. District 37 has the highest concentration of residents living on leased land. Although some legislation has been put into place to justify run-away leases for some residential areas, not all complexes have been addressed. Homes, particularly in Long Neck do not pattern typical real estate trends, therefore, people are not acquiring equity from their biggest assets. I propose that the State deed manufactured homes and recognize that all homes located on leased land are entitled to be under the protection of the law.

2. What ideas would you have for tackling the State’s budget problems and creating a balanced budget?

The State’s budget is strained because of rising insurance costs and Medicaid costs. We need to introduce more insurance companies to do business in Delaware to allow the competition to keep costs down. We also need the political will to keep insurance rates down. I would support a rotating zero – balanced budget between departments and agencies to properly evaluate where spending is occurring and where the State is not getting its return on investing tax dollars. We also need to develop more reliable revenue sources that do not rely on taxation. Another way to expand the flexibility of the budget is to coordinate services and trim bloated budgets at the top of the administrative chain.

3. What are your thoughts on how to fund transportation priorities?

Sticking with a lock box of the transportation fund is the first step. Transportation Improvement districts are another possible solution because it would distribute cost between key stakeholders – the State, the County and the land developers that have seriously impacted transportation issues in this county.

4. What do you consider to be the state’s role in funding first responders and beach maintenance?

I do believe that the State has an obligation to fund first responders and beach maintenance. First responders, especially in an area that is aging, are essential to save lives. The beach plays an integral role in the county’s economy. That said, the County may need to also contribute to the funding of each because the county does benefit from the real estate transfer tax which has been a significant revenue source, and the County also shares a responsibility to preserve and maintain the coastal areas because of the coastal areas’ impact on the local economy.

5. What else should people know about your goals and qualifications?

Although I may not have grown up here in Sussex, nor graduated high school with many of you here, I have shared the same life journeys as most of you. I have been a single parent and a mother of a blended family. I have struggled with unemployment during my career, and at times know what it is like to live pay check to pay check. My own family has been impacted with the ill-effects of addiction and mental illness. I too face the challenges of living on leased land because I continue to live on lease land. I have handled the obstacles of the medical system in Sussex because my husband is a senior. These experiences are a driving force to reflect the needs of the district, and I have worked tirelessly to problem solve, research, and network with community leaders to address them. I also believe in balanced voices in government. Although I am proud to be a Democrat, I am as equally proud of the relationships I have developed with my Republican friends through my community service and work within Rotary. I know that my ability to relate and work with both sides of the political aisle will be an asset in Dover and a strength for Sussex County.

State Representative, District 41

Richard G. “Rich” Collins (R)

1. What do you feel are the biggest issues facing your district? How would you plan to address them?

There are many issues that I am working on, however, three major ones that I think I can have a significant impact on as a representative would be jobs, drug abuse, and traffic issues.

Jobs - We have tremendous opportunities in Sussex County because of the low property tax environment. Regulations, however, are a serious impediment to attracting new businesses or expanding existing ones. This makes it difficult to create high paying jobs. I have been aggressively working to reduce the regulatory burden on job creators.

In 2016, partly as a result of my efforts, the Delaware General Assembly passed the first real rollback of regulatory excesses in the state's history. The impact of that will begin to be felt over the next few years. This, however, is just the beginning. It will take many years of concerted effort by the General Assembly to return balance to the state's regulatory system.

Drug abuse - Drug abuse takes two main pathways. First, over 80 percent of addiction starts with legal prescriptions. If opioids are prescribed inappropriately and a person is kept on them too long, that person runs a huge risk that they will develop a physical dependency. This is well known at this point in the medical community and I intend to find out why these prescriptions are still being issued in such numbers.

Second, there is a criminal element working hard to make sure that those who become addicted stay that way. There are whole neighborhoods where a small minority of the residents are dealing in drugs and other illegal activity and are ruining the quality of life for everyone else. I am currently working with one afflicted community on a comprehensive plan to eventually remove these troublemakers. The primary problem is that due to sentencing "reforms," the criminal justice system is not allowed to remove known criminals from these neighborhoods for any length of time. As a result, they continue to prey on the innocent. This must be changed.

Traffic concerns - In 2012, DelDOT proposed the "Blue Route" as a bypass around Millsboro. This would have required the condemnation of hundreds of homes and farms. The public outcry caused that plan to be abandoned. Now, a new, much scaled back plan is in the approval process that will affect very few properties. Due to regulations, however, it will take 8 to 10 more years to bring it to build. I am determined to fix and shorten this regulatory process. In the meantime, I am speaking to DelDOT on almost a weekly basis about modifying intersections, re-striping pavement, creating safety improvements, and adding traffic lights where it makes sense and will not create additional backups.

2. What ideas would you have for tackling the State’s budget problems and creating a balanced budget?

To be clear, because of the state constitution, the budget is always balanced. How we get there is the issue.

The budgeting process in Dover is broken. The 2 committee chairmen of the budget writing committee admitted recently in a major newspaper that they don't even look at whether past spending was effective before they add more. Most importantly, there is little understanding in the current administration that only a healthy economy will allow the state to easily pay its bills. I am dedicated to doing whatever it takes to getting the economy moving so that additional employment and higher wages will create tax surpluses. This has happened in many other states that are controlled by Republicans.

3. What are your thoughts on how to fund transportation priorities?

The Transportation Trust Fund is currently taking in about $230 million more per year than is being used to build highways. This is because $230 million of our highway money is being improperly spent to pay for items that should actually be in the General Fund budget. We have plenty of money for highways, we just need to be honest with the taxpayers and spend it properly.

4. What do you consider to be the state’s role in funding first responders and beach maintenance?

I've always said that my two highest priorities are veterans and volunteer firefighters. Veterans because they sacrificed a significant part of their lives for us, or maybe even all of it, and firefighters because they do a critical job for us that we aren't willing or able to do for ourselves for no pay. Therefore, I believe we should fund these 2 categories before anything else.

Beach replenishment is a simple matter of a cost/benefit analysis. I believe that the overall financial benefits of beach replenishment is probably overwhelmingly greater than the cost. It is my understanding, however, that Delaware doesn't actually make these calculations. I will encourage that it be done in the future.

5. What else should people know about your goals and qualifications?

My overall goal is to keep Sussex County as a place where the vision of the Founding Fathers is honored and respected. Less government and more individual responsibility allowed our nation to become the greatest, most prosperous in world history very quickly. As we move away from these ideals, others are starting to catch up.

Sussex County and the 41st District could become renowned as the land of opportunity. Less government and more individual freedoms will draw more creative entrepreneurs. For example, a study of the history of the chicken industry in Sussex County shows that is exactly what happened in that industry. I believe the future of Sussex County could hold far more prosperity and opportunity than we can possibly imagine right now.

S. Bradley “Brad” Connor (D)

1. What do you feel are the biggest issues facing your district? How would you plan to address them?

As I have traveled the 41st District knocking on doors, the single most frequent issue I hear about is the lack of representation experienced by the constituents over the last two years. I will be responsive and present in the 41st District. My sole purpose in pursuing this representative seat is to continue my life-long efforts toward helping others and my community. I truly enjoy helping people and solving problems. During my tenure as mayor of Dagsboro, I met many people and have maintained a lot of contacts that continue to help me get things done. My campaign business card includes my cell number and I am hoping the constituents of the district will hold onto it so they know how to reach me.

Traffic is a big concern, particularly around Millsboro. I was on the original by-pass planning committee in the ’90s that started discussing this issue. It’s time to bring everyone to the table and develop a clear plan that does not involve tearing through property owners’ lands, which have been in their families for generations. I have always had the ability to bring people together and find common ground and I look forward to working on this issue to find a solution that works.

The issue of drug addiction is something that hits home with many, including myself. No one has to convince me how important the availability of treatment is to families in Delaware. I think everyone has been affected by this disease in one way or another and I look forward to working with our new governor and lieutenant governor to increase treatment opportunities.

2. What ideas would you have for tackling the State’s budget problems and creating a balanced budget?

Finding solutions to our budget shortfall is going to require cooperation and working together across the aisle to look for ways to raise revenue while trimming waste. I would be open to suggestions from constituents as to how we can cut costs and I look forward to working with our new governor on the initiatives he puts forth. We must focus on creating jobs, maintaining and creating infrastructure and be supportive of new business development. Creating an environment where businesses can grow and thrive is one of the most important ways we can help address our state’s budgetary issues.

3. What are your thoughts on how to fund transportation priorities?

It's critical that we find sustainable, consistent funding streams to support transportation projects across the state. These investments create jobs and foster greater economic development for the entire state, and especially in Sussex County.

