Voting in the Ocean View town council and mayoral elections for 2008 will be held on Saturday, April 12, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the town hall, located at 32 West Avenue.
After more than a year of controversy over finances, the police department budget, office space at town hall, raises for town department heads and perks provided to the town manager, two candidates for mayor and four candidates for District 3 council member have stepped forward to help forge a path forward for the town.
Two candidates for mayor of Ocean View and four candidates for the town council’s District 3 seat have filed to run in the April 12 elections.
Gordon Wood and Vinnie Esposito have filed in the mayoral race, aiming to take over for Mayor Gary Meredith, who has completed the town’s limit of two three-year terms. Wally Brown, Perry Mitchell, Susan White and Joe Martinez have filed for the council seat representing District 3, where one of them will replace Councilman Norman Amendt, who also completed the maximum of two three-year terms.
A March 19 candidates’ night allowed a capacity crowd of potential voters to hear from each of the six candidates and continued to raise concerns over comportment, personal attacks, divisive campaigning and disparate financial priorities as the town entered the final few weeks before a vote.
Local newspapers have been flooded with letters to the editor regarding the election, with campaign advertising booming for positions that carry no financial compensation. Interest in the small-town election has been high.
The town even extended traditional voting hours and opened town hall on a Saturday in order to better ensure as many potential voters as possible were able to register in the election. Only voters registered in the town are eligible to vote in this election. State and/or county registration does not qualify voters to vote in Ocean View elections.
The deadline for submitting voter registration forms for any Ocean View residents who have not already registered to vote was on Monday, March 31. Any resident who has not voted in the Town of Ocean View’s election for the past two consecutive years in which there was an election was also required to re-register in order to be eligible to vote in this election.
Registered voters should bring photo ID in order to vote on Saturday, election officials warned. No one except election officials and registered voters in the process of voting will be allowed in the voting area on Saturday, under new requirements of state election law for municipalities. All candidates and their supporters will have to remain outside that area, except while casting their own ballots.
Absentee ballots had to be requested prior to noon on Friday, April 11, and returned prior to 5 p.m. on Saturday, at the close of in-person voting. The absentee ballots will be hand-counted during the voting period on Saturday.
(For further information on the elections, call the Town Hall at (302) 539-9797, ext. 1.)
The Coastal Point developed a series of 12 questions for the candidates in both the mayor and council race this year. Each set of identical questions was provided to the candidates at the close of the March 19 candidates’ night, and each was given until Wednesday, April 9, to return their responses.
The candidates’ responses to these questions appear below, first from mayoral candidates and then council candidates, with each race’s candidates appearing in alphabetical order.
Mayoral Race
Vincent Esposito
Q. The town is facing a major shortfall in anticipated transfer tax revenues. What would you do to address this issue if you are elected? Should the town consider raising property taxes? What revenue options and priorities would you like to see the town pursue? Would you pursue budget cuts, and, if so, in what areas and to what degree?
A. The first thing that must be done is to carefully evaluate just what level of shortfall exists in transfer fund revenues. For example, the town’s own five-year budget plan indicates that within three or four years it is projected that transfer tax income will be near the same levels they were during the peak years of development with Bear Trap, Briarcliffe, Wedgefield and Avon Park. However, if we do face a short-term reduction in transfer tax revenues, I feel we have to review all the available town fund resources to see if we can possibly offset expenses without negatively affecting services or imposing an additional tax burden on residents.
This examination would include not only the Transfer Tax fund, but also the Emergency Reserve Trust fund and the Capital Replacement Trust fund. We also as a council need to be more proactive in seeking new revenue streams for the town. As an example, I would initiate an aggressive program to pursue untapped state and federal grant monies to help offset expenses wherever possible. If budget cuts would be required, I would recommend an across-the-board review of each department’s expenses and staff levels.
Q. The town has allocated some $300,000 in funds for the construction of a public works building to address the need for space for equipment storage and administrative offices. Do you believe the town should build a $300,000 building, use the money to add on to existing town structures, allocate additional funds for a more extensive project, build a “phased” project starting with the $300,000, or find some other solution? Why?
