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Record of Proceedings

New Castle County Boards and Commission Subcommittee Meeting - January 20, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, January 20, 2026
BodyNew Castle County, Delaware
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, January 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 24:35

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:01

All right.

0:02

Thank you.

0:02

Welcome everyone to the January 20th Boards and Commission subcommittee meeting.

0:08

Call the meeting to order.

0:10

My name is Dee Durham.

0:12

And recording in progress.

0:14

I'll go through roll call real quick.

0:17

I think Kevin Keneco is online.

0:19

We've got Councilman Smiley and Councilman Cartier, Councilwoman Kilpatrick in Chamber, as well as Councilman Carter, Councilwoman George, Councilman Hollins, Council President Monique Williams Johns is online, and Councilman Tackett and Councilman Street are all online.

0:38

So take care of everyone I see.

0:44

And first we have a can I have a motion to approve the minutes of November 18th?

0:49

Motion to approve is posted.

0:50

Second.

0:51

Okay.

0:51

All in favor?

0:52

All right.

0:54

Any opposed?

0:55

Any abstentions?

0:56

All right.

0:57

The minutes are approved.

0:59

We have a few new appointments on the agenda today.

1:03

The first being uh Kent St.

1:05

Pierre to the Newcastle County Audit Committee in Ms.

1:08

George's district.

1:11

I don't know if uh if he's with us online or here today.

1:18

I don't know if I don't know who's managing the Zoom, if there's anyone in the waiting room.

1:27

Um okay, hold on one moment.

1:32

But anyway, I'll turn the floor over to you.

1:34

Thank you.

1:34

Uh I will say while we're while we're waiting for that.

1:36

I did speak with uh Mr.

1:38

Wasserbach, and he assured me that uh Mr.

1:41

St.

1:41

Pierre was fully qualified for this position, and he had spoken to him, and he feels like he will be a uh a beneficial addition to the board.

1:49

Excellent.

1:50

And so uh as far as we know, Mr.

1:54

Saint Pierre is not up, there's Mr.

1:57

Wasserbach, but uh can everyone hear me?

2:01

This is Bob Wasserbach.

2:02

Yes.

2:04

Okay.

2:05

I have Kent on the phone.

2:07

He's having trouble getting in via the Zoom link.

2:12

And I I thought and he just called me.

2:16

So I've got him on I've got him on the phone here.

2:21

So I think the best thing to do is probably interview him just on the phone.

2:26

You won't be able to see his face, but he's here via the phone.

2:33

Um give it a try if he can hear us and we can hear him if he'd like to say any, say a few words about being nominated to the committee.

2:43

Kent, do you want to say a few words about being nominated to the committee?

2:47

Yes, I I apologize.

2:50

I was ready to get on, and um I don't know what happened here, the typical technology issue.

2:56

Um my name is Ken St.

2:58

Pierre.

2:59

Um uh glad to speak to you all if you have some questions.

3:04

I hope you have a resume, something along those lines.

3:07

Again, I apologize.

3:09

Um I don't know what the the problem was.

3:12

Um if you want me to go over background, whatever you guys want or need, I'll be glad to try to supply.

3:20

Uh your your resume is part of our package, so we do have that.

3:24

And are there any questions or comments from anyone?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural██████████████████████████████████34%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████████████████████30%
Community Engagement█████████████████████████████29%
Personnel Matters███████7%
Summary of Proceedings

New Castle County Boards and Commission Subcommittee Meeting - January 20, 2026

This subcommittee meeting, chaired by Councilwoman Dee Durham, was held on January 20, 2026, at approximately 3:00 PM. The primary business was interviewing and discussing appointments and reappointments to various county boards and commissions, to be voted on by the full council the following week. The meeting lasted about an hour.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes: The minutes from the November 18, 2025, meeting were approved unanimously.