4. What do you consider to be the state’s role in funding first responders and beach maintenance?

We have got to do a better job of recruiting fire service volunteers at an early age. There is some talk of bringing a pilot program into the Indian River School District that would impress upon our youth the importance of volunteerism and helping others. I have met, and will continue to meet with our volunteer firefighters, to come up with a solution to this shortfall. I can’t say enough about the good works our fire companies and auxiliaries do in the 41st District. Recently, state legislation was enacted that does away with the background check fees associated with becoming a firefighter – that’s a good start and I am open to hearing any other ideas that would increase volunteerism in our community.

Beach replenishment and DNREC’s work to shore up our dunes is the first line of defense against coastal storms. Our economy gets such a boost from tourism that we must do what we can to protect not only our beaches, but the Indian River and the inland bays in the 41st District. I was glad to see bi-partisan legislation enacted last session, which created a dedicated fund that helps improve the navigation of Delaware’s waterways. Commercial and recreational fishermen and boating enthusiasts alike were in favor of this initiative which supports our economy and tourism dollars.

5. What else should people know about your goals and qualifications?

My goals are simple. I will work for the people of the 41st District to the best of my ability, to meet their needs and bring resources to our communities. I want to ensure that our farmers and our small businesses are well-represented. Our senior population continues to grow here and I will do my best to make sure our senior centers are taken care of – something that has been overlooked in the last two years. I want the 41st District to be well-represented in Dover, but more than anything I want the best educational opportunities for our young people, I want to explore bringing a hospital to the Route 113 Corridor, and I want more treatment options for people suffering from the disease of addiction.

We are mandated to balance the budget in Delaware and together we can find ways to increase revenue streams. I will always work for common sense solutions, especially when it comes to traffic and growth. Delaware is, and always has been, a great place to live and raise families. Our small state is known for “burying the hatchet” after Election Day and working together in a bi-partisan manner and I will work hard to make sure that continues.

My qualifications include being a small-business owner; 20 years as mayor of Dagsboro; president of SCAT (Sussex County Association of Towns); past vice-president of Delaware League of Local Government; current president of Southern Sussex Rotary. During my time as Dagsboro’s mayor, we were able to secure millions of dollars in grant money, which provided clean drinking water to residents. Please remember to vote on Nov. 8.

Sussex County Clerk of the Peace

Norman “Jay” Jones Jr. (R)

1. Do you have any prior experience in public office? If so, in what area?

As far as public service I've been in public service my whole life starting at a young age of 15 being a third-generation firefighter and moving throughout the ranks and hold in various positions such as president and assistant chief and also past president of the County Association. As elected office I was elected in 2010 to the Ellendale town council. In 2014 I was elected mayor of the town which I currently serve today

2. What do you see as the highest priority or top issue as Clerk of the Peace?

I feel at this time the highest priority is to maintain the quality of services the office already provides. Using creative ways to increase Revenue for the office without intruding on private sector businesses.

3. How do you view the position?

I view the position of Sussex County Clerk of the Peace as a service provided to our residents and visitors alike. With the mind set that Love is Greater than money.

4. What else should people know about your goals and qualifications?

My goal is to continue the great work the office is currently doing and confront and spearhead any obstacles as they occur to keep the office running efficiently and smoothly. I will also find ways to increase the revenue without encroaching on private sector businesses.

I've had leadership experience of heading a department that provides a service that has to stay within budget without restricting their services. From this experience, I took that department that was in the negative and brought it into the positive also providing five additional services.

I've also officiated several weddings over the past 2 years. I believe this qualifies me to be more than capable. I'll be the clerk of the peace that will serve the county proudly.

Charles “Charlie” Koskey (D)

1. Do you have any prior experience in public office? If so, in what area?

Georgetown Councilman 2007-2011

2. What do you see as the highest priority or top issue as Clerk of the Peace?

Offering optional fee based services to generate additional revenue for the office. Additionally, to increase the experience for those couples wishing to have the Clerk of the Peace or office staff to officiate.

3. How do you view the position?

One of the most unique Public Service opportunities. Where couples of all faiths and walks of life can begin, legally bonded relationships together.

4. What else should people know about your goals and qualifications?

My goal is to get closer to net neutral revenue within 4 years. To work closely with the County Council in hopes of implementing optional fee base services.

To continue to increase the experience for those coming to the office.

That I have owned and operated a Jewelry store on The Circle in Georgetown since 1999.

Am a Past President and former Board Member, Georgetown- Millsboro Rotary Club

Past Board of Directors, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce

Current Trustee, Georgetown Public Library foundation

I'd love to bring my experience as a business person along with my passion for creating lasting memories to the office of Sussex County Clerk of the Peace

Sussex County Council

Leslie Ledogar (D)

1. What do you feel are the biggest issues facing your district? How would you plan to address them?

Sussex County District 3’s award-winning beaches, delicious dining, beautiful state parks and collection of boutiques and specialty stores, are often and correctly praised for fueling growing tourism revenue. Agriculture is also a dominant industry for Sussex County as a whole, contributing nearly $1 billion to the local economy. Additionally, we are experiencing a revolution in the craft beer, wine and spirits industries, and our small businesses have a proven track record of taking advantage of market opportunities.

We must continue to support and strengthen our entrepreneurs. I pledge to support the County’s economic development office, and build partnerships between it, the Delaware Economic Development Office and Delaware Technical Community College, to ensure that our young people are educated so that our entrepreneurs have the trained personnel that they need to continue to move forward in profitability.

The key to strong economic development in Sussex County is that we need to build on what we have. In District 3, the beach towns along our shoreline are becoming known as the Culinary Coast. That’s because of our great restaurants. And, it’s also because of our great farmers, who supply the fresh ingredients. We need to continue to improve on technology to help those industries work together.

Better technology includes expanding our fiberoptic and wireless networks. We need to help small businesses use that technology to manage their supply and distribution chains. If they don’t, they will be left behind in the new economy. And we need our schools, our businesses and our state and local governments to work together to bring about dynamic economic growth.

I am excited about the new, 10-mile Broad Valley Micro Fiber Network fiber ring that is being installed around Georgetown. With this fiber-optic broadband infrastructure in place, central Sussex will be much more appealing to internet-dependent businesses. Access to this infrastructure must be expanded County-wide.

I am also excited about recent grants by Perdue and others to Delaware Technical and Community College to expand manufacturing training and education in Kent and Sussex Counties. We have a shortage in skilled labor for the manufacturing sector, and I want to support Del Tech’s efforts to educate the next generation of modern manufacturing workers in Delaware. Manufacturing is no longer a dirt-under-the-fingernails endeavor. Rather, manufacturing jobs are high tech jobs, with high-tech work spaces.

Our high school graduates need to know that a college diploma is not the only route to a good paying job. Rather, a certificate in a high tech manufacturing skill set is what is required to enter into the manufacturing workforce of the future. We need to get the word out to the students that Sussex offers exactly this training, and to the manufacturing industry that we have the trained workers that it is demanding.

2. What do you feel are the biggest issues facing the County? How would you plan to address them?

Every ten years, the County Council is required to create a Comprehensive Plan for Sussex. The well-kept secret is that Council is not required to actually follow it, unless it votes to do so. The current County Council did not vote to implement many of the current Plan’s recommendations. As a result, we have an inadequate plan that’s often ignored. Zoning variances are rubber-stamped, new developments and commercial centers breed like rabbits, and our resources and infrastructure are further strained.

Land use. Zoning. Traffic. Resources. Infrastructure. All of these issues tie together. Development affects roads and traffic. Roads and traffic have a critical impact on our environment and resources. All those factors in turn shape our economy and quality of life, not only for our workers and visitors but also — and especially — for our farmers and our seniors.

I argue that these problems cannot be solved piecemeal. They must be addressed through the new Sussex County Comprehensive Plan, to be completed in 2018. This plan provides us with the opportunity to change business as usual.

That makes the 2018 Comprehensive Plan the single most important issue on the table in Sussex County.

I would like to be a part of the solution rather than yet another part of the problem. I am deeply committed to “smart growth.” I would like the chance to show what that means. My background as an environmental attorney, forester, appraiser, mediator and project manager gives me experience and insight that are crucial to putting Sussex County back on the right path. My commitment to the region, its neighborhoods, its residents, its natural beauty and its vibrant economy will help it stay on that path.

3. What are your thoughts on how to fund transportation priorities?

From May to October, traffic congestion at every major crossroads in the beach region regularly reaches what experts call “intersection failure” — when the vehicles waiting at a red light can’t get through on the next green light.