A. Certainly, the Public Works department needs adequate space for the storage of its expensive equipment and I feel the $300,000 currently allocated by the town for a Public Works building is a more than adequate amount to meet these needs. However, until we determine just what the financial status is in Ocean View, I feel the only fiscally responsible thing to do is to put a moratorium on any new expansion of town facilities. Once we establish the financial health of our town, we can then proceed with appropriate expansion needs of the various departments.
Q. What do you believe should be done to address the ongoing shortage of space for staff at town hall?
A. The current shortage of space in town hall is an example of our town not planning properly for growth. It has been less than four years since the last renovations of the town hall building and we are faced with a need for additional space. This is fiscally irresponsible. As stated in Question #2, I feel we need to abstain from any major expansion until we determine the exact financial status of our town. However, to meet the growth needs of town hall, I feel we should first strongly consider the three available properties already owned by Ocean View before considering any costly expansion. The properties are in close proximity to the town hall, could be used to house one of more administrative departments and could even create an attractive campus-like environment for our town government.
Q. The town’s public safety building has been said to have been built to accommodate space needs some 20 or more years into the future. What do you feel should be done with space that is currently unused at the facility?
A. The town council voted to construct this building specifically to meet the public safety needs of our community. I believe the open space currently available in the building should be leased to other public safety entities, such as the Delaware State Police, the Sussex County Emergency Medical Services and the Delaware Department of Justice. These agencies need to expand their presence in our area and housing them in our public safety building would be a win-win situation. If elected, I will aggressively pursue this effort to lease the open space to appropriate organizations, which would increase the public safety presence in our community as well as increase revenues for Ocean View
Q. Do you believe the town has enough police? Too many? Is the town spending too much of its revenue on the police department?
A. Currently, the police department has an authorized strength of eight full-time officers. My opponent has stated on numerous occasions that the police department is overstaffed. He has also stated that based on national averages, our department should have only two officers. If you apply this philosophy to our neighboring town of Bethany Beach, they would have only one officer instead of their current complement of nine.
I believe that Ocean View maintains an adequate-sized department. Without the current complement of officers, we would not be able to maintain round-the clock patrols seven days a week, which I feel most citizens appreciate in helping to keep Ocean View a peaceful and safe community. In addition, the men and women of the department provide a variety of other services to the community, such as the Senior Check-in Program, which facilitates daily contact between needy elderly residents of the community and the police.
While I support the current level of officers, I am not in favor of expanding the department beyond its current eight positions. As for the question of whether the town is spending a disproportionate amount of revenue on the police department, I would have to conduct a thorough study of all of the departments in the budget to be able to provide a realistic response.
Q. Would you like the town to pursue an agreement with the Town of Millville to share police officers/staff and/or police space at the public safety building?
A. I think it would make excellent sense to pursue a discussion with Millville to see if there could be benefits to both communities with respect to sharing of law enforcement services. Millville will be rapidly growing over the next five years and will certainly have the need for police officers and a public safety facility. Combining the financial resources of both communities would support enhanced police services in both towns. Unfortunately, the towns of Ocean View and Millville do not currently have an open working relationship. If elected, I will immediately establish a dialogue with the Millville mayor and town manager to explore the possibility of sharing resources and developing a joint emergency operations plan.
Q. Do you support the existing take-home vehicle policy for the town’s police officers? Why or why not? Do you feel the town should make cuts to funding for the policy? If not, how might it raise revenue to pay for it?
A. Several months ago, the current town council voted to maintain the take-home vehicle policy for the police department. However, based on the concerns regarding this policy that I have heard from citizens during this election campaign, I feel we need to carefully review the program to weigh the total costs of the policy to taxpayers against the advantages of the program from a public safety perspective. Once this review is complete, the council will be able to make a recommendation to continue the program, modify the program to a more limited take-home policy, or eliminate the program.
