I believe many citizens of Dover wish we could turn back time, to when the city had fewer negative issues and a more promising future.
However, reality is present, and no rose-colored glasses can make Dover look good. All you need to do is stroll or drive down Loockerman Street, North Dupont Highway or Del. 8 to see the current state of affairs. It appears that you cannot travel far in any direction without seeing homeless individuals everywhere, begging for money. And we cannot leave out the open prostitution and drug dealing occurring in various areas of the city.
Dover has a public relations nightmare. Residents are speaking out at City Council meetings and posting negative videos on social outlets for all to see.
The icing on the cake recently came out when a union lodge for the Dover Police Department voted no confidence in the chief of police, by an overwhelming majority of the lodge’s officers. Council President Fred Neil, in his one letter supporting the police, stated that officers are starting to look elsewhere due to the adverse comments. The truth is that individuals leave their agencies for the following reasons: 1.) burnout and change of careers; 2.) retirement; 3.) better opportunities with other departments; and 4.) poor working conditions. Negative public comments do not make any officer leave his or her job. They all know that, at any point in their individual careers, they or their department will receive unsatisfactory feedback.
Currently, Dover citizens are not seeing anything positive occurring. They only see increases in what they are paying to the city.
Leaders need to take positive steps to improve the social ills that are facing our great city. These problems are killing the growth of Dover. The mayor and council members can try to sugarcoat things, but inhabitants and visitors can see the slow destruction.
The downtown improvement project will be dead on arrival if drastic and positive changes are not implemented immediately.
The mayor and council need to take off their individual rose-colored glasses and see what is truly unfolding daily in Dover.
William G. Faust Jr.
Dover
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
