Candidates all set for Bethany election

Bethany Beach voters will once again head to the polls on the Saturday after Labor Day this year, as the town holds its annual town council elections on Saturday, Sept. 12, from noon to 6 p.m. Candidates had until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, July 28, to file to run in the 2009 elections for three available council seats, and four of them did so.

Incumbents Carol Olmstead and Joseph Healy both filed to run for re-election and were joined by former councilman Jerry Dorfman and past candidate Joseph Bellistri.

If she is re-elected in September, it would make for a fourth two-year term on the council for Olmstead, who served as mayor in 2006 and 2007 and currently serves as the town’s vice-mayor.

Olmstead last ran for re-election in 2007, when she narrowly won re-election to a third term, on a margin of seven votes over Margaret Young, who successfully ran for the council in 2008. Olmstead is the head of the town’s Cultural and Historical Affairs Committee.

A win in September would garner a second term for Healy, who was elected to the council in 2007, in what he has described as his second “serious” campaign.

A certified public accountant, Healy has been heavily involved in the town’s finances in recent years, serving on both the Budget and Finance Committee and the Audit Committee.

Former councilman Jerry Dorfman also filed to run this year, in an attempt to regain the seat he lost in 2008’s elections after having served on the council from May of 2005, in a council appointment to a partial term, and in his first elected term from October 2006 through September 2008.

Dorfman currently serves as head of the town’s Recycling Committee, which is currently considering curbside recycling service as the expiration of its contract with Delaware Solid Waste Authority looms. As former Treasurer for the council, Dorfman focused on fiscal responsibility a part of his 2008 run.

Bellistri, who will make his second appearance in town elections this year after coming up short in 2008, is a language-arts teacher and wrestling coach at Selbyville Middle School.

He has served on the board of directors of the Bethany West Recreation Association and his 2008 platform emphasized family safety and recreation, as well as addressing crowding in the town.

All but one of this year’s candidates – Healy – is a full-time resident of Bethany Beach. Healy has been progressively spending more and more time in the town as he eases into retirement.

As a part-time resident, Healy cannot serve in any of the council’s officer positions – mayor, vice-mayor or secretary-treasurer – which are restricted by state law to full-time residents. The council is also required under state law to include at least four full-time residents. As it currently stands, six council members are full-time Bethany residents.

Not part of the field of 2009 candidates is incumbent J. Robert “Bob” Parsons, who announced on July 17 that he would not run for re-election after regaining a long-held seat on the council in 2007.

“It is my intention at this time not to file for re-election,” said Parsons, who is also a former mayor of the town. “My ‘bucket list’ continues to grow, and the time to fulfill the items on it declines.”

Voter registration deadline approaching

Eligible voters in Bethany Beach’s council elections include property owners who have owned property in the town for at least 90 days prior to the election, as well as any permanent full-time residents who do not own property in the town but have lived there for at least six months prior to the election.

The town limits the number of votes for property owners to a maximum of eight per property, with a limit of one vote per person, no matter how many properties they own or their residency status.

Bethany Beach property owners who are listed on the town’s property tax list are not required to register to vote in town elections, but residents of Bethany Beach who do not own property must register to vote at least 30 days prior to the election – that’s Aug. 13 this year. Residents may register to vote at town hall or request a mailed registration form by telephone, mail or by e-mail.

Registered voters can cast their ballots in person on Aug. 12 at town hall, or they can contact town hall and request an affidavit for an absentee ballot. Affidavits are also available on the town’s Web site at www.townofbethanybeach.com.

The written affidavit must be filed no later than noon on Friday, Sept. 11. After approval of the affidavit, an absentee ballot will be provided to the voter either in person or via mail. Absentee ballots must be received before the polls close on the day of the election.

Voters will be able to vote for up to three candidates – the number of seats available – but can choose to vote for fewer than three candidates.

The Bethany Beach Landowners Association (BBLA) has traditionally held a Candidates’ Night event on the evening before the elections but surveyed members this spring as to the idea of holding the event earlier in the election season. No date for the 2009 event has been announced.

The Coastal Point will again be surveying Bethany Beach town council candidates on their positions on the issues and their election platforms in our traditional question-and-answer series, due out in our Sept. 11 edition. Letters to the editor concerning the elections are now being accepted but, per our editorial policy, will not be published if received at the Coastal Point after Monday, Aug. 31, at 5 p.m., to allow candidates time to respond prior to the election.