For our seniors, “aging in place” now means sitting in traffic on our major roadways from late spring until the start of fall. Because that’s what happens when we rezone virtually every square inch of land for McMansions, shopping centers, and parking lots.

This congestion is the most obvious sign of something gone badly wrong with county planning, but it’s hardly the only sign. As we continue to build, develop, and grow without regard for infrastructure, all our resources are strained to the breaking point. In fact, those who travel major Sussex County roads know that from Thursday through Monday during the summer, intersection failure is the rule rather than the exception.

Good and balanced planning is therefore our top challenge. We have to stop playing “Let’s Make a Deal” and start playing “Let’s Make a Plan.” I believe that I am the candidate who is able to distinguish between the two and work for planned, stable growth, a reliable infrastructure, and the wise use of resources.

I may not be able to make our traffic jams instantly vanish, but I aim to make the “business as usual” mentality on the County Council disappear in a hurry.

4. What do you consider to be the County's role in funding first responders and beach maintenance?

For over 150 years, the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse guided ships to the safety of Lewes harbor. About a century ago its mission ended. In 1926, the Lighthouse collapsed, a victim of the sea’s endless assault on the Delaware shoreline. When first built, the Lighthouse stood a quarter mile inland. Now, its remains lie a quarter mile offshore. Though under the waves, the lighthouse continues to guide us today, if we’re willing to heed its warning.

That warning is: Our coastlines are ever changing, and that change is constant.

According to a 2014 telephone survey polled 1,508 Delaware residents in New Castle, Kent and Sussex Counties funded by Delaware Sea Grant, the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 79 percent of Delawareans believe that climate change is happening and 76 percent want action.

Benjamin Franklin once said: “Every problem is an opportunity in disguise.” Delaware has the lowest average elevation of all 50 states. It is the state most at risk for sea level rise. We need to tackle that risk and turn it into an opportunity. How can we do that? We need to take at least the following 5 steps.

Step 1. The Comprehensive Plan, which County Council will approve in 2018, must build in a plan for climate resilience. What does that mean? It means that we undertake the necessary planning to enhance our capacity to do three things: 1) prepare for a natural disaster; 2) weather a natural disaster; and 3) bounce back from a natural disaster. The towns of Lewes, Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach have already submitted comprehensive plans that recognize the reality of climate resilience. Sussex County should do the same.

Step 2, we must partner with other agencies like Delaware’s Coastal Management Program, Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve, Delaware’s Center for Applied Coastal Research, and the Center for Inland Bays. Together, we can take a comprehensive look at all of our county’s beaches and come up with a beach restoration and replenishment plan that benefits all of our beach towns simultaneously.

Step 3. Emergency preparedness. We must make public safety a priority, especially for our senior citizens. We must plan and prepare for possible evacuations, and ensure that our evacuation routes are particularly suited so that large numbers of people can leave safely and quickly. That’s where our first responders come in, and the County must ensure that these brave women and men are ready to be at the forefront in any emergency, including a weather -related one.

Step 4. We must protect our drinking water and other infrastructure from saltwater intrusion.

Step 5. We must do all we can to save taxpayer dollars. That means starting sooner rather than later to address the issues related to climate preparedness.

As recently as 2013, a state planner appeared before our County Council to discuss sea level rise. The council members listened but rejected the need for action. The only dissenting voice, I’m proud to say, was Joan Deaver. Hopefully, county council is coming around. I very much want to be part of that change.

We can meet this challenge if we all work together and, like the seafarers of old, heed the timeless warning of the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse: Change is coming, the waters are rising. The time for action is now.

5. What else should people know about your goals and qualifications?

I am a lawyer. Guilty as charged. Some folks may believe experience and expertise in the law is a handicap — in a job that requires constant attention to codes, regulations, zoning, and planning that must meet the scrutiny of the legal system. By that logic, maybe we should also hire police officers who have never held a weapon and plumbers who don’t know tapwater from sewage.

But seriously, I am trained and experienced in exactly the areas that matter most to Sussex County: balancing development and the environment, and mediating among competing interests to find solutions that work for everyone.

I have almost thirty years of professional experience. I worked for fifteen years as an environmental lawyer, in both private practice and for the state of New Jersey, developing expertise in exactly the land-use and development issues that now face the county. I am also an American Arbitration Association Certified mediator. I have the ability to work with competing factions to balance environmental concerns with economic realities. And, I have boots-on-the-ground experience, working for eight years as a consulting Forester after obtaining a graduate degree in forestry, with honors.

A seasonal resident in Sussex County for 15 years, and a homeowner for three, I have been an active volunteer in a variety of local endeavors, from environmental education to assistance for seniors. That’s proof that I have put down real roots and gotten deeply involved in the region and the community.

I am a neighbor with passion for the region, one who is here out of choice and deeply involved, one who has the training and insight to counter-balance the special interests who always seem to call the shots for Sussex County Council.

Editor’s Note: We did not receive a response before going to press from the other candidate, I.G. Burton. If we receive that soon, it will be updated online at www.coastalpoint.com.

Coastal Point • Laura Walter: DTCC has a full rad tech set-up, allowing students like Devon Matthews and Katelyn Roberts to practice their X-ray skills.Radiology lets doctors look inside the human body to diagnose health problems, most notably with X-rays. Delaware celebrated a handful of anniversaries in radiology and education at a Nov. 3 open house at Delaware Technical Community College.

In the science wing of Georgetown’s Jack F. Owens Campus, Governor Jack Markell signed a proclamation designating Nov. 6 to 12 as Radiation Protection Week, as 17 second-year Radiologic Technology students looked on.

For 30 years of its 50-year history, DTCC has offered a two-year Radiologic Technology associate degree, now at the Owens and Wilmington campuses, which helps students to earn national credentials in rad tech, nuclear medicine technology and dental assisting.

Markell applauded DTCC’s role in improving employment rates in Delaware. He also thanked the radiology students for investing their time in such a worthy, but challenging field.

“When you can combine a good job for those involved [with lifesaving skills], it doesn’t get any better than that,” Markell said.

New technology is good for patients, but these students must be lifelong learners to keep up with the times.

“It’s an honor to being with my classmates,” said student Lionel Harris. “We’ve been in this room for the last year and a half … but it’s been worth it.”

Harris and his fellow second-year classmates have learned, studied and stressed together.

“We all have a story. This is my third career,” said Harris, a former stay-at-home-dad and Air Force veteran. “We show up every single day. We go to clinical every single day. This is what we signed up to do, [take images that will help diagnose Delawareans and all human beings]. This is not just a job. This is a career.”

As a Desert Shield/Desert Storm veteran, Harris thanked DTCC teachers for their expertise, plus Brainard for making the college itself a military friendly school.

“When we better ourselves,” Harris said, “we better our lives, we better our children’s lives, and we better our communities.”

Now finishing their third semester, these students know their stuff, and they explain radiology with ease.

DTCC’s medical programs are hands-on, so “We are mostly in the hospital. It’s pretty sweet,” said student Jennifer Perez, “You just try to get everything … A little from every tech, and make your own”

In the classroom, they’re currently learning about obesity, geriatric and pediatric scans. They also learn how to work with patients, like parents bringing babies in for an x-ray or other imaging.

“They always encourage us to ask questions … I learn hands-on, so I really enjoy clinicals,” Perez said.

As Radiologic Technicians, these students will handle the machinery and get the images. The radiologist on duty reads all images, including x-rays, MRI, and CT scans.)

“It’s something different. I was interested in bones,” said Perez, who followed a friend into the program. Now, her friend (ironically with the same name) has a job in the field, and Perez hopes to do the same. “I love it.”

DTCC Dean of Instruction Bobbi Behrens and Vice President Ileana Smith also shared their pride in these students.

At the open house, students shared their expertise on X-ray technology. They showed the procedures, history, safety measures and more. They explained that best images come when patients are inhaling, filling their lungs and spreading out the other organs.

“The success of our program has depended on partnerships,” stated DTCC President Mark Brainard, “and we are thankful for the support of Beebe Healthcare, Bayhealth Medical Center and Nanticoke Health Services, who have donated high-tech equipment for our labs and continue to provide clinical rotations for our students. Members of these organizations also devote their time and expertise to serve on our Rad Tech advisory board...”

DTCC’s Radiologic Technology program is online at www.dtcc.edu/academics/programs-study/radiologic-technology.

“Safe radiation procedures protect our health and quality of life,” stated Karyl Rattay, director of Delaware Division of Public Health. “Medical imaging procedures play an important role in the early detection of cancer and cardiovascular disease, in emergency medicine such as x-rays to assess broken bones, and to detect oral health issues at the dentist’s office.”