Q. There has been controversy over the pay raises given recently to the town manager and other town staff. Do you feel these increases were justified? Do you support the town’s provision of a vehicle to the town manager for his use?
A. I have a real problem with not only the pay raise provided to the current town manager but the secretive manner in which it was administered. There was never any public discussion of this raise until I exposed it at a town council meeting last year. This is an example of why we need more open communication of issues in our community. Also, to be told by this town administration that we are facing a financial crisis and then turn around and provide the town manager with a 17 percent salary increase after being on the job less than six months, this does not pass the fiscal responsibility test.
Also, while the town council has focused its attention solely on the annual compensation of the police department, I find it strange there has been no mention of the fact that we have substantially increased the cost to Ocean View taxpayers of top administrative salaries in less than one year. For example, our former town manager had a base salary of $60,000 to $65,000 with responsibility for both administrative and financial functions. We now have a town manager with a salary of $77,000 and have hired a financial director whose annual compensation is $57,000, which has more than doubled the expense in this one area alone. This to me seems quite excessive.
As far as the take-home car, the problem is not the car itself but the cost to the citizens of Ocean View because of the more than 100-mile round trip daily commute from the town manager’s home in Maryland. When you factor in this cost, the town manager’s annual compensation exceeds well over $90,000.
Based on the above, I feel the town council needs to take a close look at the total compensation for all town employees to determine if our current policy is equitable to all employees as well as fiscally responsible to the citizens of Ocean View.
Q. What new or expanded services, if any, would you like for the town to provide? What other issues should the town be addressing?
A. Once we establish the financial health of Ocean View, I hope we can provide expanded services to the community. In talking to the citizens of our town throughout this campaign, a number of ideas have been suggested, including community beautification, walking trails, a dog park and a program of residential trash removal.
As far as other issues the town should be addressing, the most important is to create a program of more open communication between the town leadership and our citizens. It is incumbent upon the town council to proactively keep residents informed on key issues if we are to maximize citizen interest in our town’s activities and avoid the misinformation that seems to prevail today. Another important issue is to determine an accurate accounting of the short-term and long-range costs associated with the new water system in Ocean View. This ownership of the water system is a huge responsibility for our town and we have to ensure that the program is managed efficiently and with fiscal responsibility and fairness to our citizens. Other key issues include carefully managing the growth of Ocean View to avoid the possibility of overdevelopment, and to work closely with the Delaware Department of Transportation to bring about the much-needed improvements to Route 26 as soon as possible.
Q. Should the town expend resources to support a town museum at this time?
A. Certainly, it is important for Ocean View to collect and preserve the important artifacts associated with our town’s history and I enthusiastically support that endeavor. However, I cannot support the proposal by some that we utilize a town property valued at more than $250,000 to house a museum at this time. And, as mentioned earlier, until we have a better handle on the current status of our town’s finances, I could not recommend the expenditure of any additional resources for the creation of a museum.
Q. Personal conflicts have plagued the council and its meetings in recent years. What would you do to address this issue?
A. During the past two years, there has been far too much action by individuals on the council initiating independent statements and decisions on council issues and making personal attacks on other council members. This is no way to professionally operate the town government. I certainly support a process of open and active dialogue and debate on issues brought before the council, but we must act with a sense of mutual respect and make decisions as a council and by the council — not as independents acting on our own agendas in the community or through the media. This independent action is totally counterproductive to the charter of the council and certainly unfair to the citizens of Ocean View. I am confident that, as mayor, I will be able to foster an atmosphere which will allow the council to work together in a spirit of cooperation and eliminate the need for any personal agendas.
Q. Please address why you feel you are the best candidate for this office and state any elements of your campaign platform that are not addressed by the above questions.
A. I feel I am the best candidate for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, I have extensive experience as an elected representative dealing with all the issues faced by a town municipality and having a good sense of the wants and needs of the taxpayer, as well as knowing how to serve effectively with fellow elected officials to get things accomplished. In addition to my political experience, I owned and operated my own retail business and served as postmaster for the U.S. Postal Service, having to deal with a variety of budget and contract issues.
