Fred Neil is the president of Dover City Council.
Dover City Councilman Brian Lewis absolutely has the right to present his views about gun violence in the city and his anguish over what has occurred in his district (“How do we remedy Dover gun violence?”). All members of City Council share the same anguish and the same concern.
In his Opinion, his memory may have been a little rusty on some facts that are important for the public to understand. At its annual reorganization meeting each May, council has the opportunity to elect its president. The president then appoints the chairs and the members of the committees, as well as the council liaisons.
This year, Mr. Lewis nominated me to serve as the president.
Councilman Lewis had been selected by previous Council President Bill Hare to serve as the chair of the Safety Advisory and Transportation Committee. Next to be elected as the president was Councilman David Anderson, who was then responsible for appointing the chairs. Mr. Lewis may have assumed that he would be automatically reappointed, but he was never removed.
I verified that my predecessor, former Council President Anderson, had seriously considered reappointing Lewis but wished him to work with Councilman at Large André Boggerty, who was the community liaison. Councilman Anderson emailed me that he had a long conversation with Councilman Lewis about all his concerns.
Anderson said he requested Mr. Lewis to provide him, in writing, his ideas on improving safety and community engagement. None were presented, nor did he agree to work in cooperation with Councilman Boggerty.
Both Councilman Anderson and I have offered Councilman Lewis other positions important and necessary in the operation of the city. As is his right, Councilman Lewis declined to serve those functions.
In my opinion, Councilman Boggerty’s performance — in his dual role as the chair of the Safety Advisory and Transportation Committee and as a community liaison — has been stellar. I appointed him to continue in both roles because Councilman Boggerty represents the public’s perspective. Please note that he also served as a civilian on the Police Advisory Board prior to his election as councilman at large. He has earned my respect for balancing the concern of the public and the care used by our forward-thinking police officers.
Councilman Lewis was right when he said the community must come together. If you hear or see something that may lead to a crime, call the police or contact us to pass the information on. You may be the missing link to stopping a crime.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
