GEORGETOWN, Del. - Six candidates in Georgetown's election outlined their priorities during a forum hosted Monday evening by the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, offering voters insight ahead of Saturday's vote.
Angela Townsend, who is running for mayor, previously served on Georgetown Town Council and lost to current Mayor Bill West by 34 votes in 2024.
"I wanted to try to step up to the plate. I don't have all the answers, and I admit I don't have all the answers, but I'm willing to work at it to see if we can do more than we're currently doing now, which to me is really nothing," Townsend said.
She also expressed concern about the town's direction.
"The town is going downhill. It's not the town I remember as a child when I grew up, and a lot of people, it breaks your heart, it breaks your heart. A lot of people are afraid to have their kids go out in the yard and play because of all the homeless people we have, and it's just disheartening to see our town," she said.
Townsend told CoastTV News she wants to close the Shepherd's Office, saying she believes it enables people experiencing homelessness.
She also pointed to a lack of coordination among organizations.
"I have visited other nonprofits. I went to Love INC in Seaford. I went to Higher Ground. We have a lot of nonprofits that are helping the homeless in different degrees, but they're not working together, and they should, but a lot don't want to work with each other because they're taking funding," Townsend said.
"If we were going to serve or solve the homeless problem, then we all need to work together because some are good, some are bad, some good points, bad points, but I want to try to get the homeless situation," she added.
Townsend added that if elected, she would form committees to increase community involvement and participation in town government.
"We don't have enough constituent, residents participation. I want to do an immigrant advocacy group. I want to get the Hispanics involved more. We hardly have any Hispanics at the meetings. I want to get them more involved in the process to attend meetings, because I can see in the future we're going to have Hispanic council members, mayors, and I can see that, but I think they need to be involved," she said.
She noted she also wants council members to spend more time in their wards, speaking directly with people who live there about improving daily life.
Townsend added she hopes to bring more community events back to Georgetown.
"We used to have New Year's Eve, a celebration in The Circle. We used to have concerts in the park. I want to have more events to bring the public out and the community out, but I want to work together. I'd love to have block parties in each of the wards to have the residents come out and celebrate together and get to know each other," she said.
Geoffrey Walker, another mayoral candidate and a sergeant at Sussex Correctional Institution, said he decided to run after West announced he would retire in May.
"When he was the mayor, I would had no chance of winning because he is a local boy who know he knew everybody in the town, and it was hard," Walker said. "When he retired, I told my wife, 'I'm going to run for mayor when he retires because I think I have a better chance.'"
Walker said he wants to focus on communication and problem-solving if elected.
"I'm looking forward to meeting the people, talking to the council, and find out what we can fix," he said. "I enjoy talking to everybody, and what we can do is from there, find out what's the best option to take care of stuff in town."
"I love the town, and I enjoy it. I want my kids to grow up here. I want everybody else in here and their kids to grow up here. I want generations of families to grow, to come here and live here," Walker added.
Walker also suggested simplifying planning and zoning codes and working with the town manager to improve business perception.
Also on the ballot is Itzel Hernández, a visual artist and the first Latina to run for mayor of Georgetown.
"I decided to run because I am interested in being a representative for our town as a Latina," Hernández said.
She outlined several priorities.
"I want to focus on security, making sure that our streets are safe and focused on economic growth. I want to strengthen our communities, and I want to focus on the homeless population and just overall building a united Georgetown," she said.
Hernández told CoastTV News she wants to work closely with organizations and constituents to address local challenges.
"I think that we need to do less complaining and be creative with ideas and thoughts to create a better Georgetown," Hernández said.
"I've traveled, I've done some residencies in different countries, and I've seen and learned from these experiences, and I want to bring those ideas back here, and get the response from the community to see how we can maybe build more of like a cultural hub," she said.
Hernández suggested bringing people together by using a planned community room at the new Georgetown Police Department and Public Works Facility.
Regarding business perception, she said she would review the town's code enforcement policies to make it easier for businesses to come to Georgetown.
Hernández also suggested creating murals around town to boost economic development and preserve Georgetown's history.
Candidates running for Georgetown Town Council also outlined their priorities during the forum.
Michael Briggs, president of the Georgetown Fire Department, and Eric Evans, the Ward 3 councilman, are running for the Ward 3 seat. Current Councilman Penuel Barret is running unopposed for the Ward 4 seat.
Regarding improving business perception, Evans suggested reviewing the town code and possibly bringing a rooftop to town. Barret, who has served on the Town Council for six years, also pointed to reviewing planning and zoning codes.
On building transparency and trust, Barret said providing more information to the public would be key.
On making the Hispanic community feel more included, Briggs said the first step is getting to know them and getting involved with churches and organizations. Evans added that creating activities that encourage participation would also help.
The election is set for Saturday, May 9, at Town Hall, with polls open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