Delaware Office of Radiation Control, (http://dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/hsp/orc.html) based within Division of Public Health, regulates use of ionizing radiation in medicine, industry, research and education; inspects radiation machine facilities; and issues professional certifications.

Chaired by Frances Esposito, Delaware Authority on Radiation Protection (www.DEradiationprotection.org) is celebrating 40 years of providing regulatory oversight of ionizing radiation sources, encouraging constructive uses of radiation and facilitating greater understanding of natural and human-generated radiation.

After a two-year hiatus, The World Championship Punkin Chunkin returned to Sussex County this weekend, but with a solemn ending.

On Sunday, Nov. 6, at approximately 2:45 p.m., two persons were injured after a malfunction of the air cannon “Pumpkin Reaper.”

According to Delaware State Police, as the cannon was preparing to launch, the trap door of the cannon, where loading occurs, separated upon the launch of the pumpkin.

The door and other parts were blown away from the cannon and into the air before coming down and striking a 39-year-old female in her head and face, according to police.

The female, whose name is being withheld by officials, was treated immediately on scene by Sussex County Paramedics and transported by EMS to Nanticoke Memorial Hospital where she was stabilized and then flown to Christiana Medical Center by LifeNet Helicopter. She is still in critical condition.

The woman was identified as a video producer contracted with the Science Channel for a future special on the event.

A 56-year-old male was also injured in the incident and was treated for non-life-threatening at Nanticoke Memorial Hospital.

Rich King, IT officer with the Board of Directors for Punkin Chunkin, said the World Championship Punkin Chunking Organization had no comment regarding the incident at this time.

The event, returned to Wheatley Farm in Bridgeville after two-years, spurred by a lawsuit filed in 2013 by a volunteer “spotter” at the 2011 event, who suffered a spinal injury as a result of an ATV accident during the event. The suit was dismissed with prejudice last year.

Since then, a number of safety and alcohol-related changes were made to the events operations.

Lock your doors! Police are asking people to avoid being an easy target for theft.

Recently, Ocean View Police Department reported a rash of burglaries in early November, including 10 car burglaries in two days. Every vehicle was left unlocked overnight.

“Only the ones being left unlocked are the ones being tampered with,” said Capt. Heath Hall.

They’re barely considered “break-ins” because nothing was broken to enter the vehicle.

“We wanted to remind everybody to lock their cars, don’t keep anything valuable in their car, and report suspicious activity in their neighborhood,” said Cpl. Rhys Bradshaw, OVPD public information officer.

Are locked cars ever burglarized?

“Rarely,” said Bradshaw, remembering a single incident “well over a year ago, when they broke the window to the car. We made an arrest in that.”

Unlocked cars are easy targets.

“Ninety-eight percent of the cars are unsecured,” Bradshaw said. “People just walk right down the street,” opening doors if possible. Criminals generally avoid locked doors.

If burglars can open a door, “they’ll take what they can get their hands on,” like sunglasses, money, charger cords, wallets, phones, GPS units and bigger items.

“We really want people to please secure your car,” Bradshaw said. “Don’t leave your purse there, don’t leave your GPS, don’t leave your phone. Get motion-sensor lights on your house to deter these people.”

Residents should leave exterior lights on and call police if they see anything suspicious.

While it may be frustrating that people become easy targets, it’s their property and their choice, Bradshaw said. And police will work to help victims.

“Ultimately, it is our job to investigate all crimes that occur,” Bradshaw said. We will do our best to solve the crime.”

In this case, there are few leads.

“Right now, we’re still trying to look at items that were taken. We’re still trying to look for leads for this case, but we have no solid stuff,” Bradshaw said.

It’s a night to fundraise and reignite a passion for saving the environment.

The Inland Bays Foundation hosts its third Love Your Inland Bays Dinner on Wednesday, Nov. 30.

The special event is from 6 to 9 p.m. at Irish Eyes restaurant in Lewes.

The event includes dinner, cash bar, entertainment, door prizes and a raffle for an inland bays quilt.

Two IBF Environmental Awards will also be presented to individuals who help further the mission of a cleaner planet.

“It will be fun. It’s a chance to meet the movers and shakers of the environmental community, and it’s expanded from last year,” said IBF President Nancy Cabrera-Santos. “We expect a bigger crowd from last year, more fun. Dinner will be spectacular; the keynote speaker will be spectacular.”

The keynote speaker is Collin O’mara, president/CEO of the National Wildlife Federation and former secretary of Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC). Other special guests include current DNREC Sec. David Small, State Sen. Bryan Townsend, State Sen. Gerald Hocker and others.

“It brings together just about the whole environmental community who are stewards of the environment in Sussex County,” like local civic organizations, ecological and clean water agencies and more. “We’re all getting together to address the situation in the inland bays and have some fun as well,” said Cabrera-Santos.

This is an all-volunteer organization.

“We’re our own lobbyists,” Cabrera-Santos said of the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

“We’re doing so much with such a little staff,” she said. “The two main organizations working for clean water are the Center for Inland Bays and the Inland Bays Foundation. The CIB does a lot of public awareness projects, but what we do is advocacy, so the two go hand-in-hand.”

The IBF envisions Sussex County’s waterways restored to good health, suitable for fishing and swimming, and free from the impacts of toxicants.

Current project include lobbying for Delaware cover crops; monitoring the Rehoboth Beach outfall; and pushing the EPA for more stormwater oversight (in a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, or “M4”).

She mentioned the horror of an Ocean City, Md., man who recently died after an open wound became infected with flesh-eating bacteria in the Big Assawoman Bay.

“We want federal funding finally to clean up our inland bays. We’re not going to let it go,” Cabrera-Santos said.

Tickets are $40 online at www.inlandbaysfoundation.org or by mailing a check to IBF; PO Box 521; Bethany Beach, DE 19930. Deadline for tickets is Nov. 28.

The IBF mission is “to advocate and promote the restoration of the Inland Bays watershed by conducting public outreach and education, tracking restoration efforts, encouraging scientific inquiry and sponsoring needed research, in order to establish a long-term process for the protection and enhancement of the Inland Bays.”

Coastal Point • Laura Walter: From left, Isaac Chandler, Coleman Woodard and Alan Correa programmed these LEGO robots to fight sumo-style.Do you wanna build a robot? And then program it complete tasks and battle other bots?

The Selbyville Middle School LEGO Robotics Team brought demonstrations to the Nov. 5 Phillip C. Showell Fall Festival.

Kids crowded around to watch robotic LEGO vehicles push each other, sumo-wrestler style, out of the three-foot “SuGO” ring.

Anyone can participate in the SMS team’s SuGO fundraiser tournaments. In one day, even beginners can learn to program the robots, then compete for SuGO glory.

Glowing red sensors on the bottom can find boundaries of the competition ring. Similar red “eyes” can see forward their targets. The students program their robots to react in each situation. Is there a black line? Don’t move forward. Is there another vehicle? Accelerate to attack.

Why join the SMS robotics fun?

“I’m interested in doing robots and, of course, Legos,” said Alan Correa-Vera, grade 7.

SuGO is a fun break from their main competition, FIRST LEGO League. Last winter, SMS earned an impressive second place at their first regional competition in Salisbury. If they can repeat that in December, they’ll return to Maryland state finals next spring.

FLL presents a special course with many obstacles and tasks, “So you can program the robot to go to different missions on the board,” Chandler said.

Teams get three chances to complete the course, with time to troubleshoot in between. Programming is a precise science because robots need to move at a precise degree or measurement, said Coleman Woodard, grade 5 at Southern Delaware School of the Arts.

That may seem intimidating, but “Don’t be afraid,” Coach Chester Boggs said. Everyone will learn how the robots work, just like the current team did.

Besides, failure is part of the process. These kids are ready for a challenge, and they’ll keep going ’til they get it right.

With about 14 students, SMS will field two teams, meeting twice weekly until the December competition.

Families with students interested in joining the SMS LEGO Robotics Team (SMS-DE Lego Club) should contact Chester.Boggs@irsd.k12.de.us or Mark.Woodard@irsd.k12.de.us. Meetings are afterschool, twice weekly until the December competition.

The coaches also thanked the students’ parents, who are “awesome supporters” of the team.

The team website and fundraising information are online at http://apllc.org/apllc2016_003.htm.

The Sussex County Today & Tomorrow Conference was held last week, with the mission of providing “insight and identify opportunities in Sussex County to promote economics, partnership and collaboration.”

Micheal Meoli, owner/operator of The Meoli Companies, was the conference’s keynote speaker, and discussed what it takes to be successful in business.

