Milford Mayor Bryan W. Shupe, right, stands with his fiance, Sherry Shaffer, in front of a crowd gathered at the Bicentennial Park on Saturday. Photo taken by Logan Anderson.
The Chronicle and The Journal
MILFORD — On Saturday, Mayor of the city of Milford Bryan W. Shupe held a party at Bicentennial Park in downtown Milford.
He greeted residents and handed out free hotdogs. The Mayor said he organized the event to talk to residents about how to move Milford forward while highlighting the city’s public parks.
“I want to be accessible to all residents of Milford and I thought Saturday’s event would be an invitation for the public to meet me and discuss their ideas for Milford’s future. Talking with people in their own neighborhoods, outside of city hall, will be critical to understanding the direction of where they would like Milford to go,” Mayor Shupe said.
He had 600 hotdogs to give out, which he said he paid for out of his pocket and no public money went to fund the gathering. Some city officials and other supporters volunteered to help with the get-together.
The celebration happened almost one month after Mayor Shupe took his oath of office, according to the Mayor, a lot has happened in that month.
“The first month in office has been exciting and very busy. I have spoken with many residents in person and I have been encouraged by their desire to help the city and myself in this new role,” said Mayor Shupe. “The council floor has also been busy, approving bids for the water tower on the South East region, engineering for the former PNC building where the city billing will be located and giving the go ahead for a potential purchase of the Armory Building on North Walnut Street from the state of Delaware.”
To that list, Mayor Shupe added that the city has been busy replacing sidewalks on SE Front Street and preparing to do a complete overlay of asphalt along the road from Walnut Street to Rehoboth Boulevard. The next paving project is set for portions of North Washington Street.
“Budget talks will start next week where I will be urging the City Council to fund a second Code Enforcement officer and a City Planner that will move forward the economic development plans for the city,” Mayor Shupe added.
The Mayor made economic development a large part of his campaign and it seems to have been a large part of his first month in office.
“My first week in office, City Manager Richard Carmean and I met with Secretary Alan Levin and Business Development Leader Melody Booker of DEDO (Delaware Economic Development Office). It was a great conversation regarding Milford’s ability to strengthen our business friendly environment and attract new business opportunities. Secretary Levin was impressed by the recent investments the city has made to improve our infrastructure including the engineering work that is currently preparing the South East Region for growth as well as the incentive programs we have approved for new commercial construction and job growth. I will be meeting with Mrs. Booker on a monthly basis, along with Kent and Sussex County Economic Development offices, Downtown Milford, Inc. and the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Milford to build a partnership on the county and state level,” Mayor Shupe said.
Saturday afternoon’s gathering was the first such event Mayor Shupe said he plans to organize to open lines of communication with Milford residents and business owners.
“With a strong, active community the town of Milford can become the premier town as a model for a sense of community and economic development. To business owners looking to expand their operations, my door is always open and the city of Milford will work alongside of you to assist in your success,” he said.
Opening the lines of communication and building relationships are a part of the goals for his administration, Mayor Shupe said.
“My first goal continues to be opening the communication between city government and the people of Milford. As I continue to go out to the public, I will also encourage our council and other city representatives to listen to residents and bring back their ideas to city hall. Although the city does have an Economic Development Plan that council approved in 2011, I believe it is necessary to develop a living document that will improve not only our business environment but our quality of life. I will be talking with the Economic Development Committee in the next several weeks to talk about the creation of such a plan,” he said.
“In addition, I am also looking forward to strengthening the relationship between the city of Milford and the Milford School District. Both parties are essential to the prosperity of our community and the success of one will provide success for the other. When looking at progress in economic development, maintaining great schools will become a necessity for developing an educated workforce and attracting young professionals as they make decisions on where to live and work.”
Mayor Shupe said he will soon be announcing a series of coffee talks and town hall meetings to be held in different locations around the city.
“From my talks with state officials, they are impressed with the progress that Milford has made recently and excited to see what our future holds. This is an exciting time in our town’s future and an opportunity for us to grow in all aspects of life including commerce, culture and community,” he said.
Beyond his role as Mayor, Mr. Shupe is also a business owner and a fiancé, so far he said he seems to be balancing all of his roles.
“I am grateful for the year I had on city council prior to my current role as Mayor, it allowed me to find a balance between our businesses, role as a public figure and family life. I’ve learned the importance of setting aside time for my family. My fiancé and I are busy planning our wedding for the fall, which has been a lot of fun and has allowed us to take some extra time for ourselves,” Mayor Shupe said.
Editor Logan B. Anderson
can be reached at 302-422-1200
or landerson@newszap.com.
Follow @LoganBAnderson on Twitter.