Lewes names McCabe as city manager

The City of Lewes has reached an agreement with Ellen Lorraine McCabe to become city manager.

The longtime assistant city manager has been serving as acting city manager since Anne Marie Townshend resigned last August. McCabe has worked for the city for 18 years.

Mayor Andrew Williams announced the agreement at the June 10 mayor and city council meeting. He called it a good, not great, deal for both sides.

“We recognized early on we had the right person,” Williams said. “To Ellen Lorraine’s credit, she recognized she was trading job security for salary. The salary is nowhere near what we’ve seen in recent signings.”

Williams was referring to Rehoboth Beach’s hiring Taylour Tedder as its new city manager. His salary is $250,000 per year, plus he received $50,000 for moving expenses and a $750,000 home loan that is completely forgivable if he stays with the city for seven years.

Williams said McCabe is getting a $20,000 to $30,000 raise. He said she already has a city-owned vehicle and there are no moving expenses. “She doesn’t even want a new laptop,” Williams said.

“I appreciate the confidence council has shown in me while I’ve been doing this acting position. I hope to continue that in the full-time role,” McCabe said.

Williams said the agreement would allow McCabe to return to a staff position in the future, if she chooses.

McCabe is expected to soon name an assistant city manager.