Dewey Commissioner Candidates to Faceoff in Online Forum
The deadline to file to run for commissioner in Dewey Beach was this past Thursday. The only three candidates running this year for the two seats are the two incumbents, Commissioners David Moskowitz and Gary S. Persinger, along with challenger William J. Stevens. All three candidates have a Facebook page and/or website and each has an email newsletter (contact them to be added).
This is a re-match of the 2018 election where Comm. Persinger was the top vote-getter with 405 votes. Comm. Moskowitz was second with 302 votes followed by Stevens with 227 votes.
Stevens says he has spent the past two years studying the Dewey government, participating on town committees and watching commissioner meetings. He said he has a “good handle on the intersection of where the business community and residents meet and how they can meet to stabilize and evolve into the town we should be.” He plans a social-distancing meet-the-candidate event from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the bay beach at the Hyatt next Friday.
Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, Comm. Moskowitz says he needs to put the residents and most importantly his toddler daughter first and limit in-person campaign events. He encourages people to visit his website to learn about him. “Beginning with my work as a member and leader of the Investment Committee, which helped the town make $1,027,075 in investment income, and my two years as Dewey Beach Town Commissioner, I have always put in the time and energy to help make Dewey Beach the best that it can be for all constituencies,” he said noting that he is happy to talk to anyone via email or on the phone.
“The 2020 summer season has been a difficult one both for property owners and businesses, and like others, I want to get back to the ‘normal’ we all enjoy,” says Comm. Gary Persinger. “Moving toward normal will require commissioners to focus on short-term budget issues while maintaining focus on longer-term goals and needs. Ensuring the availability of resources for the long-term has been, and will continue to be, an important emphasis for me. I want to work cooperatively with the other commissioners to realize the recovery and renewal that we all look forward to after these past few months,” Comm. Persinger added.
The Dewey Business Partnership is hosting an online forum for the candidates next Sunday (Labor Day Weekend) at 2 p.m. Steve “Monty” Montgomery, DBP president, says the online event will be a one-hour forum consisting of opening statements from each of the three candidates followed by Q&A. Several questions will be selected by the Dewey Civic League and Business Partnership leaders and it will conclude with closing statements. “The questions will be well-rounded to cover most important aspects in the Town of Dewey,” Montgomery said. Voters will be able to view the forum live on Sunday or at a later time as the unedited video will be posted on YouTube. See the DBP website for info.
These were the results from the 2018 election where the same three candidates ran for two commissioner seats. Note the interesting differences between machine and absentee votes.
Election day in Dewey Beach is September 26. Info on absentee ballots is on the town’s website.
