Dewey Beach Mayor Bill Stevens sworn in for fourth term

In one of the shortest meetings commissioners could recall, Dewey Beach Commissioners Bill Stevens and Gary Persinger were sworn in for their new two-year terms Sept. 27, with Stevens unanimously elected mayor for a fourth one-year term.

The municipal election was canceled for the third straight year when only the incumbents had filed to run by the deadline. The election had been set for Saturday, Sept. 21.

In Dewey Beach, commissioners are elected to two-year terms. At each annual organizational meeting, commissioners vote to elect a resident commissioner among themselves to serve a one-year term as mayor. 

Stevens, a resident commissioner, was first elected in 2020 and was subsequently elected mayor by his fellow commissioners in 2021 and every year since. As mayor, Stevens is an ex officio member of all town committees.

First elected in 2016, Persinger, a nonresident commissioner, has owned property in Dewey Beach for more than 30 years. He serves as commissioner liaison to the audit, comprehensive development plan, and climate change committees.

First elected in 2017, Commissioner Paul Bauer was sworn in for a seventh one-year term as secretary. In this role, he is responsible for presiding over council meetings or managing other duties when the mayor is unavailable, and for keeping minutes of executive sessions of town council.