Lewes Board of Adjustment chair resigns

Lewes Board of Adjustment chair Brook Hedge has resigned effective immediately. 

The resignation comes just over a week before the board is to hear an appeal from the Lewes Historical Society regarding the historic preservation architectural review commission’s denial of its request to allow the menhaden fishing net reel to remain on its campus at the corner of Shipcarpenter Street and West Third Street. The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m., Monday, Sept. 20. 

Hedge had already announced Sept. 8 that she was planning to recuse from proceedings after she offered an opinion on the issue in emails to Mayor Ted Becker. 

In her letter of resignation, Hedge says she and her spouse, former Councilwoman Bonnie Osler, are considering moving their primary residence to New Hampshire, where they already have a home. Hedge indicates that she told Mayor Ted Becker of her intentions as early as December 2020 and intended to stay on until matters pending before the board were completed. 

Also in her resignation letter, Hedge expresses her desire to continue the tradition of having at least one lawyer serve as a member of the board of adjustment. Hedge retired in 2018 after a 40-year career as an attorney working for the federal government and later a Superior Court judge. She says she’s provided Becker with the name of a possible replacement. 

The board of adjustment comprises five members. With Hedge’s resignation and the already announced recusal of Bill Sharkey, the Lewes Historical Society appeal will be heard by the remaining three members. 

The issue before the board is whether the historic preservation commission has jurisdiction over the cultural/historic zoning district. City Solicitor Glenn Mandalas said the other issues, such as historical and racial importance of the net reel, are not part of the appeal.