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On October 20th Steve Elkins, Sue McCarthy,
and Cheryl Normandeau became the first openly gay and lesbian members
elected to the Board of Directors of the Rehoboth Beach Homeowners
Association (RBHA). The day marked a milestone in assimilating members
of the lesbian and gay community into civic leadership. The twenty
member Board is responsible for charting the direction of one of the
most influential and conservative community organizations in the City of
Rehoboth Beach. Joining them as the other new board members elected at
this year’s fall general membership meeting are Howard Butler and Stan
Mills.
When asked how she
thought the Board of Directors would work with the newly elected board
members Mary Campbell, RBHA President, remarked, “No diverse group of
citizens can hope to agree on all issues. However, respect for the
opinions of all members of the Board as well as compromise, if
necessary, will make a difference in our success or failure as an
organization.”
Mary is serving the
second of two non-consecutive terms as President of the thirty-year-old
organization. Several years ago when beginning her second term she
expressed an early interest in electing an openly gay or lesbian to the
Board. As she searched for suitable candidates several opportunities
were missed as Board vacancies were filled and a Board of Directors
election was held. But, behind the scenes Mary continued to speak to
members of the lesbian and gay community and other Board members to
generate interest.
This past spring openly
gay member Don Voth began writing letters to the RBHA and local press
asking that the organization leadership be more inclusive. Don said,
“I wasn’t aware of Mary’s efforts, but I think my request for more
inclusiveness was absolutely essential. It was time to bring the subject
out in the open.”
By July, the Board of
Directors had voted to fill a vacancy on the Board by appointing Steve
Elkins who has been a member since 1991. This made Steve, Editor and
Publisher of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth, the first openly gay member
appointed to the Board. While many believe that Don’s actions helped
to encourage the appointment, Don acknowledged that without Mary’s
support another opportunity to bring diversity to the Board might have
been missed.
Steve’s appointed
term ended on October 20th the same day he was elected by the general
membership to begin his first full term on the Board. Steve had this to
say about his being elected to the board, “I look forward to working
on the Board to make Rehoboth Beach an even better place for all of us
to call our home.”
When asked how the RBHA
can be more effective both Sue and Cheryl mentioned that the Board of
Directors meetings should be open to attendance by the general
membership. Cheryl also said, “There are many people in this town with
a lot of enthusiasm. We should see this as an opportunity to get more
citizens involved.” Sue agreed by saying, “I think it’s important
to involve second homeowners. The RBHA should do all it can to encourage
them to eventually become full time residents.”
Sue and Cheryl have
earned an additional distinction by becoming the second couple to serve
together on the current RBHA Board of Directors. They moved to the city
four years ago and make their home in the Schoolvue section of town. The
other couple is Jay and Priscilla Smith who in addition to being on the
Board are respectively the President Emeritus and Secretary of the
organization.
City trees are at the
top of Mary’s list of other issues the RBHA will work on in the coming
year. “A strong and viable Tree Ordinance to help protect and maintain
our designation as Tree City—USA is mandatory.” Other issues include
neighborhood preservation and the maintenance of public parks and open
spaces. Additionally, the RBHA will be proposing changes to the current
organization bylaws.
The RBHA was originally
organized in 1971 to help influence elected city officials to reduce the
commercial building height limitation from 88 feet to the current 42
feet. If the measure had not passed Rehoboth Beach would be vastly
different from the quaint town we know today. The organization has also
played a role in generating support for a number of other projects
including the Parking Permit Plan and the Comprehensive Long Range/Land
Use Plan.
Annual
RBHA membership dues are ten dollars per household. If you make your
home in the City of Rehoboth Beach and are interested in becoming a
member of the Rehoboth Beach Homeowners Association call Priscilla at
302-227-8259 for more information.
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