Town Council

ABOUT

The Dewey Beach Town Council consists of elected officials that are responsible for making decisions for the town on behalf of its citizens.

MEMBERS

 Mayor William (Bill) Stevens

 Mayor Stevens started coming to Dewey in 2011 as a seasonal renter until purchasing his home in 2017 with his wife Janine and becoming year round residents in March of 2020.  Before being elected as a Commissioner in 2020, he was a member of the Town’s Audit, Budget & Finance,  and Investment Committee. Mr. Stevens holds a BBA in Finance and an MBA in accounting from Loyola University. Professionally he has been a Chief Financial Officer for several insurance and life science companies and currently acts as an advisor to start-up companies.

Commissioner Gary Persinger

Gary Persinger has owned property in Dewey Beach for 30 years. Before joining the Town Council, he served on the Planning and Zoning Commission and on the Comprehensive Development Plan Working Group. For more than 10 years, he has been treasurer of his condo association in Dewey Beach and was treasurer of several PTA organizations for his children’s schools. Gary earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Statistics, and completed additional post-Master’s coursework at George Washington University. He spent more than 30 years in the pharmaceutical industry managing research and policy development for state and Federal legislative and regulatory efforts, and provided input to government agencies including GAO and Congressional Budget Office. His wife Mary is a retired teacher who during the course of her career taught high school English, and Algebra and Latin in middle school. Gary and Mary reside in Olney, Maryland, and have three children and nine grandchildren. Dewey Beach is a year-round second home for the whole family.

Commissioner Paul Bauer

Paul has been part of the Dewey Beach community for the past 34 years with the past 20 as a property owner. He has been married for 31 years, to Tina, and they have two children, Cody (27) and Caleigh (23). Paul has served as your Commissioner since 2017 and has developed many strong relationships with our Residents & Business owners as well as State & County Officials and Agencies. Paul is the Commissioner Liason for the Budget & Finance and the Marketing and Event Communications Committees. Additionally, he keeps abreast of State Bills and regularly attends the Sussex County Association of Town meetings. Professionally, he has retired from Staples where he worked as a Business Development Executive for the Commercial & Enterprise division for 23 years. Paul is an active member of the Dewey Beach Lions Club, and active Board Member of the Delaware Sports Commission (DSC) which annually hosts the National “Slam Dunk to the Beach" High School basketball tournament at Cape Henlopen High School. If there is an event being hosted in town, you will find Paul volunteering his time to make Dewey Beach the greatest little beach town it can be.

 Commissioner David Jasinski

 David Jasinski and his husband, John have owned property and been spending much of their time in Dewey Beach since 1998.  Over the years David has volunteered on various Dewey Beach committees such as Budget and Finance and Planning & Zoning.  He previously served as a commissioner in 2014 and 2015.  David and John split their time between Washington DC, and Dewey Beach.  You can frequently find them with their dog, Jett, enjoying the beach in the mornings and evenings.  Outside of Dewey Beach, David had a long career in Information Technology sales and consulting.

 Commissioner Elisabeth Gibbings

 Elisabeth Gibbings and her family (husband, Doug; daughter, Sarah; son, Jordan) have been vacationing in Dewey Beach since the now-grown children were toddlers. Finally finding and purchasing their perfect beach  escape, they have been part time residents since 2019. A clinical psychologist by training, Commissioner Gibbings has served in elected positions in her state professional organization (Delaware Psychological Association), including President, and within the national professional organization (American Psychological Association) as a member of the Council of Representatives. She and her husband divide their time between Dewey Beach and Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and look forward to when Dewey Beach can be their full time residence. Their French Bulldogs, Brandy and Whiskey, always welcome - in fact, expect - a pat or a rub when you pass them on the beach or on the street.