Georgetown elects a new mayor for the first time in a decade, focused on community, safety and revitalization

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After more than a decade without new leadership, the residents of Georgetown, Delaware, have elected a new mayor –– one who has said she wants to bring the town “back as close as I can to what it was when I grew up.”

This month, voters elected lifelong resident Angela Townsend after a closely watched three-way race. Townsend said her decision to run came after years of attending town meetings, voicing concerns and feeling like residents were no longer being heard.

“I’ve lived here all my life. And I’ve seen I think a decline in Georgetown,” she said. “I know we’ve had a lot of development. We’ve had a lot of businesses. But the appearance of the town has just gone downhill.”

Townsend, who currently works part-time at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and serves as treasurer at the Georgetown Historical Society, said hearing the frustration of residents who felt disconnected from town leadership helped push her into the race.

Rebuilding a sense of community

As she prepares to step into office, she said that one of her priorities is to rebuild a sense of unity across Georgetown while addressing concerns about homelessness, housing accessibility, public safety and town beautification.

“This community is so divided,” she said. “That’s going to be my biggest goal. To try to get this community to act like a community. To know your neighbors, to help your neighbors.”

Part of that vision, she said, includes bringing back events and activities that once gave residents opportunities to gather together.

“We used to have concerts in the park. We had New Year’s Eve, we had St. Patrick’s Day, we used to have a farmers market,” Townsend said. “We used to do a lot of things in the community that we don’t do anymore.”

One of the first initiatives Townsend hopes to explore is restoring concerts and recreational activities at the park on North Bedford Street. She said she has already begun conversations with local organizations about improving the space.

“We want to bring concerts back to the park on North Bedford Street and make it look like a park again,” she said. “Perhaps benches, picnic tables, maybe a swing set for the kids because we used to have concerts here. It was enjoyable. And I’d like to bring that back.”

Tackling safety and homelessness concerns

Townsend also says she hopes residents begin to see physical improvements throughout town, including additional street lighting, cleaner public spaces and more recreational areas.

“I met some people when I was campaigning,” she said. “Their streets are very dark. So, I’m making up a list of street lights that I want to present to the town manager to see if we can get some more street lighting installed. Some of the streets are very dark at night.”

But much of Townsend’s campaign centered on concerns over homelessness and public safety –– issues she says residents continue raising throughout town.

For her, working independently is not the solution.

“The problem is the nonprofits do not like to work with each other because of funding. They kind of independently do their own thing with homelessness. They work independently,” Townsend said. “I would like to get everybody in a room with our legislators, senators, representatives, and work on this and try to find common ground.”

Townsend said residents have told her that Georgetown does not feel as safe.

“You don’t know who’s going to be up in your yard knocking on your door, asking for money, asking for food, asking for water. We got all the panhandlers out on the highway asking for money,” she said. “I beg people not to give them money. They’re not going to buy food or housing.”

Housing and growth in Georgetown

Access to housing also remains a top issue for the town to address, as Sussex County continues to grow, Townsend said.

“There is a need for affordable housing,” Townsend said. “But I think it’s how it’s addressed and where it’s placed.”

As Georgetown’s population becomes increasingly diverse, the new mayor said she hopes to involve more residents directly in local government through committees, outreach and community engagement.

“I want to do an immigrant advocacy committee,” she said. “I want to get people from every nationality we have to live in town. I want to get my council members involved.”

Tackling her priorities will require collaboration from residents across Georgetown, something she said she hopes will ultimately restore the town’s sense of identity.