Henderson joins county board

Chris Carney and Alan Henderson were sworn in as members of Sussex County Board of County Commissioners at the board’s annual reorganization meeting Wednesday, Jan. 1 at the county courthouse in Newton.

Carney won a second three-year term on the board in the Nov. 5 election, and Henderson, former mayor of Lafayette, was elected for the first time.

Carney and Henderson defeated three other candidates, including Commissioner Earl Schick, in the Republican primary in June.

During the meeting, Henderson thanked his wife and family for standing by him through the election process and county residents “for the opportunity to serve our community and for your trust in me to work for every citizen of Sussex County regardless of their political affiliation.”

His campaign focused on three elements: transparency, accountability and responsibility, he said. “Let’s put those qualities to work.”

New board director

Carney, who served as the board’s deputy director in 2024, was chosen as the director this year.

Jill Space, who was director during the past year, was chosen as deputy director.

Carney said he plans to continue regular meetings with mayors and to look for more opportunities to share services. Monthly meetings with county department heads also will continue.

The commissioners voted to table a resolution to appoint Schick as a member of the Sussex County Community College (SCCC) board of trustees through Oct. 31, 2028.

He was the commissioner board’s liaison to SCCC last year.

Henderson moved to table the appointment, pointing out that the SCCC search committee has not had time to review the qualifications of the two applicants.

He also noted that the five-member committee has had only three members for a while.

Trust fund on ballot

Commissioner Jack DeGroot promised to work for the reauthorization of the county’s Farmland Preservation, Recreation and Open Space Trust Fund for another 10 years. That referendum is expected to be on the November ballot.

Voters are required to approve the fund every 10 years.

Money from the fund is used to acquire land and wetlands for the protection of environmentally sensitive areas; for preservation of scenic, cultural or historically valuable areas; and for public outdoor recreation areas.

The county’s Seed Library is expected to launch this year. Educational workshops on seed starting, healthy gardening practices and seed saving are planned.

DeGroot noted that two applications for farmland preservation were submitted in 2024. Going forward, his goal is to have four applications submitted annually.