The Rehoboth Beach Board of Commissioners election is coming up in a few weeks on Aug. 9, where three first-time candidates are vying for two open seats: Susan Stewart, Chris Galanty, and Jeffrey Goode. 

The board is the governing body of the city, responsible for creating the budget, appointing city officials and enacting ordinances. Seven commissioners, including the mayor, serve at a time for three-year terms, with no term limits. Two current commissioners, Edward Chrzanowski, who’s gay, and Francis “Bunky” Markert Jr. are not seeking re-election. 

The Washington Blade spoke with each of the candidates about their platform and vision. 

Meet Susan Stewart

Susan Stewart is a lawyer, financial adviser and full-time Rehoboth resident. She is the senior vice president of The Stewart Group, RBC Wealth Management and serves on the Rehoboth Beach Planning Commission as well as the Mixed-Use and Stormwater Utility Task Forces.

Stewart said her overarching vision for the future of Rehoboth is to have a community defined by cooperation and pursuit of common goals to make the city the most beautiful, well functioning, productive and responsive to citizens that it can be. 

“This campaign is about restoring trust and building a stronger, more united Rehoboth Beach,” Stewart’s campaign website reads. “I am running because I want to be part of a team that governs better by listening more, arguing less, and focusing on what truly matters.”

Her main platform issues are related to city code reform, responsible commercial development, legislative approach, city finances, and oversight of consultants and legal services.  

Stewart said she thinks that some of the conflict that has defined federal discourse and polarization has hit the small town.

“That is a real obstacle to getting things done and I’d like us to all be part of this solution,” she said. “I hope Rehoboth Beach will be a well-run community with a very efficient government that … has completely shed this image of being a place where it’s really hard to get anything done.” 

Stewart referenced the current lawsuit facing the city of Rehoboth regarding the hiring of City Manager Taylour Tedder. Some residents claim that Tedder’s employment contract violated the city charter. She supports the city in defense of the lawsuit because it will be very costly if it loses, and believes that commissioners should want the city to not be harmed financially. 

A central issue is how to balance the needs of businesses and residents, according to Stewart. 

“I think we all benefit from having a thriving Rehoboth, and that’s defined by people having good quality of life. Visitors having good experiences [and] businesses being able to thrive.”

Stewart describes herself as a creative problem solver and considers her background as a lawyer and financial adviser as a big differentiator to the other two candidates. She also had an athletic career on the U.S. Women’s Lacrosse Team and coached collegiate basketball and lacrosse. 

“Sports really taught me resiliency,” Stewart said. “Getting up after you got knocked down, being able to fight hard for what you want, but not allowing it to devolve into personal attacks … I think that’s a huge, huge skill set to bring to this position, and getting good professional board members is critical.” 

Stewart identifies as a member of the LGBTQ community and said that people who live in Rehoboth and people who own businesses there know that the city thrives in large part because of the influence of the gay community. 

Stewart’s goal is to be the agent for bringing together businesses and residents “to create the best Rehoboth we can.”

Meet Chris Galanty

Chris Galanty came to Rehoboth for the first time in 1995 and has always been drawn to beach communities, like the one where he grew up in New York. After visiting every summer and being part of the gay beach house community, he fell in love with Rehoboth and bought a home in 2018, while still living in D.C. part-time. 

Galanty works in the environmental sector and has volunteered for multiple organizations. He has worked for Habitat for Humanity and Save Our Rivers, and has served on the Bloomingdale Civic Association in D.C. and the Rehoboth Beach Streets and Transportation Committee. 

If elected, Galanty would be the youngest commissioner on the board. His main priorities are excellence in city operations, fiscal responsibility, restoring Deauville Beach to Rehoboth, public safety and quality of life, environmental protection and resilience, and support for local businesses and tourism. 

“I’m very invested in Rehoboth. This is our home. This is where we’re going to be living really for the rest of our lives,” Galanty said. 

As part of the campaign process, Galanty said he has met with all major department heads, from the city manager to the chief of police to the head of the wastewater department. His focus is on transparency, communication, and accountability. 

“There are a lot of things that are going well here,” Galanty said. “This is a well-run city government, but there are areas for improvement.”

Part of Galanty’s drive to run was to ensure that Rehoboth continues to be a safe place for the gay community for generations to come, as he has been an out gay man for more than 30 years. 

