Letters

Many of you may know me for the position that I held at Southampton Village for 20 years. In that time, I saw several elected officials come and go.

I never experienced a scintilla of the dysfunction and chaos that is happening presently with Mayor Jesse Warren.

To set the record straight, I would like to give some facts about what I know personally and experienced under Mayor Warren’s tyranny.

The first thing Mayor Warren did was postpone yearly appointments after his election. The delaying of appointments, especially the deputy clerk and registrar of vital statistics, had ramifications. The registrar is responsible for the signing of birth and death certificates, and the move was against State Department of Health regulations. This continued from July through September, when the mayor reluctantly made appointments, only to become compliant. What was his motivation here? Bullying? Hmm …

Second, in May 2020, coming out of a wave of COVID, the village staff was inundated with beach permit requests. They were behind on processing, and key personnel were out during that time. Mayor Warren contacted me and asked if I could come back and lend a hand. I offered my services and was happy to come out of retirement to assist.

After working a few weeks, I was informed that Mayor Warren had no intention of paying me for my time, and he felt that I had volunteered to come back to work — he lied. What was his motivation here? Bullying? Hmm …

Third, as the deputy clerk, I was involved in assisting with elections every year. I attended yearly classes on the legalities of elections.

Mayor Warren’s impropriety in accessing election documents prior to the election last September disturbs me, and should disturb you as well. Mayor Warren did not have the legal right to review absentee ballots behind closed doors. He was not supervised by the deputy clerk, as previously stated, nor was he entitled to. What happened to election integrity? What was his motivation here? Bullying? Hmm …

Mayor Warren fired and intimidated loyal, dedicated employees for self-serving reasons, without board approval. We all know who these former employees are. What was his motivation here? Bullying? Hmm …

Jesse Warren’s term as mayor of your village must come to an end.

For these reasons stated above, I endorse Michael Irving for mayor, and Mark Parash and Andrew Pilaro for trustee. These are good, honest, hard-working men who have and will continue to put the needs of your village before any self-serving agenda, as Mayor Warren has done during his entire tenure.

I am left with one last question … What happened to you, Gina? What God do you answer to? Hmm …

Eileen Musarra

Millsboro, Delaware