REHOBOTH BEACH, Del.- The ongoing controversy surrounding the new Rehoboth Beach City Manager, Taylour Tedder, and the deal he received was discussed at a special meeting on July 8. The Mayor and City Commissioners voted unanimously to uphold Tedder's compensation package.
The city faced backlash after the Delaware Department of Justice determined the city violated the Freedom of Information Act. According to the department, the city decided Tedder’s salary within executive sessions, not open to the public.
Thomas Gaynor, who sent a petition to the state Attorney General, maintains that Tedder's contract is illegal and calls the meeting a sham.
"We made an offer that if the mayor resigns today, litigation can possibly be averted," Gaynor says. "If he doesn't resign then Chancery Court will be the next stop."
To rectify this, Rehoboth Beach city commissioners organized a special meeting at 2 p.m. to discuss Tedder's contract. Rehoboth Beach Mayor Stan Mills reflects on the process as a "failure in the city's transparency,". The lack of public input in Tedder's contract approval led to heightened tensions within the community.
Taylour Tedder keeps his head held high.
"It didn't really have an effect for me but it just meant that we had to have this meeting today," Tedder says.
Tedder tells CoastTV he's looking forward to doing the job and says increasing transparency and information in city agendas is the goal moving forward.
"I'm looking at cost savings, trying to identify a strategic plan, so that we can move forward where we can actually be held accountable by the public and the board by presenting quarterly of our progress our implementation plan of priorities," Tedder says.
