Local
Rehoboth to elect new commissioners next week
3 candidates vying for two open seats in beach town
Pat Coluzzi is one of three candidates for two open seats on the Rehoboth Beach Board of Commissioners. (Photo courtesy Coluzzi)
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — This election cycle in Rehoboth sees three candidates running for two open seats on the Rehoboth Beach Board of Commissioners. The three candidates are Pat Coluzzi, Richard Byrne and Gary Glass.
Coluzzi, a lesbian former commissioner of Rehoboth who served from 2007 to 2013, has been a property owner in the town since 1994. She is the founder of Rehoboth Beach Farmers’ Market, a board member of the Center for the Inland Bays and a board member of the Lewes Rehoboth Canal Improvement Association. She is a former board member of Rehoboth Beach Main Street, was named the 2012 Rehoboth Beach Citizen of the Year, serves as president of the Rehoboth Beach Sister Cities Association and had a 30-year career in information technology.
“One of the things I think needs to be addressed is the parking issue in town,” Coluzzi said.
Coluzzi suggested the town needs more bike racks, shuttle buses that go into Rehoboth, a parking garage outside of town, different types of parking permits and other means of transportation. During her time as commissioner, Coluzzi started the implementation of a Bicycle Master Plan that provided for more locations around Rehoboth to have bike racks, wayfinding and on-road sharrows. Additionally, she created a plan for scooter parking in Rehoboth and began the process for modernizing payment for parking with ParkMobile.
“I am running for office because I feel I can contribute to making our city better,” wrote Coluzzi in the Cape Gazette. “I have a proven track record of successfully tackling a variety of issues over the years, and after a five-year break, I feel that I am uniquely positioned to address some of the issues that confront our city.”
In addition to finding a solution for parking, Coluzzi is looking to promote a plan that will beautify Rehoboth’s public parks and areas, create a tree ordinance that will preserve the town’s canopy along with providing for the right tree in the right place, foster an environment in which businesses can grow and be successful and create a plan that will make safety paramount for all pedestrians and bicyclists. She considers herself a “Community Candidate” and focuses on bringing the community together, citing her involvement with the Rehoboth Beach Farmers’ Market as one example in which she was able to accomplish this.
Glass and his partner, Brian, have had a second home in Rehoboth for about 20 years, and he has been coming to Rehoboth for decades. Glass serves as a member of the Boardwalk and Beach Committee in Rehoboth and as treasurer of the Country Club Estates Property Owners Association. Glass has worked as a cost accounting analyst, been the director of finance for two non-profit associations and holds a bachelor’s in accounting and finance from Louisiana State University.
“I think there needs to be a lot more fiscal management and responsibility of this city,” Glass said.
Glass argues that Rehoboth cannot make rash decisions when it comes to funding. He questions how much debt the city is willing to take on and says that there needs to be a focus on tomorrow instead of today when dealing with fiscal management.
Glass also lamented exorbitant rent prices for the downtown business community. He says businesses are forced to close, leaving vacant buildings in the downtown area and called for Rehoboth to reinvest in its business community.
When it comes to parking, Glass says that Rehoboth cannot accommodate everyone who comes to visit Rehoboth because it is only one square mile. His approach to the issue is to enforce the rules that are in place and mentions that there are other options, such as parking on Route 1. Glass says the priority for parking should be for those who own homes in Rehoboth.
Other issues Glass seeks to address are the right of LLCs to vote in city elections, the need for an up-to-date storm water run-off system and having a master plan for Rehoboth’s commercial district.
Glass said LLCs should not have the right to vote because he says the community does not know anything about them. Glass also cites an LLC’s ability to avoid paying transfer taxes and how it has been a problem in Delaware. Glass noted that LLCs should own property as a trust or as a person to vote in Rehoboth. Glass does, however, think that LLCs can provide insight and valuable knowledge to the community.
“It’s not about what I want, it’s about what we as a community want,” Glass said. “If I’m elected, I want to represent what the people want.”
Byrne and his wife, Sherri Wright, have been coming to Rehoboth for more than 25 years. They became property owners and part-time residents in 2002 and full-time residents in 2009. Their three children and their families also love Rehoboth Beach and come to visit several times each year.
Byrne directed programs in 4-H, Family Consumer Science and Agriculture at two major universities across the states of Minnesota and Maryland. He serves as president of the Sussex Family YMCA Board of Governors, member of the Delaware YMCA Association Board of Directors, immediate past vice president of the Delaware SPCA Board of Directors and president of the Park Place on the Canal Home Owners Association. Additionally, Byrne serves as chair of the Animal Issues Committee and as a member of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Trees in Rehoboth.