Meoli’s family owns 14 McDonald’s restaurants across Maryland and Delaware.

“People have to eat, but they don’t have to eat at McDonald’s,” he said. “No business has a divine right to succeed.”

Three important points Meoli said he hoped to impress upon those in attendance were listen to your customer, embrace chance and build the trust bank.

Meoli said they had heard for years that McDonald’s needed to be more sustainable, offer breakfast all day and offer healthier food options for children.

Having listened to those customer suggestions, Meoli said McDonald’s took action. Now healthier food options are available for children and breakfast is served all day.

Meoli also said that it is important to invest in those who work for you. His restaurants employ 850 people, and pay $11 million in payroll. Employees are given the opportunity to take ESL classes and receive their high school diplomas, and even college tuition assistance.

“Change isn’t bad,” he said. “Change is inevitable, progress is optional. If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”

Karen and Tony Sposato, known for their landscaping business, gave a 1 Million Cups presentation regarding their new venture — an Argentinean vineyard.

The husband and wife team, who have five landscaping locations, and 350 employees, purchased a 250-acre plot of land in Argentina in 2012.

“Basically, it became a really big landscape project for us — so we felt right at home,” said Tony Sposato.

The wine, Sposato Family Vineyards, is currently distributed in Delaware (and can be found in all liquor stores in Sussex County), Maryland and Washington, D.C., and was just picked up in Pennsylvania. Sposato said they now want to go to Florida, and work their way back up the coast.

Benjamin Gray, manager of Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham in Georgetown, also gave a 1 Million Cups presentation.

“We have a culture of excellence here in Georgetown,” said Gray. “I truly believe this county is the best in the U.S. This county is something special.”

According to Ed Simons’ quick facts presentation, Sussex County unemployment has gone down, from 7.7 percent to 4.5 percent, with jobs in the county increasing by 28 percent.

In 1990, the 55-plus age group accounted for 28 percent of Sussex County. By 2030, according to Simon, that figure is projected to rise to 43 percent.

“It’s up to each of us to take what we learn today and act upon it to improve our county,” said Dr. Ileana M. Smith, Vice President and Campus Director, Delaware Technical Community College.

At its monthly meeting earlier this week, the Frankford Town council gave an update on discussions council members have had with representatives from the State and Mountaire Farms related to well permits issued to the poultry company.

The Town filed a statement of appeal in August to the State’s Environmental Appeals Board, following the decision of Delaware Department of Natural Resources Secretary David Small related to well permits issued to Mountaire.

The letter, dated Aug. 16, said the Town challenges the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s (DNREC) finding that the industrial non-potable well is not in violation of Delaware Code for being “interconnected with any portion of the building’s plumbing and/or any water utility’s service connection,” as well as the failure of DNREC to revoke the permit, as “Mountaire has failed to abide by Permit #252076’s conditions, which is to ‘follow all current regulations governing well construction.’”

The appeal states that the interests of the Town have been substantially affected, as the Town provides water to its approximately 888 citizens, and that they were never informed of the permits being requested or issued.

At the Nov. 7 meeting, councilman Greg Welch said council met on Oct. 27 to try to resolve the financial situation the town is currently facing with the loss of revenue from Mountaire decreasing its town water usage.

“Negotiations don’t seem to be giving us what we need to operate,” said Welch, adding that an appeals date has yet to be set.

Councilman Marty Presley said the meeting was attended by DNREC Secretary David Small, State Rep. Rich Collins, State Sen. Gerald Hocker, along with representatives from Mountaire, DNREC and the Delaware Attorney General’s Office.

“It was basically an off-the-record meeting. None of what was said in the meeting could be used during the appeals process. DNREC was hoping from their conversations with [Town Solicitor] Chad [Lingenfelder] to go into that meeting and if we came to some resolution the Town would drop the appeal.

“At least at that meeting, no resolution was come to.”

Presley said one item discussed during the meeting with DNREC was loan forgiveness.

“Mountaire is a separate issue. Mountaire has the law, according to the Attorney General’s office, on their side. Mountaire has made an offer to the Town of Frankford. The council doesn’t think it’s an adequate offer… Then once they found out we had an opportunity to refinance our loans with zero percent interest they took that loan and cut it back to 10 years…

“Sen. Hocker and legislator Collins were on our side as far as asking Secretary Small for loan forgiveness. This is the only municipality in the state of Delaware going through this. We’ve spoken to other towns and every other town is scared to death that they’re going to go through the exact same thing.”

Presley said the Town hopes the legislature will “cure” the situation in the next session.

He added that the State’s Environmental Appeals Board does not have to hear the Town’s appeal, however if that happens, there would be a process for which the Town to move on to a court hearing.

“I don’t think any of this discussion should be going on now. I don’t think it should be open to a discussion. There are too many critical issues at stake,” said property owner Kathy Murray.

Resident Jerry Smith disagreed with Murray. Council chose to move on from discussion.

In other Town news:

• The Town will hold a special meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. to discuss items the council feels need to be addressed related to the upcoming municipal election.

• Envision Frankford said the Town’s fall festival was a huge success, estimating that over 500 people attending the festivities.

• Frankford will hold a holiday tree lighting in the Town park on Nov. 26, beginning at 5 p.m. Every Wednesday following, up until Christmas from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Town will host a holiday event in the part, featuring lights and hot chocolate.

• Bacon said that a threat had been made to a property owner at a previous meeting and that such behavior would not be tolerated in the future.

Coastal Point • Maria Counts: State officials, including Gov. Jack Markell, left, and members of SUN Behavioral Health recently broke ground on the new 90-bed specialty hospital in Georgetown.A groundbreaking was recently held for the future 90-bed specialty hospital with inpatient and outpatient services to be located in the College Park Retail & Office Campus in Georgetown.

The two-story, 93,000 square-foot hospital will be run by SUN (Solving Unmet Needs) Behavioral Health, will have 10 primary-care exam rooms, two women’s health rooms, eight medical consult offices, two specialty procedure rooms, three tele-health exam rooms, a private interview room, a radiology suite, reception area, lobby and more.

At the Nov. 2 groundbreaking, Stephen Silver, of ONIX Group, the developer, said he was excited to see the site, which was once slotted to be a casino, being used for something that is much-needed in the area.

Georgetown Mayor Bill West said the service the new hospital would be bringing is “well overdue.”

“This is important. This is important,” he said, adding, “We continue to work hard to bring more resources to Georgetown.”

Sen. Bethany Hall-Long co-sponsored Senate Bill 226, which amended the Delaware Code related to health planning and resources management. The Bill eliminated the need for additional review by the Delaware Health Resources Board for the psychiatric hospital in Georgetown, which had previously received a certificate of public review by the Board.

“We know people need to be treated,” she said.

Hall-Long inviting her legislative colleagues to stand with her as she spoke, noting Bill 226 would not have been possible without their support.

Steve Page, CEO of SUN Behavioral Health said they are looking forward to be coming to Delaware.

“We couldn’t be more excited,” he said. “This will be a hospital that will be a part of a community-wide solution. We want to fit into the fabric of this community. We know we cannot do this alone.”

Gov. Jack Markell said he was pleased to be seeing the groundbreaking of the hospital, and called attention to the parents who have survived the loss of their children to addiction.

“They somehow find the courage and strength... to turn their own personal tragedy to the benefit of others.”

Markell said with the construction of the facility, it means many families will be able to support their loved ones as they go through treatment.

“We all look forward to what this means to our families in Sussex County,” he said. “This is an issue that cannot be swept under the rug.”

It is estimated that the project will take 18 months to construct, and open for patient admissions in May 2018.

With their management company heading out the door, Millville Town Center, LLC, got permission to continue building in Millville by the Sea.

After requiring a revamped traffic plan, Millville Town Council approved final site plan for Phase 1, the first 19 homes in the southeast of Sea Star Village (formerly Topsail Village). That came with the condition of a Town-approved traffic calming plan, plus construction access to the property.

This pleased a roomful of MBTS residents at Nov. 8 meeting.

It also aligned with what managing company Miller & Smith had already been brainstorming, said Chuck Ellison Jr., a company vice president.

“We’re taking a holistic look at whole neighborhood,” Ellison said.

But residents emphasized the traffic safety, traffic volume and road maintenance.

In performing his own traffic study, resident Dwight Yeager said one road averaged 134 vehicles in a 12-hour period in November. So residents proposed another access road within MBTS, perhaps within a nearby flag-pole shaped lot owned by Millville Town Center.

For resident Wally Bartus, the issue is “literally physical access. … We’ve had a problem not just with construction vehicles, but just general residential traffic and visitors coming through.”

