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Incumbents win by healthy margin in Dewey election
By Jen EUingsworth
Netting approximately 70 per-
cent of absentee votes and over 60
percent of machine vote s, the in -
cumbent "BLT Ticket" Scored a
decisive victory in the Dewey
Beach Municipal Election on Sat-
urday, Sept. 20.
Newly re-elected commissioner
and former Dewey Beach mayor
James Lavelle became "Landslide
Lavelle," alter he edged running
mate Jim Bracken by two votes,
480-478. Bill Tansey earned 445.
Newcomer Jo Ann Hill regis-
tered 234, while fellow challenger
Allen Engleking had 207. The
term of commissioner in Dewey
Beach is two years.
Town Manager Bill Rutherford
said Bracken, Lavelle and Tansey
as a ticket won 309 absentee votes
and 356 machine votes.
"I think as the vote indicated,
we got a vote of approval," said
Tansey. "It tells us we should stay
the course, and that's what we in-
tend to do."
Polls opened at 10 a.m. on elec-
tion day, and voters and candi-
dates were out in full force at the
U.S. Lifesaving Station. Bracken,
Lavelle and Tansey handed out
bacon, lettuce and tomato sand-
wiches in honor of the occasion,
and Hill, Engleking and their fam-
ilies greeted voters at the polling
place.
A small crowd rallied around
the bulletin board outside of the
town hall on Rodney Street nearly
nine hours later when the election
results were posted. When the
votes were handed down, candi-
dates on both sides shook hands
and voters traded their viewpoints
of the outcome.
"I thought it was a good elec-
tion," said Roger Mallet, a Dewey
• Beach resident and chairman of
the planning and zoning commis-
sion. "I thought some good issues
were brought up. I'm sure the
town will address those issues in
the near future to see what im-
provements can be made in terms
of making Dewey Beach a better
community."
The weeks leading up to the
election were filled with spirited
campaigns. The role of the town's
police department, the presence of
its summer officers and ordi-
nances controlling noise were top-
ics used as platforms by the chal-
lenging candidates.
"It [the election] was a vindica-
tion of the police department, the
court system - everything," said
Lavelle. "The image of the town
has improved. That's what I
found out voter after voter."
While the incumbents said
they're pleased with the results
from the election, they said they'll
address those concerns brought
forth during the race.
Lavelle, who was elected for his
fourth term, said he plans to initi-
ate a bipartisan commission to ex-
amine charges brought by individ-
uals concerning the police depart-
ment. The commission, which
will be on the agenda at the next
town meeting on Saturday, Oct.
11, will serve to protect the police,
he said, "beqause som e PeOPle
make mwalrranted, ufifounded; "
charges. We wiii investigate
those fairly."
"I'm pleased we won," said
Bracken. "I really also think that
everything they brought up we're
going to analyze. I think there
were some nuggets in the thing -
some things we hadn't thought of
before."
Police Chief Raymond Morri-
son said the town's success over
the past five years has been
brought about by the current corps
of commissioners. He said he
feels that their support has been
paramount in the taming of what
was once viewed as a "lawless
town."
"I think the incumbents fought
for many years to point Dewey
Beach in the right direction," he
said. "It is only the success it is
today because of Lavelle, Brack-
en, Tansey, [Mayor Bob] Freder-
ick and [Commissioner Faith]
Duncan."
Morrison, who has been police
chief in Dewey Beach since 1992,
said references made during the
election'to police bullying were
unfounded. "They were so
wrong," he said. "I believe in
community policing. I won't have
a bully in my department."
Challengers Hill and Engleking
said they're glad that certain is-
sues were brought to light during
the election.
"We still have issues, as far as
I'm concerned, and we'll try to
work with them," said Engleking.
"I love Dewey Beach, and Iwill
do what I can to help make it the
best resort area on the Delmarva
Coast, just as if I were elected."
Hill said she felt like she and
Engleking did a service for the
community by running for the
posts.
"We couldn't just hand it over
to them [the incumbents] without
a challenge," she said: "It brought
issues to light, and many-people
heard problems and concerns.
They are there and they are real."
Rutherford said the election was
typical of Dewey Beach, and that
the town is moving in a different
direction than it was in 1991.
"It's an election that's kind of
typical in Dewey Beach," he said.
"You have property owners with a
variety of views - noise, the direc-
tion of the community, beach re-
plenishment. Since 1991, it seems
every time that an issue such as
these are brought forth the voter
turnout seems to be overwhelm-
ingly heavy."
Rutherford said he thought the
tempo of this most recent election
was in favor of the incumbents be-
cause property owners don't want
to see the town return to its wilder
days. "The comments I heard on
election day were 'We don't want
a noisy town,' and 'We don't
mind the summer officers.' "
Cape Gazette reporter Kerry
Kester contributed to this story.
Jen Ellingsworth photo
Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches were the order of the day for voters who turned out
for the Dewey Beach election on Saturday, Sept. 20, at the U.S. Lifesaving Station on Dagswor-
thy Avenue. Shown (l-r) is the "BLT Ticket," commissioners James Lavelle, Jim Bracken and
Bill Tansey with challenger Allen Engleking.
Kerry Kester photos
Above, Dewey Beach commissioner Bill Tansey (leftl) shakes the hand of challenger Jo Ann
Hill after the results of the municipal election were posted outside of the town hall on Satur-
day, Sept. 20, as Hill's husband, Jim, looks on. Although she lost her bid for a commissioner's
seat, Hill said she was glad she ran for election because it was a race that,brought several im-
portant issues to light.
Below, members of the "BLT Ticket," (l-r) Bill Tansey, James Lavelle and Jim Bracken,
stand in front of the posted results at the Dewey Beach Town Hall. The three incumbents
earned approximately 70 percent of the absentee votes and more than 60 percent of the ma-
chine votes in the election.