However, my bottom line reason for running for mayor is to keep Ocean View the wonderful community that my wife, Maureen, and I chose to make our home during retirement. We have some serious challenges to face in our community and I am greatly concerned that we cannot meet those challenges with the dissension and personal animosity I have witnessed over the past year in our current town council. As mayor, I pledge to work in a spirit of cooperation with all council persons, town administrators and the citizens of Ocean View to face challenges head-on and make decisions that are in the best interest of the community. Our town and citizens deserve nothing less.
Gordon Wood
Q. The town is facing a major shortfall in anticipated transfer tax revenues. What would you do to address this issue if you are elected? Should the town consider raising property taxes? What revenue options and priorities would you like to see the town pursue? Would you pursue budget cuts, and, if so, in what areas and to what degree?
A. The question refers to “revenue options” — meaning tax increases. So many of our residents came here to avoid confiscatory taxes in places like New Jersey and Pennsylvania which have tax rates way over double Ocean View’s. We are not used to such high tax rates. High taxes elsewhere are not an excuse for increasing your taxes.
I have pledged not to vote for tax increases unless there are no acceptable alternatives. So many in our town operate on fixed incomes. Tax increases stress budgets and they must be a last resort.
Ocean View has serious budget problems brought on by excess spending and transfer tax shortfalls which I expect to drop further. Fiscal responsibility requires the council promptly to review every budget item. It would be fiscally irresponsible not to. Absolutely nothing can be off the table.
Reducing and deferring expenditures are acceptable options, especially at budget-crunch times. Possible cost-reduction opportunities are discussed in detail in my answers to other questions. Have you ever seen an organization that can’t improve efficiency and reduce costs? This applies to Ocean View. Public hearings should be scheduled to review good-management opportunities. I want to hear your views.
I do not support employee salary cuts. I believe retention of capable employees is more efficient and effective than replacing them. I do support reducing overtime at every opportunity.
Q. The town has allocated some $300,000 in funds for the construction of a public works building to address the need for space for equipment storage and administrative offices. Do you believe the town should build a $300,000 building, use the money to add on to existing town structures, allocate additional funds for a more extensive project, build a “phased” project starting with the $300,000, or find some other solution? Why?
A. I see this as an eventual necessity to protect expensive equipment and vehicles, but one which should be deferred until we define clearly what we need and when. Do we have the proper roster of vehicles and equipment? We must know exactly what we need before proceeding with budgeting, designing and building a new facility. A $1.3 million building as proposed to the council simply does not pass a credibility test.
On the issue of new offices for Public Works staff, it makes no sense whatsoever to consider building office space until we complete our space needs study, something I want accelerated. It also makes no sense to construct new office space until available space is fully utilized. Yes, that includes our over-sized public safety building.
Q. What do you believe should be done to address the ongoing shortage of space for staff at town hall?
A. The shortage of space in the town hall can be solved by allocation and use of existing space in Ocean View. All existing space must be considered before building anything. You can’t talk about fiscal responsibility without talking straight about this possibility. Simply said, new office construction would be fiscally irresponsible until we utilize better what we have. The in-process space needs study should be completed promptly, reviewed by the council, and discussed at a public hearing. I heard the strong views of the people of Ocean View on this issue. They will be reflected in council decisions.
Q. The town’s public safety building has been said to have been built to accommodate space needs some 20 or more years into the future. What do you feel should be done with space that is currently unused at the facility?
A. There is vacant space, and not to use space you and I are paying for ($2,500 each plus almost $100 each per year for maintenance) makes no economic or public safety sense. As available lots in town are built out, we may need to provide additional police staff. I am not convinced this is a near-term need. Crime is not rampant in our town.
