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Residents press council on homelessness, annexation and a Confederate‑flag dispute; petition for recusal cited AG opinion
Summary
During public comment, residents debated homelessness and public-safety impacts, advocated for annexation and charter changes, and John Peterson asked three council members to recuse themselves from a resolution over a historical society Confederate-flag display, citing Delaware Attorney General opinion 22-IB-34.
Public comment at the May 26 Georgetown council meeting featured extended remarks on homelessness, local governance and a contested historic-society display.
Francis Koi, who said he had been homeless until October and now works two jobs, urged the council to treat people experiencing homelessness as community members and to invest in job training and behavioral-health support rather than pushing people away. "If the homeless are so dangerous, then when the robberies be up, they're part of this community just like everybody else," he said, arguing that many become homeless because they cannot afford housing or have experienced trauma.
Other speakers raised safety and service-capacity concerns. Former officer Mark Rogers said officers on two‑person shifts can be occupied ‘‘dealing with nothing but homeless,’’ reducing capacity to respond to other incidents; Adam Machowski said repeated overdose responses are straining emergency medical services. Shelley Wise, who acknowledged photographing some people experiencing homelessness after a safety scare involving her elderly mother, said she has also provided aid and urged cooperative solutions.
Separately, John Peterson placed a draft resolution into the public record about the Georgetown Historical Society’s display of a Confederate flag and argued that the symbol ‘‘signals to black residents that they stand outside the promise of equal standing.’’ Peterson pointed to a prior grant of $24,750 to the society and said the Delaware Attorney General’s opinion 22-IB-34 found that a quorum of council privately discussed and acted on the grant in violation of public-meeting laws. He asked that council members Angela Townsen, Sue Barlo and Pennal Barrett recuse themselves and for a disinterested quorum to promptly review and revise the resolution.
Speakers expressed divergent views about how to balance public safety, compassion and the town’s reputation. Several residents urged unity and new outreach plans; one speaker said election results showed a mandate for a fresh start and urged the council to form citizen committees and improve communications, including a newsletter and website updates.
The council did not take action on any of the requests during the meeting; the recusal request and the draft resolution were entered into the public record and may be revisited under the council’s procedural rules.
