William G. Faust Jr. is a resident of Dover.
I read Dover City Council President Fred Neil’s Opinion, “Councilman Lewis’ Opinion needs clarity,” which includes an attempt to dishonor his colleague, Councilman Brian Lewis, and make him look unfavorable regarding the piece he wrote about gun violence. I believe this is just another desperate attempt to distract citizens from remembering comments in Councilman Neil’s original letter, “Dover Police Department is under siege”. But how can we forget his historic words — that City Council hears from very vocal individuals who pay little or no taxes, who consider themselves experts in the criminal justice system and who provide advice not practical for all of Dover?
What I find interesting is that Council President Neil brings up in his letter that Councilman Lewis nominated him to serve as president. What does that have to do with gun violence and crime? This is clearly an attempt to deflect from the facts of Councilman Lewis’ Opinion. The truth of the matter is that Councilman Lewis probably nominated Mr. Neil out of respect, due to his recent reelection and his years of service to the city. Councilman Neil bringing up the nomination in his latest letter is in poor taste and is, again, another attempt to sidestep his recent actions.
Another blunder in the latest Neil letter is when he stated that Councilman at Large André Boggerty is doing a stellar job in his role as the chair of the Safety Advisory and Transportation Committee. That may be his opinion, but my question is this: What has Councilman Boggerty done to improve safety and transportation in Dover? Why are his accomplishments not mentioned or listed? What has he done in the 2nd District, where I reside, to make things better since he was elected a councilman at large? Has Councilman Boggerty teamed up with Councilwoman Donyale Hall and Councilman Lewis to address any issues or concerns in the 2nd District? I have never seen him in my neighborhood.
Further, I feel that Council President Neil is out of touch with many of the topics affecting Dover and doesn’t understand the challenges regarding protecting and serving our residents, our neighborhoods and the entire city. Nowhere in his latest letter does he mention that Councilman Lewis has years of experience in law enforcement, with service as a police officer, a correctional officer and the sheriff of Kent County. Councilman Lewis has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the issues of safety and law enforcement.
Lastly, Council President Neil is beating the drum in support of the police department, but he has not offered up anything of substance to address or improve our homelessness, our prostitution issue and the uptick in gun violence, which has resulted in serious injuries and deaths. It is easy to criticize others when your platform lacks substance and has no true direction.
I 100% support our police officers, who pin on their badges and go into harm’s way daily to keep us all safe. However, it does not show a lack of support if you are questioning how the mayor and City Council are addressing the problems facing our great city. Our leaders need to lead and be strong. Our rank-and-file officers are following the orders and directives they receive from the chief of police, the mayor and council. So, we can’t blame them for not trying to make a difference.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