I looked seriously at paid-for use of our public safety building by others, including Millville, drug enforcement agencies, emergency management agencies, the state police and others. I am concerned about having federal or state noses under our tent. The state police, which admittedly need a southeast Sussex troop and facility, are a possibility. Their presence would also enhance public safety in Ocean View and would provide income. Knowing very soon about this possibility can’t hurt. Ocean View will meet immediately with Col. MacLeish, the State Police superintendent, to look into this possibility. His office told me he will meet with us.
I say it again; no option is off the table. This space is an asset which must either produce income now or be utilized now for town needs. We will evaluate the options and understand the money numbers — on an expedited basis. As I said above, I know where most people in Ocean View stand on this. After we know the possibilities in detail, we will solicit your views again.
Q. Do you believe the town has enough police? Too many? Is the town spending too much of its revenue on the police department?
A. I have talked to so many residents during this campaign and I believe our town wants and should have 24/7 coverage – by a well-trained and equipped police force. There is a lot of concern, however, over the size of the force. I would not change having 24/7 police protection in our town. Having said that, U.S. Department of Justice statistics demonstrate that towns our size nationwide have an average of 2.6 policemen per 1,000 residents. It takes more than that for 24/7 coverage, but not an authorized level of eight, including the chief. Staffing needs should be studied immediately to provide definitive answers on staff size. I will initiate this on day one and expect it on an expedited basis. Are reciprocal public safety agreements with Sussex County neighbors effective and reasonable? For big emergencies, we have cooperation with our neighbors and the state police with their special teams and helicopter assistance.
The new council will review staffing with the town manager and the chief, who just finished an extensive training course at the FBI Academy to hone his management skills. The council will expect an immediate, thorough, well researched with statistics, and well documented study and recommendations from them. The town manager will be fully involved because he is responsible to the council for recommending a unified budget and managing the council-approved budget.
Spending over 50 percent of our budget on public safety operates to the detriment of drainage and road maintenance. Having said that, I say again, funding must be sufficient to provide 24/7 coverage. We should also consider less expensive, supplemental summer help — including help to facilitate traffic control. The chief and the town manager will be requested to evaluate the utility of this in their staffing report.
Overtime is a major cost and past levels can’t be sustained. The chief and town manager will be requested to include the issue of overtime in the staffing report with an eye to getting it under control. Judicious use of overtime will save money, but overuse is wasteful. Further on this issue, service by our staff to other departments or agencies in the interest of cooperation, if well managed, is judicious. Such service must be council approved and managed because it is a significant expense to our town.
Q. Would you like the town to pursue an agreement with the Town of Millville to share police officers/staff and/or police space at the public safety building?
A. This is a possibility, but I am not optimistic — read on. We will initiate conversations with Millville immediately, but there are real questions. What level of response service are we providing and what does it cost Ocean View? What are Millville’s views? Is Millville ready for 24/7? Is Millville ready to assume a fair share of the cost of our responding to calls in Millville? Do we even know what the real and fair cost of supplying police officers is? What is the impact of Millville’s new arrangement with the state police? Our current costs are greater than the $76 per hour Millville pays to the state for 36 (!!!!) hours per week. You know they are happy with that — if they feel that is all they need. I really don’t think they are interested in an agreement with Ocean View. Much is being said during the election season, but we really don’t know the answers. They are our neighbors and the matter must be settled. I will advocate a short-lived committee to include one or more member(s) of the council, the chief and the town manager to explore this possibility fully and quickly. We can’t let this delay doing what is best for Ocean View.
Q. Do you support the existing take-home vehicle policy for the town’s police officers? Why or why not? Do you feel the town should make cuts to funding for the policy? If not, how might it raise revenue to pay for it?
A. Everyone seems to look at this issue as a yes or no, all or nothing, question. I don’t. The general law enforcement view is that the presence of police cars in or very near our town during off hours does help prevent crime, but I believe it does nothing for us to have our cars parked for three days a week, plus off-duty hours, in driveways in towns miles away. In my view, it is a major expense requiring excess police cars without a commensurate payoff.
