REHOBOTH BEACH — Rehoboth Beach Commissioners held a public hearing today regarding the hiring of City Manager Taylour Tedder. This comes after the Delaware Attorney General’s Office recently found that the city violated Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) laws during the hiring process for Tedder.
Today’s public hearing was held as a result of the FOIA violation, where it was discovered that the city did not discuss Tedder’s hiring in public, instead choosing to hold executive sessions. Following the advice of the Attorney General’s office, the meeting was held in public and Tedder’s hiring was again unanimously approved by the commissioners, despite intense public debate.
Tom Gaynor, a Rehoboth homeowner who originally filed the FOIA complaint, said he was pleased with the attorney general’s decision but stressed that it only addressed part of the problem. He cited concerns regarding Charter violations and wages, which the FOIA does not address.
“This does not address the substantial concerns of the people of Rehoboth: that they hired this guy with the people’s money and an outrageous amount of the people’s money, a candidate who was not eligible under the charter that governs us all,” Gaynor said.
“If we do not take a stand against their illegality and against the illegal violation of the terms and provisions of the charter that govern their conduct, what will be next?” he added.
Dozens of residents expressed their discontent at the public hearing, criticizing Tedder’s hiring and some even calling for the commissioners to resign.
“The compensation is not generous or lavish, it is outrageous,” said one resident.
Another added: “I am very disappointed as a resident, and Mr. Tedder, Stan Mills and the commissioners are not getting paid, we are.”
Mayor Stan Mills and the commission defended their decision, emphasizing the difficulty of recruiting a strong candidate and noting that they found it difficult to retain strong candidates without a solid compensation package.
“A lot of good things convinced me to hire Mr. Tedder. He has the experience and credentials the City needs: he is familiar with the CDP, CIP, strategic plans and grants, and he had more to offer than the other candidates. He is a very effective communicator and much, much more,” said Mayor Mills.
Tedder himself did not comment during the meeting.
Tedder’s contract includes a $250,000 annual salary and a $750,000 loan that will be forgiven after seven years.
Tom Gaynor added that he and other residents will continue to press the city on the issue of charter violations and wages, and are even considering filing a future lawsuit against the city.
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