Residents have asked for, and gotten some, traffic-calming devices, like speed bumps. (A traffic-impact statement was created when MBTS was first proposed, but that was likely in the early 2000s.)

Residents also want better enforcement for construction vehicles. Construction traffic is supposed to use existing traffic roads, which will be extended for later phases of Sea Star Village. Construction roads are marked as such, Ellison said.

Yeager said his complaints to truck drivers aren’t taken well, and when he complained to the developer, he was just given the construction company’s phone number to complain to them.

He said that’s not the residents’ job to enforce.

Police typically only patrol for major traffic violations. But residents need to report other wrongdoing.

“I need to have the day and the time when you see them down that road so I can call … whoever that supplier is,” said Code & Building Administrator Eric Evans. “If we’re gonna put this in the public works agreement … I still have to have data.”

Residents also need to inform their own contractors about the construction access road, Evans said.

A future public works agreement will allow the Town to take a more proactive stance on traffic.

But by January, the managing company of Miller & Smith will be out of the picture. The overall ownership remains the same, with Millville Town Center, LLC.

“We as a company made a decision to terminate the contract to manage [MBTS],” Ellison said.

He said the Town will be informed of the new management structure when completed, and by the transition date.

Councilmember Steve Small was concerned that the Town has no indication, just eight weeks from New Year’s.

“The structure is being developed as we speak,” Ellison said.

“If we don’t have that kind of information by the end of the year, that would put us in a very awkward position with freezing things there,” Small said.

“I hope you will bear with them a little bit,” Ellison said of Millville Town Center. “They weren’t expecting us to make a business decision in the three-month window,” in which the contract may be terminated.

Small suggested tabling the discussion until the new management company is chosen and settled.

But Town Solicitor Seth Thompson said residents will get relief sooner if traffic-calming measures are required before construction starts.

Small, Susan Brewer and Mayor Bob Gordon finally approved the final site plan with traffic conditions. (MBTS resident Steve Maneri recused himself from the discussion, and Valerie Faden was absent.)

“Construction can’t start until they meet the approval,” promised Kyle Gulbronson, Millville’s AECOM planner.

The citizens were satisfied.

Ellison said they’ve got technical approvals for sewer, water, soil conservation and fire marshal. Groundbreaking would likely occur in the first quarter of 2017.

Leaving town?

There’s a fee for that.

Realizing that Millville has no fee for de-annexation, Town Council added and approved an addition to the Fee Schedule.

Any zoning change, including annexation, has administrative costs tied in. There are attorney fees, advertising, administrative time and map changes.

Councilmembers didn’t feel that the Town should pay for someone to leave, so the new costs are similar to annexation fees: application fee of $500 (less than 1 acre) or $850 (at least 1 acre), plus a $3,500 escrow account for all fees (leftover funds are reimbursed to the applicant).

Steve Small suggested that he was trying to negotiate with a potential developer or landowner to annex into town. So he favors a reduction in annexation fees (a topic that wasn’t on the agenda for discussion).

“It’s not the Town’s position to go out” and solicit land for annexation, said Code & Building Administrator Eric Evans, and Brewer agreed.

But they ask about fees and then ask if the Town is willing to negotiate, Small said.

“Your fees are established,” Evans said.

Despite encouraging that de-annexation fees be higher than annexation fees, Small voted against the measure after he saw that it would still pass without him. Otherwise, he would have abstained.

In other news, sign regulations were tightened, as Town Council unanimously approved Ordinance 17-04. It added and clarified prohibited signs; allowed “OPEN” signs to have any language, as long as they’re removed after business hours; and gives the code enforcement officer power to remove or give $25 citations for “bandit signs,” like real estate-size signs. Changes were made to Town Code, Chapter 155, Article IX, “Sign Regulations.”

The next Town Council workshop is tentatively schedule for Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 7 p.m.

Selbyville residents want to “take back” their neighborhood from drug addicts who are openly using and selling narcotics.

At the Nov. 7 Selbyville Town Council meeting, about seven Bunting’s Mill residents described Polly Branch Road as an “open-air drug market.”

One particular property has been a problem for years, said nearby resident, Jennifer DeGiovanni. People are drug dealing near the Route 54 intersection, just outside town limits.

“They need their fix right away,” DeGiovanni said. So the addicts drive right into her nearby housing development of Bunting’s Mill “to shoot up.”

And drug activity happens in broad daylight, said resident Kerry Topper.

The otherwise empty lot has trees, grass and scrub that provide cover for covert activity. Residents hear cars driving in the empty Polly Branch lot, even at night.

Meanwhile, “there are hundreds of packets and needles” around the site, DeGiovanni said, and local kids like exploring the nearby woods. It’s a parent’s nightmare that they should prick themselves with a dirty needle or meet an unsavory character. The property in question is also one field away from the back of Selbyville Middle School property.

“What can we do? What can you do to put more pressure [there]?” DeGiovanni asked. “Having one state trooper assigned to this area can’t do too much. We’re tired of it. We all have kids. We don’t want junkies coming in our neighborhood, in other neighborhoods.”

Delaware State Police are responsible for all unincorporated land outside any town limits. Even with Sussex County Council paying for extra enforcement, there are only one or two cars patrolling the southeast corner of Sussex County at any given time. Local municipalities only respond to more dire emergencies if DSP requests backup.

In this case, the unincorporated Polly Branch lot isn’t in Selbyville Police Department’s jurisdiction, although it’s almost completely surrounded by a 40-acre property that is within town limits.

Route 54 is a patchwork of properties that are/not in town limits. “We don’t do hostile annexation,” Jay Murray said, so individual landowners can apply for annexation, if their property touches a Selbyville boundary.

Across the U.S., heroin and opioid addiction is reaching epidemic proportions. Selbyville is not immune, Town Council noted.

To begin, Councilmember Jay Murray suggested increased enforcement of known heroin hotspots.

“We can put pressure on the property owner” to clear the brush that provides hiding spaces, Murray said. “It needs to be cleaned up … So the police have visibility.”

Ownership of the unincorporated lot isn’t immediately obvious, as the Sussex County online ownership records only list the owner as “Cemetery.”

The surrounding incorporated lot is managed by a Fenwick Island attorney.

Councilmembers agreed they should contact county and state legislature to pressure Delaware State Police to increase enforcement in Sussex County.

The residents also asked about hanging Neighborhood Watch signs.

Selbyville Police Chief Scott Collins was attending a training for live shooter incidents, so he was unavailable for comment.

Bunting’s Mill residents have been proactive. They’re emailing people in other neighborhoods to share ideas and warn them of potential dangers.

Mayor Clifton Murray encouraged people not to let any strangers in their homes. If anyone needs to make ‘an emergency phone call,’ just offer to call the police for them.

Other Selbyville residents offered safety advice: lock all your doors; get an alarm system; and set up “safe houses” where children can go anytime they feel alone or unsafe.

Most importantly, call the police whenever someone or something looks unusual. It’ll deter future criminal activity, and it’ll build up a record of suspicious activity, so police might dedicate more resources to it on their own.

Residents can request street light repairs and additions. People can call Town Hall to request new lights. Town Hall will work with Delmarva Power for installation. (South Bethany is undergoing a similar process and has reported that costs are minimal, as the electric company pays for the pole light itself.)

In other Selbyville news:

• Bethany Beach Police Department regularly uses Selbyville’s shooting range for officer certifications. Town Council approved a 10-year agreement in which BBPD will contribute about $20,000 dollars to improve the range. Meanwhile, their officers will be permitted to shoot on Wednesdays (and other days, on request), from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., excluding Sundays. Because the range is near the sewer plant, they must notify the Town before special shooting events. Guns shoot northward into a berm, said Councilmember Clarence “Bud” Tingle Jr. This is not a public range.

• Once again, the Selbyville Halloween Parade and Selbyville Haunted Library were considered a big success.

• The Selbyville Christmas Parade will be Friday, Dec. 2, at 7 p.m.

• McCabe Street repaving is finished, with financial help from the transportation funds of State Sen. Gerald Hocker Sr. and State Rep. Rich Collins.

• In water news, Selbyville is back under the approved limit for a chlorine byproduct called Total Trihalomethanes (TTHMs). However, the State notice won’t be lifted until the Town has a four-quarter average back under the approved limit. The water notice was only for one section of town.

Meanwhile, the water aeration system is still scheduled for completion in April 2017, although there is a chance of delay for a delivery.

• The communications company Mobilitie had requested to build a utility pole in town. At this point, they’ve submitted a draft agreement, which Selbyville’s town solicitor is reviewing. Town Council won’t likely vote on the agreement for a few months, said Town Administrator Stacey Long. The company would lease the signal repeater, or booster, out to a single mobile carrier, like Sprint or Verizon. The Town would receive monetary compensation.

