Dewey Beach Officials Slapped With Dozens Of Violations - WMDT 47 News - Delmarva's Choice

DEWEY BEACH, Del. - Dewey Beach Mayor Diane Hanson says the town is completely blind-sided. This after former mayor Dell Tush filed a complaint stating that 28 meetings held over the past 18 months were in violation of the law.

"We were following a pattern we thought was correct and we have done that for five years," said the Mayor.

"There were times when I asked the attorney 'do we need anything more than this.' He said 'no what you have is fine. That is efficient to meet the law.' "

Back in November, the council voted to pay the Mayor's legal fees for a separate lawsuit she was tied to. That was discussed during an executive session, which Tush claims should not have been exempt from a public meeting. That decision along with many others could now be reversed, an idea that seemed to puzzle the mayor.

"We have approved so many contracts this year, we have hired many people, does that mean that all their contracts are void? Does that mean everything we did we have to start over again?"

Perhaps the most controversial vote, moving the Ruddertowne project forward, seems to be in the clear. The Attorney General's Office did not include that meeting on the list of violations, even though the mayor says it was held in the same fashion as the rest.

Town officials now have to submit agendas to the Attorney General's Office 10 days prior to a meeting , and submit any changes 48 hours before. As for the other votes just mentioned, we'll have to wait and see what happens once the investigation is complete.