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Girls’ lacrosse players make their marks
Local chef remembered at charity slider cook-off
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APRIL 5, 2024
THE LOCAL VOICE OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
Volume 21, Issue 14
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Frankford hires Hudson to help manage growing town By Kerin Magill Staff Reporter The Frankford Town Council has hired former Millsboro town manager Sheldon Hudson as a consultant who will act as a part-time town manager. Hudson, who recently left his job as town manager in Smyrna and started a consulting business, Hudson Municipal Consulting, had his first day in the town office this week. He spoke with the Coastal Point on his way there on Wednesday, April 3. “I’m excited,” Hudson said, adding that he just started his consulting firm “literally a couple weeks ago.” He said he had resigned from his position as Smyrna’s town manager, which he held for a year and a half, “on fine, amicable terms.” The Frankford Town Council voted unanimously at its Monday, April 1, meeting to hire Hudson as a part-time consultant. According to Council President Greg Welch, Hudson will work for the town 20 hours a week. Cheryl Lynch, Frankford’s town clerk, will retain her position, Welch said. Frankford officials had been discussing the possibility of, and the need for, hiring a town manager in recent months. With two large annexations completed and the possibility of as many as 900 new homes coming to the town, Welch said this week that the council realized it will need someone with expertise in dealing with a number of state and county agencies, as well as developers, as the development of the annexed properties moves forward. “We were trying to figure out how to hire a town manager, and what a town manager was,” Welch said. The council had originally spoken with Hudson about helping the Town obtain grant funding for improvements to Frankford Town Park, Welch said, but the discussion broadened to bringing Hudson on for more wide-ranging duties. Hudson said his contract with the See HUDSON page 10
Special to the Coastal Point • Maryfrances Berger
The tulips in downtown Bethany Beach show that spring has sprung!
Local police departments form regional accountability committee By Susan Canfora Staff Reporter The Ocean View Police Department has joined the Dewey Beach, South Bethany and Fenwick Island police departments to form a new Police Accountability Committee, mandated by the state legislature. Known as a PAC, its members will provide advice on policy training and issues affecting communities, Ocean View Chief Kenneth McLaughlin said, explaining that the requirement for PACs statewide stems from the police reform movement and House Bill 206 — written, in part, to establish training standards for Delaware police officers, oversee allegations of police misconduct and conduct hearings for possible suspensions or de-
certification. McLaughlin said larger police departments will form their own PACs, but smaller ones, such as Ocean View, are forming regional committees. “Ocean View laid the foundation and reached out to South Bethany. We have a long-term relationship with South Bethany, and our officers are cross-deputized with South Bethany’s officers and vice-versa. We have a good relationship with Fenwick Chief Mike Morrissey, and we also joined with Dewey Beach Chief Constance Speake. We all share a common platform for policy. We will review police policies and make sure our policies are aligned with the expectations of the community,” the chief said.
PACs must be diverse in their composition, with members all volunteering, without pay, and representing the religious and business communities, with members of various ages and races. “We decided to have two people from each community and an atlarge chairwoman, who will be Gayle Driver of Ocean View — a lawyer and a judge and who volunteers at the police department. She is a wonderful woman. She has a legal background. She served on commissions and she knows how to run a meeting. “We have the Rev. Ethan Magee, pastor of Ocean View Church of Christ. He’s a real good guy, very community oriented. And Lauren See ACCOUNTABILITY page 11