“Parking policies need to be comprehensive,” Byrne said. “Research indicates that when one change is made, it affects other aspects of the entire parking system, often resulting in unintended consequences.”
Byrne says that it is important the community respects the work of the Parking Advisory Committee, which is looking at ways to manage meters, permits and bike and scooter parking. Byrne said that a report in the near future will be vital for future planning on a solution to the issue of parking.
When it comes to neighborhoods and businesses, Byrne says that he will work to insure the quality of life is maintained, infrastructure is maintained and improved, zoning codes are fairly and strictly enforced and that residential zoning is for residential living. For the environment, Byrne is looking to fix the storm water runoff problem, preserve the health of the fresh water lakes, protect and improve the parks, grow the tree canopy, create safer bike lanes and reduce traffic to make Rehoboth more pedestrian friendly. Byrne wants to livestream commissioner and other important public meetings, host informal ‘listening’ meetings, elicit participation on issues, foster communication and be available around town.
“If elected, I commit to working collaboratively with other commissioners, the mayor, city committees, residents and businesses on preserving our neighborhoods, protecting our environment and improving our infrastructure,” Byrne said. “I will listen to people all over the city, take their ideas and concerns to the commission, and communicate back to them about the city’s plans and actions.”
Rehoboth Beach will hold its annual municipal election on Aug. 11 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Convention Center located in the Municipal Building at 229 Rehoboth Ave. For any questions on the election, call 302-227-6181, ext. 108.
In an official statement released at the reveal event Capital Pride Alliance described its just announced 2026 Pride theme of “Exist, Resist, Have the Audacity” as a “bold declaration affirming the presence, resilience, and courage of LGBTQ+ people around the world.”
The statement adds, “Grounded in the undeniable truth that our existence is not up for debate, this year’s theme calls on the community to live loudly and proudly, stand firm against injustice and erasure, and embody the collective strength that has always defined the LGBTQ+ community.”
In a reference to the impact of the hostile political climate, the statement says, “In a time when LGBTQ+ rights and history continue to face challenges, especially in our Nation’s Capital, where policy and public discourse shape the future of our country, together, we must ensure that our voices are visible, heard, and unapologetically centered.”
The statement also quotes Capital Pride Alliance CEO and President Ryan Bos’s message at the Reveal event: “This year’s theme is both a declaration and a demand,” Bos said. “Exist, Resist, Have Audacity! reflects the resilience of our community and our responsibility to protect the progress we’ve made. As we look toward our nation’s 250th anniversary, we affirm that LGBTQ+ people have always been and always will be part of the United States’s history, and we will continue shaping its future with strength and resolve,” he concluded.
District of Columbia
Capital Pride board member resigns, alleges failure to address ‘sexual misconduct’
In startling letter, Taylor Chandler says board’s inaction protected ‘sexual predator’
Taylor Lianne Chandler, a member of the Capital Pride Alliance Board of Directors since 2019 who most recently served as the board’s secretary, submitted a letter of resignation on Feb. 24 that alleges the board has failed to address instances of “sexual misconduct” within the Capital Pride organization.
The Washington Blade received a copy of Chandler’s resignation letter one day after she submitted it from an anonymous source. Chandler, who identifies as transgender and intersex, said in an interview that she did not send the letter to the Blade, but she suspected someone associated with Capital Pride, which organizes D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events, “wants it out in the open.”
“It is with a heavy heart, but with absolute clarity, that I submit my resignation from the Capital Pride Alliance Board of Directors effective immediately,” Chandler states in her letter. “I have devoted nearly ten years of my life to this organization,” she wrote, pointing to her initial involvement as a volunteer and later as a producer of events as chair of the organization’s Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, and Intersex Committee.
“Capital Pride once meant something profound to me – a space of safety, visibility, and community for people who have often been denied all three,” her letter continues. “That is no longer the organization I am part of today.”
“I, along with other board members, brought forward credible concerns regarding sexual misconduct – a pattern of behavior spanning years – to the attention of this board,” Chandler states in the letter. “What followed was not accountability. What followed was retaliation. Rather than addressing the substance of what was reported, officers and fellow board members chose to chastise those of us who came forward.”
The letter adds, “This board has made its priorities clear through its actions: protecting a sexual predator matters more than protecting the people who had the courage to come forward. … I have been targeted, bullied, and made to feel like an outsider for doing what any person of integrity would do – telling the truth.”
