Sheldon Hudson

DAILY STATE NEWS FILE PHOTO/GLEN ROLFE

Town of Frankford
9 Main St.
Frankford, DE 19945
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By Glenn Rolfe

FRANKFORD — After an administrative stint in Smyrna, former Millsboro town manager Sheldon Hudson is back in Sussex County, hired by Frankford in a consulting capacity.

“It’s good to be back in the area, although I never moved,” said Mr. Hudson, who has the title of part-time town manager/municipal consultant.

In March, he resigned as Smyrna’s town manager, a job he assumed in October 2022. Prior to that, he was in the same position for Millsboro, for about six years.

“I decided to resign from Smyrna. It was amicable on both sides,” said Mr. Hudson. “And I decided to go out on my own.” Frankford is Hudson Municipal Consulting’s first client.

“It kind of excites me. I think smaller towns tend to appreciate what you bring to the table, maybe even more so than larger towns,” he said. “Over the years, from time to time, I’ve talked to Frankford and kind of given them some feedback on various issues they were facing. So, it was a very natural conversation to have with them.”

Town Council President Greg Welch said Mr. Hudson has been contracted for about 20 hours a week through the end of the fiscal year in June. But the employment will likely be extended.

Mr. Hudson plans to attend Town Council meetings regularly and work in concert with its members and town clerk Cheryl Lynch.

He will likely assist with securing improvement grants for the town park, addressing sidewalk improvements and amending charter language in reference to the town manager role.

“He’s going to help us develop the town manager position because the town has never had a town manager position. We have been talking about getting a town manager for some time. It is very needed,” Councilman Welch said. “And he is going to guide us with projects we have started, … general town-managing things.”

Mr. Hudson will also focus on recent annexations “to help with that process of onboarding, so to speak, a new developer.”

Two annexations in February 2023 brought several hundred acres into Frankford’s limits, and potential development could result in hundreds of new homes.

One annexation, the Cress Farm property, has already received preliminary approval for Vines Creek Crossing. According to Councilman Welch, it would have around 535 units, a mix of single-family and town homes that could nearly double Frankford’s current residence total.

Mr. Hudson is familiar with such growth, saying, “Having dealt with a lot of annexations in Millsboro, as I told the council, ‘I’ve been there, done that’ to a certain extent.”