The same Department of Justice report I quoted above, on police staffing, indicates that the average police force for a town our size has one car for each two policemen. We currently have nine cars for eight officers! Who can justify this? A take-home policy should be in the interest of public safety and not as a perk for our officers but it has become one. It is too expensive. If it has been talked up as a perk to job applicants and if we change the policy, I could consider a one-time, reasonable raise in lieu of a take-home policy. This could save many thousands of dollars a year without impacting public safety.
The answer is neither a yes or no, as I said. The answer is better management, such as possibly designating a “call-in” officer for off-hour emergency response who would take a car home. Even this, if fast response is a criterion, should have some reasonable mileage limit. Remember, in 2007, we had only four such call-ins during the whole year. They included one request from the state police for support, one strip-search requiring a female officer and two transports to Beebe Hospital for mental issues (required by law). Is this (only four call-ins) worth from $80 to $100 thousand per year when we can maintain public safety for much less?
Entry-level police staff has difficulty affording living in Ocean View and requiring police staff to live in our town would limit applications to fill vacancies. If we continued our take-home policy, we must set a low mileage limit. Fast response and long distances are simply inconsistent. The cost of our current policy approaches $100 thousand a year and that doesn’t even include the costs of the required added cars. That’s a lot; we can and must do better.
Q. There has been controversy over the pay raises given recently to the town manager and other town staff. Do you feel these increases were justified? Do you support the town’s provision of a vehicle to the town manager for his use?
A. Election-season hysteria on this issue diverts from real issues and is not productive. A properly established and managed salary review program and overtime management would have precluded the council’s being in the position of even having to consider these unpopular-to-the-taxpayer raises. He should not have been the fourth highest-paid employee in the town.
What would I have done if I had been on the council? You have to have been in the debate to really know what you would do, but I probably would have supported the salary increase for the town manager as a one-time only adjustment. In the future, scheduled reviews will be the proper mechanism for salary administration. This will be the case in the future.
As for his car, which I understand was suggested by Councilman Wichmann and approved with no dissent, I would have asked a lot of questions and I don’t think I would have supported it. Denton is a long way away. This is fair game for review.
I believe the town manager is doing a good job for us. When compared with similar jurisdictions, he is being paid a fair salary. Remember, salary and overtime mismanagement caused the problem. The next regular salary review is the proper time to consider his salary. Election season certainly is not the proper time!
I strongly believe all department heads are management positions and they should be paid a fixed salary without overtime — except in very special and limited cases. Overtime for department heads should be approved ahead of time by the town manager except in real emergencies. This will keep this problem from coming up again.
Q. What new or expanded services, if any, would you like for the town to provide? What other issues should the town be addressing?
A. Until we get the money right, it is difficult honestly to advocate expanded services without supporting a tax increase. There are things we can do, however. I will initiate close cooperation with the state regarding a walking or jogging path along the Assawoman Canal — at least from White’s Creek to Route 26. I have discussed this with the state and it is in their plans. They are even looking at parking availability on each end. I support this whether it would be on the Ocean View or the Cedar Neck side — a decision not yet made.
Regarding sidewalks, I was surprised at the large number of residents who want sidewalks. I should not have been, but concerns over the combination of pedestrian safety and having a nice place for walkers in our town is understandable.
We will get sidewalks on Route 26 whenever the state gets around to their redo project. Beyond that, Central and Woodland avenues — the heart of a talked-about historical district — should be a priority. I will ask the town manager to submit a plan for phased construction throughout our town with annual costs — not just in the “historical district”. This will be expensive and the town manager’s plan must include all funding alternatives. Are grants available? Low-cost loans? Maintenance costs are part of the equation and must be included. I do not support a tax increase now to provide more sidewalks.
Q. Should the town expend resources to support a town museum at this time?
A. I support the concept of a town museum with a caveat on funding. I applaud the leadership of Councilman Nippes and the committee chair, Janet Batlan. They have done good work.
I have regularly attended historical committee meetings and I have regularly reminded