REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - Several people from Rehoboth Beach have submitted a petition to the state Attorney General's office stating that the hiring of City Manager Taylour Tedder was a potential violation of the Freedom Of Information Act.
Since hiring Tedder for the position of Rehoboth Beach city manager, homeowners in the city have expressed concern over the hefty salary given to Tedder. The contract calls for a $250,000 annual salary, plus $50,000 in moving expenses and a $750,000 home loan that will be forgiven in full if he stays for seven years. The complaint says this type of compensation is more than any other public official makes in the state.
The primary concerns addressed in the letter sent May 31 to the Department of Justice are that the compensation package for Tedder was not decided in a public forum and that the city charter requirements for this position were not fulfilled with the hire. Signatories of the petition argue that the charter requires the city manager has an engineering degree and has been a city manager for another municipality for at least four years.
"The absolute disregard for the restrictions on their behavior is indefensible when they have an entire set of commissions designed to regulate the most minute behavior of every citizen in this town for the most minute action governable," said Thomas Gaynor, one of the 40 signatories on the petition.
PAST FOIA ISSUES
This is not the first time Rehoboth city commissioners have been brought to the Attorney General. A petition was filed in 2023 following the resignation of former city solicitor Glenn Mandalas and the appointment of current city solicitor Alex Burns. Doing so was determined by the Attorney General's office in February to be a violation of FOIA.
According to a response from the Department of Justice, city commissioners held a vote at the Nov. 6, 2023, special meeting about selecting the new city solicitor "without sufficient public notice and [failed] to meet [their] burden to justify that the discussions in the Nov. 6, 2023 special meeting’s executive session about selecting the new city solicitor were proper under FOIA."
REHOBOTH'S RESPONSE TO CITY MANAGER PETITION
In a response to CoastTV's request for comment Tuesday regarding the current city manager petition, the city stated it "has respectfully requested that the Delaware Department of Justice issue a determination advising that the city has not violated the Freedom of Information Act and [dismiss] the petition in full."
"We are awaiting a decision from the Department of Justice and don’t have any further comment while this issue is being resolved," the statement continued.
The city states that commissioners made multiple decisions regarding the qualifications of the candidate for the city manager position. The city also says it held seven meetings between November and March, but these were executive sessions.
"I hope the Attorney General has the courage to step into this situation and hold the city commission responsible and accountable for the breach of public trust, when we, the people and the public of Rehoboth, have few other resources," said Gaynor.
In a response from the DOJ, the city has until Tuesday, June 11, to respond to the allegations. The DOJ says after it receives the city’s submission, officials will make a determination of if there was a violation.
