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.
District of Columbia
Capital Pride chair resigns from board after just 10 months
Anna Jinkerson ‘taking step back to move forward’
Anna Jinkerson, who has served as chair of D.C.’s Capital Pride Alliance Board of Directors for the past 10 months and has served on the board for the past four years, confirmed she is resigning from the board effective Sept. 30.
Capital Pride Alliance serves as the lead organizer of D.C.’s annual LGBTQ Pride events.
“I am taking a step back to move forward and plan to stay engaged in the community,” Jinkerson told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Serving as a volunteer leader during a period of transition following World Pride was both an honor and a challenge,” she said.
“Throughout my tenure, I focused on strengthening accountability, improving communications, supporting staff and volunteers, and helping position the organization for long-term success,” she told the Blade in her statement. “Meaningful organizational progress requires collaboration, dedication, and a shared commitment to serving the community, and I am proud of the work accomplished during this period.”
In February of this year, during Jinkerson’s tenure on the board, Capital Pride announced it had expanded the size of its board from 12 to 25 members.
Around that same time one of the existing board members, transgender activist Taylor Lianne Chandler, announced in a letter to fellow board members that the Blade obtained from an anonymous sender that she was resigning from the board. Among her reasons for resigning, she said in the letter, was the board’s failure to address “sexual misconduct” within the Capital Pride organization.
In the letter, which she confirmed for the Blade was authentic, Chandler said she and other board members raised “credible concerns” of alleged sexual misconduct within the Capital Pride organization and the board chose not to adequately respond to those concerns.
Chandler told the Blade a Capital Pride investigation identified an individual implicated in a “pattern” of sexual harassment related behavior, but said she was bound by a Non-Disclosure Agreement that applied to all board members and she could not provide further details.
When the Blade contacted Capital Pride for comment on Chandler’s allegations, Jinkerson responded with a statement saying Capital Pride was addressing her concerns.
“When concerns are brought to CPA, we act quickly and appropriately to address them,” Jinkerson 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,” she said.
In her statement to the Blade this week commenting on her planned resignation from the Capital Pride board, Jinkerson appeared to refer to the concern raised by Chandler.
“I am proud to have advocated for sexual harassment training, supported staff and volunteers when concerns were raised, engaged community leaders in important conversations, and helped advance practices that strengthen safety, transparency, and accountability,” she said.
“As I step away from board service, I do so with gratitude for the opportunity to serve and with confidence in the organization’s future,” she added. “I am taking a step back to move forward, and I look forward to remaining actively engaged in our community and continuing to support efforts that advance equality, belonging, and pride for all.”
District of Columbia
Over 2,000 turn out for Hands Around the Kennedy Center protest
Drag performer Tara Hoot serves as MC, Gay Men’s Chorus of DC performs, attendees shout for Trump to keep ‘hands off’ Kennedy Center
More than 2,000 supporters of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts turned out on Sept. 18, for a rally in support of the performing arts center and a vocal protest against President Donald Trump’s threats to permanently close the center and possibly demolish it.
The event was organized by a group called Hands Off the Arts, which initially called for participants to form a “human chain” around the Kennedy Center’s main building following a rally on the plaza in front of the building.
However, due to a decision by the Trump-controlled Kennedy Center’s board of trustees to close the center earlier in the week and install fencing around part of the building, participants could only form the chain around part of the building, according to organizers.
Drag performer Tara Hoot, who co-organized the event and served as master of ceremonies for the rally preceding the “human chain,” said the large turnout could have fully surrounded the building at least twice had the fencing not prevented a full encirclement.
Among the musicians and singing groups that performed at the rally was the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, which, like other rally performers, had performed at the Kennedy Center in past years. They drew loud applause after singing one of their favorite songs from the Broadway musical show Ragtime, which includes the lyrics, “Will justice be demanded by 10 million men? Make them hear you. When they hear you, I’ll be near you again.”
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Prior to their performance, Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington’s artistic director, Thea Kano, spoke at the rally, reminding participants that shortly after the Trump takeover of the center last year, Kennedy Center officials cancelled a concert the chorus was scheduled to perform there for World Pride 2025.
A Kennedy Center spokesperson said the cancellation was due to a scheduling conflict, but chorus members and LGBTQ activists believe it resulted from policies put in place by Trump and his leadership team at the Kennedy Center following Trump’s statements that he would end controversial “woke” performances that he claimed the majority of Americans disapprove of.
“Now this building sits empty in silence,” Kano told the crowd at the rally. “Let us raise our voices together and bring back the Kennedy Center as it was intended, a place where American culture could be celebrated and elevated, embracing the vibrancy with the spectrum of identify without censure and without politics,” she said.
Among the others who spoke at the rally were U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), and D.C. Councilmember Robert White (D-At-Large).
Most speakers, along with LGBTQ participants in the hands-around-the-building event expressed strong opposition to Trump’s demand that the Kennedy Center name be changed from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
At Trump’s request, his appointed board initially made that name change and placed Trump’s name on the front wall of the building along with the Kennedy name. But following legal action taken by opponents who pointed out that Congress must approve such a name change, a judge ordered the removal of Trump’s name from the building. Trump has said he will take steps to reverse that order and has said he will stop plans to renovate the Kennedy Center building and possibly demolish it if his name is not restored in the Kennedy’s Center’s official name.
Throughout the Sept. 18 rally, LGBTQ participants repeatedly responded to the Trump threats by shouting, “Hands Off!”
Chris Raleigh, one of the founders of Hands Off the Arts and a lead organizer of the Sept. 18 event at the Kennedy Center who spoke at the event told the Washington Blade that more similar events are being planned and he welcomes the support the event has received from the LGBTQ community.
“The LGBTQ community was here first, and we’re following them,” he said. “They’ve been the spearhead; they’ve been the vanguard. And I’m so thankful for heroes like Tara Hoot,” he said, adding, “It’s because they know what it means and how this is a safe place – the theater – for many LGBTQ people.”
The DMV’s own furry group was on full display on the Metro on Sept. 12.
Shutterpaws is a volunteer-led 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located in Maryland.
The furry group has been doing the FurRide event since 2024 and has blown up in popularity for furries around DMV. They showcased themselves on the Silver and Blue Lines near the Smithsonian on Sept. 12.
“A lot of careful planning goes into running these events, with the goal being a seamless and enjoyable experience for everyone who attends,” says Zayre, a Shutterpaws staff member. “There’s a lot that you learn just by trial and error, and as Shutterpaws hosts more and more events, our team of event organizers continues to learn and refine our approach to keep things running smoothly and finding new ways to engage with our community.”
With a larger growth of participation in the community comes many challenges with the group, especially when it comes to the Metro rides and organizing.
“The biggest challenge that we face as organizers is keeping things fresh and finding new and engaging venues to host events,” says Zayre. “Recently we saw a lot of success hosting a meet at On Target Battlezone, an indoor NERF gun battle arena where our crew was welcome to show up and play both with and without a fur suit.”
Nevertheless, Shutterpaws receive overwhelming support from the community and partners.
“Across the DMV there are so many amazing places to host a Shutterpaws event so we can pursue our mission of helping connect fur suiters and photographers, and we’re blown away with the amount of support we’ve received from our community partners,” says Zayre.
Shutterpaws plans to do more events for anyone in the DMV who is interested.
Their next event in collaboration with DC Fur Meet will take place at Pitchers (2317 18th St., N.W.) on Saturday. Visit Shutterpaws’ website for more information.
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Activists protest outside Turkish Embassy in D.C.
A roundup of fall events not to be missed
Over 2,000 turn out for Hands Around the Kennedy Center protest
Furries take over the Metro