“I think representation is incredibly important, and making sure that there are members of the LGBTQIA community represented in city government is important,” Galanty said. 

A lot of people want to maintain the small town feel, according to Galanty. They don’t want skyscrapers, they don’t want to become Ocean City. They want [Rehoboth to be ] walkable, safe, pedestrian-friendly, and environmentally friendly. 

“One of the things that people like about Rehoboth is that they can walk everywhere, and I’m really a big advocate of transportation safety and bicycle and pedestrian access,” Galanty said. 

Balancing the economy and tourism with maintaining a good quality of life for residents is a tricky issue and is talked about on the campaign trail, said Galanty.

Galanty manages his household and business by ensuring that spending and revenue align. You don’t want to spend more than you’re making, and what is spent should reflect the values of the community, he said. 

“I’m very mindful of the financial responsibility and management issues that are being discussed,” he said.

If elected, Galanty would like to see a more vibrant downtown business district by the end of his term. He believes his unique set of experiences as an urban planner, community advocate, and environmentalist set him apart from the other candidates. 

 “My hope is that Rehoboth Beach retains its unique character and charm, but also evolves to be more responsive, more transparent and more results oriented.”

Meet Jeffrey Goode

Jeffrey Goode has been in Rehoboth full-time for about eight years but has had a second home there for much longer. With an economist background, he has worked as a research manager for about 40 years, mostly with the federal government in D.C. He has also taught classes part-time at colleges such as American University, Georgetown University, and the Catholic University of America. 

Goode is now mostly retired from the government and has time to run for office. He said he decided to run for “fiscal sanity and competence.” His number one priority is getting control of spending. 

He said since moving here eight years ago, the budget has doubled and is now around $44 million. Goode is worried the city will hit its borrowing limit of $75 million in the coming years. If elected, he would not vote for any budget that exceeds the rate of inflation. 

His top five priorities are: fiscal sanity, rescinding the stormwater impact fee, getting back control of Deauville Beach, vigilance in protecting the beach, and concentrating on everyday infrastructure improvements instead of large projects. 

Goode said that Rehoboth is “basically overcrowded now,” and the way to control it is to use economics to be able to service all of the people who visit, such as parking fees. The number of tourists needs to be correlated with the infrastructure but for several months of the year, the city is overflowing, which reduces the experience, according to Goode. 

Goode also said that the gay community in Rehoboth is an extremely integral and important part of the city.

Goode’s wife, Suzanne Goode, is a current commissioner. There are no rules against spouses serving together, as outlined in Section 3 of the city charter. The city’s election administrator and city solicitor reviewed the charter and found that it does not address spouses serving simultaneously, according to the City of Rehoboth Beach’s communications manager. Some have criticized Suzanne Goode’s social media posts as too conservative for the progressive town, including posts related to immigration and climate change. 

Goode said he has seen mixed reactions to his run for a commissioner seat. He wants to reassure residents that he is trying to balance things out, rather than grab power. 

“There’s no rules saying a family member can’t run. They’re not appointing you. You have to go get elected. You have to get elected by the people as a whole,” Goode said. “I don’t see any conflicts of interest. I don’t see any problem.”

Suzanne Goode has expressed frustration over the other commissioners not being transparent with her about updates to the lawsuit against the city. Following a tense meeting on July 7 where she asked about it and was shut down, a new workplace civility rule was implemented mandating “mannerly and courteous behavior” among city employees and commissioners. 

Jeffrey Goode claims that the Board of Commissioners operates like a political machine that helps to select and support candidates, including his two opponents in this election. 

Galanty and Stewart both disputed this claim. Galanty said he is an independent candidate running on his own volition, and made this decision after a significant amount of consultation with his husband and family. Stewart said that this characterization of a political machine is a reflection of the citizenry and the voters not wanting to see spouses on the commission. 

If elected, Goode hopes to save taxpayers money and make the city fiscally sound. 

“I would hope that [in] our city, everyone could be proud of it. I hope it’s a safe, welcoming, wonderful resort to go to. I hope our fiscal situation is strong.”

How to vote

Voting is open on Aug. 9 from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the convention center. Property owners can vote, even if they don’t live in Rehoboth full-time, but must register to vote at least 30 days prior to the election.