In response to a request from the Blade for comment, Anna Jinkerson, who serves as chair of the Capital Pride board, sent the Blade a statement praising Taylor Chandler’s efforts as a Capital Pride volunteer and board member but did not specifically address the issue of alleged sexual misconduct.
“We’re also aware that her resignation letter has been shared with the media and has listed concerns,” Jinkerson said in her statement. “When concerns are brought to CPA, we act quickly and appropriately to address them,” she said.
“As we continue to grow our organization, we’re proactively strengthening the policies and procedures that shape our systems, our infrastructure, and the support we provide to our team and partners,” Jinkerson said in her statement. “We’re doing this because the community’s experience with CPA must always be safe, affirming, empowering, and inclusive,” she added.
In an interview with the Blade, Chandler said she was not the target of the alleged sexual harassment.
She said a Capital Pride investigation identified one individual implicated in a “pattern” of sexual harassment related behavior over a period of time. But she said she was bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) that applies to all board members and she cannot disclose the name of the person implicated in alleged sexual misconduct or those who came forward to complain about it.
“It was one individual, but there was a pattern and a history,” Chandler said, noting that was the extent of what she can disclose.
“And I’ll say this,” she added. “In my opinion, with gay culture sometimes the touchy feely-ness that goes on seems to be like just part of the culture, not necessarily the same as a sexual assault or whatever. But at the same time, if someone does not want those advances and they’re saying no and trying to push you away and trying to avoid you, then it makes it that way regardless of the culture.”
When asked about when the allegations of sexual harassment first surfaced, Chandler said, “In the past year is when the allegation came forward from one individual. But in the course of this all happening, other individuals came forward and talked about instances – several which showed a pattern.”
Chandler’s resignation comes about five months after Capital Pride Alliance announced in a statement released in October 2025 that its then board president, Ashley Smith, resigned from his position on Oct. 18 after Capital Pride became aware of a “claim” regarding Smith. The statement said the group retained an independent firm to investigate the matter, but it released no further details since that time. Smith has declined to comment on the matter.
When asked by the Blade if the Smith resignation could be linked in some way to allegations of sexual misconduct, Chandler said, “I can’t make a comment one way or the other on that.”
Chandler’s resignation and allegations come after Capital Pride Alliance has been credited with playing the lead role in organizing the World Pride celebration hosted by D.C. in which dozens of LGBTQ-related Pride events were held from May through June of 2025.
The letter of resignation also came just days before Capital Pride Alliance’s annual “Reveal” event scheduled for Feb. 26 at the Hamilton Hotel in which the theme for D.C.’s June 2026 LGBTQ Pride events was to be announced along with other Pride plans.
District of Columbia
Capital Stonewall Democrats elect new leaders
LGBTQ political group set to celebrate 50th anniversary
Longtime Democratic Party activists Stevie McCarty and Brad Howard won election last week as president and vice president for administration for the Capital Stonewall Democrats, D.C.’s largest local LGBTQ political organization.
In a Feb. 24 announcement, the group said McCarty and Howard, both of whom are elected DC Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners, ran in a special Capital Stonewall Democrats election to fill the two leadership positions that became vacant when the officers they replaced resigned.
Outgoing President Howard Garrett, who McCarty has replaced, told the Washington Blade he resigned after taking on a new position as chair of the city’s Ward 1 Democratic Committee. The Capital Stonewall Democrats announcement didn’t say who Howard replaced as vice president for administration.
The group’s website shows its other officers include Elizabeth Mitchell as Vice President for Legislative and Political Affairs, and Monica Nemeth as Treasurer. The officer position of secretary is vacant, the website shows.
“As we look toward 2026, the stakes for D.C. and for LGBTQ+ communities have never been clearer,” the group’s statement announcing McCarty and Howard’s election says. “Our 50th anniversary celebration on March 20 and the launch of our D.C. LGBTQ+ Voter’s Guide mark the beginning of a major year for endorsements, organizing, and coalition building,” the statement says.
McCarty said among the organization’s major endeavors will be holding virtual endorsement forums where candidates running for D.C. mayor and the Council will appear and seek the group’s endorsement.
Founded in 1976 as the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club, the organization’s members voted in 2021 to change its name to Capital Stonewall Democrats. McCarty said the 50th anniversary celebration on March 20, in which D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and members of the D.C. Council are expected to attend, will be held at the PEPCO Gallery meeting center at 702 8th St., N.W.
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