• Town Council approved a $200 donation for a World War I memorial in The Circle at Georgetown. It’s sponsored by the American Legion and organized by Sussex County Association of Towns. Two of the 17 names carved in granite came from Selbyville.

• Town Council voted to approve an accounting software upgrade, as Town Hall staff are suffering regular issues with payroll, accounting and utility billing. The technology budget has room for the $1,238 project, which includes server adjustments.

Selbyville Town Council’s next regular meeting is Monday, Dec. 5, at 7 p.m.

The Ocean View Town Council voted unanimously this week to approve the municipal-wide discount ambulance subscription service agreement.

The agreement requires businesses and property owners to pay a flat rate of $35 per year to the Millville Volunteer Fire Company (MVFC) to help pay for ambulance service, for a period of three years.

Outside of the subscription service they have with Ocean View and Millville (approved in September), MVFC still has their $50 subscription plan for anyone outside of the municipality.

The agreement provides that any resident who is transported by MVFC ambulance would have their insurance billed first, and the MVFC wouldn’t charge the patient any remaining balance if the family has an ambulance service subscription.

Ocean View resident Gary Cordier asked to have this stipulation clarified, giving the example of a houseguest needing to be transported to the ambulance from his home versus a local business.

Town Manager Dianne Vogel said that if a medical emergency arose in a resident’s home, the houseguest’s transportation cost would be covered, however if that houseguest had a medical emergency outside of the home (for instance, at a local business) the cost would not be covered by the fee.

Cordier also called attention to the department’s “checkered past,” suggestion that “maybe that isn’t the best way to do it,” calling attention to the conclusion of a year-long investigation, after which the Delaware Office of Auditor of Accounts confirmed there had been an embezzlement of more than $190,000 in fire company funds, allegedly by the MVFC’s now-former treasurer.

Justin Oakley was arrested in May of 2016 on charges of Theft Over $100,000 and 100 counts of Falsifying Business Records.

Cordier also asked if voting on an agreement was the best course of action, rather than an ordinance was the best course of action.

Town Solicitor Dennis Schrader said he didn’t seen an issue with the decision not being made with the passing of an ordinance, as the Town has the authority under own charter to enter into contracts with third parties.

He also noted that nearby municipalities, including Fenwick, Bethany, and South Bethany, along with Sea Colony, all have similar agreements with emergency services that have been in effect for a number of years.

Resident Joseph Capone submitted a letter of concern to council related to the agreement, calling for an enforcement provision and deadline for the departments responsibilities, addressing procedure for fee disputes, and insurance coverage.

He also noted that in January, he wrote to Mayor Walter Curran about his concerns related to the proposed agreement, and the lack of due diligence.

“Since I wrote those words, the Town has learned much about the extremely poor way in which the MVFC was managed fiscally. I am pleased to see that the Town is at least trying to take steps to protect its money — which as we all well know — is our money, the taxpayers, which you hold in trust and are obligated to protect.”

Curran said MCFC is now moving down “that right road” with the oversight of the State’s Fire Marshal’s office.

Councilman Frank Twardzik said he was in favor of the agreement, noting that only about 30 percent of the people respond when the fire company does their annual fund drive.

“That to me is an astonishing number, and that’s the main reason I’m voting for this.”

Council voted 5-0 to approve the agreement.

In other Town news:

• Council voted 5-0 to reallocate Homecoming funds to the Town’s Concerts in the Park and Cops & Goblins event. Council had discussed having the Town give up the event that was revitalized by the Ocean View Historical Society a number of years ago, as it required a great deal of Town money and staff time to organize and run.

• The Town is currently advertising for a new finance director, as current director Lee Brubaker announced his retirement from the town. As of the Town’s Nov. 8 meeting, 20 resumes for the position had been received. Vogel said she hopes to have a replacement chosen by the end of the year.

“You’ve done a fantastic job,” praised Curran of Brubaker.

• Ocean View Police Captain Heath Hall said the department’s second annual Cops and Goblins event was deemed a huge success, with an estimated 800 persons attending.

Coastal Point • Shaun M. Lambert: Dave Kline was amongst a group of Donald Trump supporters at the intersection of Routes 1 and 26 earlier this week.

Following a long election season, the State of Delaware only saw a statewide voter turnout of 65.34 percent.

Nationally, the State’s popular vote went to presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (53.35 percent), with President-elect Donald Trump receiving 41.92 percent, and third party candidates receiving close to 5 percent of the vote.

Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) received 55.52 percent of the vote, and will be representing Delaware in Congress, as its current Congressman, John Carney (D), won the State’s gubernatorial race with 58.34 percent of votes cast.

Sussex County native, and Indian River High School Alum State Sen. Bethany Hall-Long, will serve as the State’s lieutenant governor, as she received 59.44 percent of the votes.

Insurance Commissioner incumbent Jeffrey Cragg (R) was defeated by Trinidad Navarro (D), having received 40.72 percent of the votes cast.

Norman Jones, Jr. (R) beat out Charles Koskey (D) for Sussex County Clerk of the Peace, with 58.93 percent of the vote.

Incumbent Richard “Rich” Collins (R), who defeated Brad Connor for the State Representative for District 41 with 59.18 percent of the vote, thanked his constituents for reelecting him for a second term.

“I have been, but I will continue to represent every single one of them. I don’t care if they put the other guys’ sign in their yard … I will help anyone in my district…

“I think the people of Sussex County have spoken, and I think the people of the nation have spoken. I think the people of Sussex County agreed with the nation at large that [things] must change. … [They] want an America as we thought we had it, want to return to that. I think we are tired of every time we disagree with everything the elite forces us to do, that we are [considered] bigoted in some way — we disagree with that, as well.”

Collins also called attention to the need for a special election to fill the seat of Lt. Gov.-elect, Hall-Long, who will not finish her term as a state senator.

“There’s a chance we could end up with Republican control of the Delaware Senate. I think Delaware would become a much more hospitable place to job creators. People are tired of economic malaise …”

During his first term in the legislature, Collins said there had been progress in terms of regulatory reform.

“One of the major [issues] … job seekers face is an overwhelming blanket of regulation, which makes it almost imposable for businesses to come to Delaware and hire people. We made a tremendous start last year … the first real rollback of regulations in the state that I know of.

“My goal is to continue pushing as hard as I can for a review of many, many regulations to protect the environment, protect workers … those fundamental goals need to be preserved. But are we going overboard on things [so people just ignore mandates that are too expensive to follow]. Why is it that we’ve had Superfund sites for years? Regulations to clean up are so severe that no one takes the burden. So poisons in the soil remain from a less-knowledgeable and more irresponsible age. We haven’t built a new major factory in Delaware, I can’t imagine how long it’s been. Bloom only hired 277 people, and we’re not building DuPonts that once hired thousands of people. We have what it takes … we have deep water in the Delaware River and in the Nanticoke River … [that we’re not using]. I want to work on those things. We need to return to prosperity.”

I.G. Burton III, who defeated Leslie Ledogar for the District 3 Sussex County Council seat, with 55.84 percent of votes, said his 11 years of experience on the county Planning and Zoning Commission was what set him apart from his opponent.

“I’m excited, Burton said of his victory. “I haven’t really dissected it yet,” he said, but added that he planned to spend the day Wednesday picking up campaign signs.

Burton said he sees the next four years as crucial for the future of Sussex County. “We’re either going to go in one direction or the other,” he said, “and you just can’t leave it to someone who doesn’t have the experiences of what we’ve gone through.”

“I think I can bring consensus together,” in times when controversial decisions need to be made. “It’s not what you want or what I want but what we want.

Burton pointed to the planning commission’s approval of the controversial Gill’s Neck Village Center in Lewes as an example of a situation where his Planning and Zoning experience will help him as a County Council member.

The proposed 75,000 shopping center at King’s Highway and Gills Neck Road, he said, was controversial and many did not agree with his move to approve the center. In another decision, he said, he voted against the Overbrook Town Center because it went against the county comprehensive land use plan’s guidelines for “orderly growth of the county.”

He said his land use experience will be helpful as the county updates its comprehensive land use plan. “You absolutely have to get consensus, involvement and agreement on where you want this county to end up,” Burton said.

Another key issue in the upcoming years, Burton said, is “what we are doing to our environment. What steps are we taking to protect our environment? There’s a balance,” Burton said, “and I think we’re a little out of balance,” currently, he said.

