pictured above: Kerry Russo, SPC.LWVSCDE Liaison, Martha Rothenberg, LWVSCDE Presdient, Jane Gruenebaum, SPC President, Jill Hicks, SPC Vice-President

The League of Women Voters of Sussex County voted to join the Sussex Preservation Coalition (SPS) at their December board meeting. Board members unanimously agreed that the shared mission of SPC members, “to preserve natural habitats for the well-being of all communities; and to promote resiliency, sustainability, and climate adaptation,” is consistent with the League’s positions on natural resource management, environmental protection, climate change, and agriculture.

In December, LWVSCDE President Martha Rothenberg and Membership Chair Sue Claire Harper met with SPC President Jane Gruenebaum and Vice President Jill Hicks, as well as Kerry Russo, a member of both organizations, to discuss the common interests of the two organizations and how an alliance could be mutually beneficial. Kerry Russo agreed to act as a liaison between organizations, to share information as well as to coordinate activities.

SPC’s work in education, advocacy, and policy mirrors the LWV’s mission to educate and empower voters. The League believes that public understanding and cooperation are essential to the responsible and responsive management of our nation’s natural resources. Beginning in 2017, the Sussex LWV coordinated a series of public forums in which officials and subject experts shed light on the individual elements of the proposed comprehensive plan, which sets the standard for how development occurs and how land use is governed in Sussex County.

Jack Young, director of the Sussex LWV’s Observer Corps, noted that the County Council’s Development Design Plan is considering 39 possible action items involving perimeter buffers, forest preservation, open spaces, interconnectivity, and related code updates. Public understanding of and engagement in these decisions is essential to the healthy growth of Sussex County. Both SPC and the Observer Corps provide transparency into the works of the Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission. They monitor governmental bodies to identify issues that are important to the mission, learn how issues are being addressed, and note whether proper notice is given before issues are discussed and decided, public input is solicited, and open meeting laws are followed. This shared oversight responsibility is a key benefit to Sussex citizens.

More information about the LWV of Sussex County, including Observer Corps reports, can be viewed on the LWVSCDE website at https://www.sussexlwv.org. Information on the SPC is available at https://www.sussexpreservationcoalition.org/