Rehoboth appoints new City Commissioner following abrupt resignation

REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. – The City of Rehoboth Beach has appointed a new Commissioner at Monday’s meeting to fill the spot of one who resigned abruptly last month.

It was at that meeting that the Rehoboth Beach Board of Commissioners approved Mark Saunders to fill the vacant seat of former City Commissioner Don Preston. Saunders tells our Rob Petree that he’s ready to hit the ground running in his new role.

“I’m really enthusiastic,” Saunders explained. “I see a lot of issues coming down the road that we can jump right into and work on. I’m just excited to be a part of it and to be able to add something to the conversation.”

Saunders said some of the issues that are on the horizon include balancing the city’s budget, and an area that Commissioners will be looking at is parking.

“We’re talking about possibly extending the parking season, not saying that we’re going to do that, but it’s on the agenda to make up some funding to better offer our city,” Saunders said.

WMDT’s Rob Petree spoke with Preston last month following his resignation. He declined an interview but provided us with the statement that he sent to the Mayor:

“When I joined the Board, I had high hopes of working to elevate our city and making it even better than it is today for the people who live here, work here, own businesses here, and those who visit here. After more than a year on the Board, I don’t see a path to my high hopes.” 

At the time, Mayor Stan Mills said he was disappointed with Preston’s resignation.

We asked Saunders about concerns over the recent hiring of a new city manager, he said the city is ready to move forward.

“We’ve had our minor bumps in the road, but I think they are minor,” Saunders said. “We just continue to move forward and we’re going to continue to do that.”

Saunders vowed to be available to his constituents, urging anyone who has an issue to reach out to him.

“If you have a problem, or something we need to discuss,  I’d love your opinions,” Saunders explained. “The role of a commissioner, in my opinion, is to be the voice of the people.”

Mayor Mills praised Saunders’ experience in a statement reacting to the Board’s decision to confirm his nomination.

“Mark has outstanding experience representing his fellow citizens as a six-year member of the Rehoboth Beach Homeowners Association board, two of which he served as president,” Mayor Mills said. “I’m confident that as a commissioner Mark will serve our community well, with integrity and a commitment to collaborative decision-making.”

Preston’s resignation, and Saunders subsequent appointment, comes on the heels of controversy this year surrounding the hiring of Rehoboth’s new city manager, Taylour Tedder, who makes a whopping $250,000 as a base salary with another $750,000 in the form of a forgivable loan.

A lawsuit has since been filed that seeks to cancel the city’s employment contract with Tedder.