This is why we have the Tip Line.
I can’t make this up. Rehoboth Beach’s shiny new mayor Paul Kuhns and Rehoboth Beach Commissioner/would-be State Auditor Kathy McGuiness want to give LLC’s, wait for it, the right to vote.
From the Cape-Gazette:
“Voting rights for limited liability companies are on the agenda at a town hall meeting set for 2 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Rehoboth fire hall in Rehoboth Beach.
The Rehoboth Beach Commissioners are considering a proposal that would allow residential property owners who own property in an LLC to vote if they own at least 50 percent of the entity. The ordinance specifies the principle of “one person, one vote,” meaning that if a person is a resident and owns property in an LLC, that person is entitled to one vote, even if the person owns multiple properties in LLCs. The ordinance also does not allow proxy voting on behalf of LLCs. The ordinance also requires those who hold property as an LLC to sign an affidavit attesting to their eligibility.
Commissioner Patrick Gossett, who opposes the ordinance, laments:
“Sometimes I think Rehoboth is getting Alzheimer’s, because we’re really forgetting who we are. And making changes like this makes you take further steps,” Gossett said.
Oh, the December 2 meeting? Takes place during the Rehoboth Beach Marathon.
Kuhns has had a hard-on for LLC’s for quite some time. Kuhns was quoted in the Cape-Gazette over a decade ago as saying:
“I think the downtown business people should have a right to vote as much as, or more, than someone who just moved here six months ago.”
According to our tipster, there are no letters on file requesting or demanding this change. It is the priority of Kuhns and chief proponent McGuiness. It is being rushed through, first brought to a Town Commissioners’ meeting on October 30, public comment scheduled for Saturday. Why the rush? Because the General Assembly reconvenes in January and, if the Town Commissioners approve the proposal, the change requires a change to the Town Charter. Guess which two legislators would be responsible for running that Charter Change in Dover. How about Pete Schwartzkopf and Ernie Lopez? Need I go into the ties that both have to Park Slope Kathy? Didn’t think so.
According to our tipster, the proposal would add 700 more prospective voters to the rolls, a 50% increase, meaning that these ‘non-people’ voters would represent the difference in any close race. How ‘non-people’? According to the tip, of the 350-plus LLC’s in the city, over 200 are commercial businesses and dozens of others are held by developers.
Our tipster asks the questions:
“Will Pete actually sponsor this? What will happen there? Will our elected state officials see the madness of this proposal?” This ordinance would not have gotten as far as it has w/o Pete & Ernie Lopez being in the loop. It’s possible they could be shamed out of sponsoring it, but, when it comes to cozying up to Kathy McGuiness, history suggests that shame is not one of their considerations.