State Sen. Gerald Hocker maintained his seat in the 20th District, topping challenger Perry Mitchell. Hocker tallied 72.39 percent of the vote, while Mitchell finished with 27.61 percent.

For the complete list of the State’s election results, visit www.elections.delaware.gov.

Residents of Sussex County are being encouraged to attend a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters of Sussex County tonight. The forum, “The Developers’ Perspective: An Effective 2018 Comprehensive Plan,” will be held in County Council Chambers in Georgetown on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m.

Preston Schell, CEO of Ocean Atlantic Companies; Sarah Keifer, Kent County director of planning; and Nick Hammonds of Jack Lingo Asset Management will be forum’s key speakers.

“The origin of this perspective came about from Preston Shell himself, who attended one of our workshops back in April 2015. We had educational workshops on what the comprehensive plan was in each of the five councilmanic districts in Sussex County,” said Sue Claire Harper, the Land Use Committee chair for the League.

“Someone alluded to the fact that they didn’t think developers could care less about the Comprehensive Plan. He was responding to that in general, saying that if Sussex County had a well-crafted 2018 Comprehensive Plan, it would make the job of the developers much easier. They could operate much more efficiently; they could plan… That’s what laid the groundwork for this particular forum.”

Harper said the League followed up with Schell, who agreed to participate in the forum.

“We wanted to hear what the developers who had such a significant influence in Sussex County — particularly in the eastern part and with the incredible wealth that we experience…” had to say, Harper explained.

Schell recommended that Hammond be asked to participate as well, as Lingo provides planning and feasibility studies for developers.

“And, Sarah Keifer from Kent County... Kent and New Castle counties have far more advanced Comprehensive Plans than Sussex County. We wanted to find out how one of the other two counties was doing what they were doing and doing it successfully, what they found works with the developers.

“My understanding from speaking with Sarah briefly is that they have experienced success in providing low- and moderate-income housing, for which there is a critical need here in Sussex.”

Harper said everyone should attend the forum to learn more about the Comprehensive Plan.

“The public, unless they are thoroughly versed in this information, should attend because public input is critical in the development of the 2018 Comprehensive Plan. The 2008 plan was initially rejected by the State because there was insufficient input from the public and they had to backtrack and get comment after-the-fact, document that and then submit that to the State.”

The League’s next forum is scheduled for Wednesday, March 22, 2017, at 7 p.m., focusing on low-income housing issues and fair-housing enforcement.

Harper said the mission of the League of Women Voters is education, and getting people to express their views to their elected officials and to stay informed.

“As our moderator and former league president is fond of saying … ‘Democracy is not a spectator sport.’”

People can get season’s greetings and season’s shopping from Indian River High School Band this weekend, as the Indian River High School Band Boosters will host a Holiday Shoppers Fair on Saturday, Nov. 19, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

While enjoying complimentary snacks and soft drinks and live music by IRHS music ensembles, people can do some holiday shopping at Cripple Creek Country Club.

Vendors include Avon, LuLaRoe, Mary Kay, Origami Owl, Pampered Chef, Perfectly Posh, Scentsy, Tastefully Simple, Thirty-One, Younique and more. There will be sporting goods, jewelry, crafters, personal products and more.

“There is a little bit of something for everyone. We’re very excited,” said organizer Jenifer Mohler. “It’s great if you’ve heard about all these little companies and online parties. If you’re like me,” she said, and prefer shopping in person instead of online, “it’s great to be able to see what you’re buying without the hassle of having to return it. It’s also a great way to support the band and the community, because everyone that’s coming is local. … You’re supporting local businesses.”

Guests can also win prizes in the raffle. Tickets will be sold all day, and winners need not be present. Many local vendors have donated items for the drawing. Other vendors will donate their day’s commission to IRHS Band Boosters.

“The more people, the more money spent, the better the band does,” Mohler said.

Proceeds benefit the IRHS Band Boosters, which supports the school’s whole music program.

“The money that is collected help buy new instruments, get [us] ready for our spring trip, which is going to Williamsburg, Va., this year,” Mohler said. “And we’re also hoping to get new band uniforms in the next two years. … Instruments always need repairs.”

This is the band’s first holiday market. But IRHS musicians are frequent faces in the community, performing at nearly all football games, in local holiday parades and at nearby elementary schools in private concerts for younger children.

“As soon as marching band ends … concert season picks up. So it’s a year-round dedication,” Mohler said.

For more information, contact irbandboosters@gmail.com.

Coastal Point • File Photo: At the 2015 Frankford Holiday Expo, projects were crocheted on-site by Richayla (right) and Antanell Bailey.’Tis the season to shop, and Frankford’s Annual Holiday Expo will return Saturday, Nov. 19, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., for people who want to find a unique gift or some holiday décor for their own homes.

The Frankford Volunteer Fire Company Auxiliary will host about 40 vendors, selling many types of gifts, including crafts, decorations, kitchen goods, beauty products and homemade candy. Decorations on offer can fill a range of tastes, including cozy woodworks, delicate glass artworks, evergreen Christmas wreaths and more.

Independent consultants will sell items from LuLaRoe, Mary Kay, Origami Owl, Pampered Chef and Scentsy.

Organizer Crystal Hudson is a vendor, but she said she particularly loves the community aspect of a holiday market.

“I love the fact that you get to meet new people,” she said. “It’s just the fulfillment of being able to meet people and be involved in something.”

Shoppers can ask questions and learn about the items they’re buying.

“You get to meet a variety of people. … You get to have a one-on-one with the people who are making the product or selling the product. I think it’s nice,” said Hudson, owner of Country Heaven gift shop in Frankford. “You get people dedicated to their product or what they make.”

The market will take place in the engine bay of Frankford Fire Hall. Shoppers should use the main entrance at 7 Main Street.

Details are on Facebook at “Frankford Vol. Fire Co Auxiliary” and www.facebook.com/events/1195779863788570.

The State of Delaware Office of Auditor of Accounts released its “Special Investigation” findings on the Indian River School District on the afternoon of Wednesday, Nov. 16.

“For the entire period of our investigation, the District lacked formal policies and procedures for any of their financial processes,” the report begins. “Not only did the District lack appropriate oversight and internal controls to prevent and detect financial improprieties, the blind faith placed in the CFO allowed him to create an environment ripe with intimidation tactics, favoritism, and nepotism.”

The report highlighted several areas of concern:
• unauthorized use of the Board president’s facsimile signatures to approve transactions;
• a payroll process controlled entirely by the CFO that severely lacked documentation and review;
• reports from several employees that they were forced to share log-in credentials into the State’s accounting system;
• a Teacher of the Year ceremony costing approximately $7,000;
• payments of $20,343.40 and $32,500, respectively, to the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company and the Boys & Girls Club of Oak Orchard/Riverdale — the CFO served as board president for both those organizations.

To view the report in its entirety, visit http://auditor.delaware.gov/.
For more on this developing story, read about the district's response to the audit report (http://www.coastalpoint.com/content/breaking-news-irsd-responds-state-au...) and read the Nov. 25 issue of the Coastal Point.

Coastal Point • Laura Walter: Principal Heather Bethurum reads to Nichele Lobo’s third-graders at SDSA.Any book will do. When Nichele Lobo invites special guests to read to her third-grade classroom, she doesn’t care which book they choose.

“If you’re reading something you enjoy … [you’ll] bring it to life,” said Lobo, a teacher at Southern Delaware School of the Arts.

Because students didn’t have school in mid-November, Lobo’s class celebrated National Young Readers Week a week early. That meant a week’s worth of special guests, sharing new stories with both third-grade classes.

Guests bring a book that is special to themselves or their own children. The students connect the stories to their own lives and classroom lessons.

On Nov. 1, Principal Heather Bethurum read the book “We Gather Together … Now Please Get Lost!” by Diane DeGroat, about a young opossum getting stuck with a class partner he doesn’t like.

The students shared what morals they got from the story: “Be thankful,” “Be a good friend” and “Treat others how you’d want to be treated.”

“One of the things I like best about books is everyone gets different things out of the story,” Bethurum said.

Guests are kept a surprise until they walk through the classroom door. By the weeks’ end, children are guessing who might appear next. Past readers have included the school counselor, reading specialist, district superintendent, local librarians and police officers.

“I kind of invite a variety … so kids see someone they see in a specific role in a different light,” Lobo said.

This is also Lobo’s second year participating in the BOOK IT! program, sponsored by Pizza Hut. Children who read 20 minutes a day can win rewards, such as a free personal-size pizza, she said.

Lobo is always encouraging youth to read. The incentives help too, such as the prizes and “brag tags,” or badges her students keep on a key ring for reaching certain goals in the classroom.