Discussion Items

  • Appointment of Kent St. Pierre to the New Castle County Audit Committee (District of Councilwoman George): Mr. St. Pierre participated via telephone due to technical difficulties with Zoom. He expressed his willingness to serve and answered no specific questions from council. Bob Wasserbach, who recommended him, noted that Mr. St. Pierre is fully qualified and had a productive meeting explaining the role of the audit committee. Council expressed gratitude and noted the appointment would be voted on next week.
  • Appointment of Julianne Brewer to the New Castle County Library Advisory Board (District 2): Ms. Brewer was not present. Councilwoman Kilpatrick expressed full support, noting the resume indicated she would be a strong addition. No questions were asked. Councilman Smiley later made a motion to suspend the rule requiring in-person interviews for this and another appointment.
  • Appointment of Caitlin Britwin to the New Castle County Library Advisory Board (District of Councilman Toole): Ms. Britwin attended in person. She introduced herself, noting her experience as a board member of the Friends of Kirkwood Library, work in the nonprofit sector, and previous library employment. She expressed excitement to serve. Council thanked her and noted the vote would occur next week.
  • Appointment of Matthew Morris to the New Castle County Claymont Design Review Committee (District of Councilman Cartier): Mr. Morris attended in person. Councilman Cartier praised his long-term community involvement, including running a monthly Claymont community update video. Mr. Morris highlighted his past advocacy, including town hall meetings on the opioid epidemic that led to an executive order improving landlord-tenant codes. Council welcomed his engagement, noting Claymont's DRAC is the most successful and active in the county.
  • Appointment of Neta Mokta Dari to the New Castle County Hockessin Design Review Advisory Committee (District of Councilwoman Kilpatrick): Ms. Mokta Dari participated online. Councilwoman Kilpatrick noted the DRAC had been vacant for years and supported filling it to address upcoming issues. Ms. Mokta Dari introduced herself as a 10+ year Hockessin resident and historian/archivist with experience in historic preservation. She expressed excitement to give the community a voice in development. Council mentioned that the Land Use Department is working to hold regular meetings.
  • Appointment of Tracy Chamblée to the New Castle County Planning Board (District of Councilman Carter): Ms. Chamblée participated online. Councilman Carter described her as highly recommended by the administration, with over 25 years of executive business experience and as a southern New Castle County resident. He noted she will bring perspective from the growth zone. Ms. Chamblée stated she currently serves on the PAC committee and is eager to contribute. Councilwoman Durham asked if she believes overdevelopment is a problem in southern New Castle County. Ms. Chamblée replied that it is becoming one, and that better planning and infrastructure improvements are needed. Council President Williams Johns thanked her for volunteering and noted the importance of having a person of color on the board. Councilman Carter offered to brief her on ongoing infrastructure work and community meetings.
  • Appointment of Lissa Brutus to the New Castle County Planning Board (District of Councilman Hollins): Ms. Brutus was initially not visible online but joined later. Councilman Smiley said the administration had not contacted him about this appointment but supported it based on the resume. No specific questions or comments were made by council. Councilman Smiley later made a motion to suspend the rule requiring in-person interviews for this and the appointment of Julianne Brewer.
  • Reappointment of Jean Hirschner to the New Castle County Historic Review Board (District of Councilwoman Durham): Ms. Hirschner was not present. Councilwoman Durham noted she is the executive director of Namores and thanked her for her willingness to be reappointed. Council expressed support.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to Suspend Interview Rule: Councilman Smiley moved to suspend council rule 4.5.7.1 (requiring new appointees to be interviewed before council) for the appointments of Julianne Brewer and Lissa Brutus, allowing them to proceed to the full council vote the following week. The motion was seconded and passed unanimously.
  • Next Steps: All appointments and reappointments discussed are scheduled for a vote at the next regularly scheduled New Castle County Council meeting the week of January 26, 2026. The meeting adjourned at approximately 3:00 PM.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were received or requested.

Meeting Transcript

All right. Thank you. Welcome everyone to the January 20th Boards and Commission subcommittee meeting. Call the meeting to order. My name is Dee Durham. And recording in progress. I'll go through roll call real quick. I think Kevin Keneco is online. We've got Councilman Smiley and Councilman Cartier, Councilwoman Kilpatrick in Chamber, as well as Councilman Carter, Councilwoman George, Councilman Hollins, Council President Monique Williams Johns is online, and Councilman Tackett and Councilman Street are all online. So take care of everyone I see. And first we have a can I have a motion to approve the minutes of November 18th? Motion to approve is posted. Second. Okay. All in favor? All right. Any opposed? Any abstentions? All right. The minutes are approved. We have a few new appointments on the agenda today. The first being uh Kent St. Pierre to the Newcastle County Audit Committee in Ms. George's district. I don't know if uh if he's with us online or here today. I don't know if I don't know who's managing the Zoom, if there's anyone in the waiting room. Um okay, hold on one moment. But anyway, I'll turn the floor over to you. Thank you. Uh I will say while we're while we're waiting for that. I did speak with uh Mr. Wasserbach, and he assured me that uh Mr. St. Pierre was fully qualified for this position, and he had spoken to him, and he feels like he will be a uh a beneficial addition to the board. Excellent. And so uh as far as we know, Mr. Saint Pierre is not up, there's Mr. Wasserbach, but uh can everyone hear me? This is Bob Wasserbach. Yes. Okay. I have Kent on the phone. He's having trouble getting in via the Zoom link. And I I thought and he just called me. So I've got him on I've got him on the phone here. So I think the best thing to do is probably interview him just on the phone. You won't be able to see his face, but he's here via the phone. Um give it a try if he can hear us and we can hear him if he'd like to say any, say a few words about being nominated to the committee. Kent, do you want to say a few words about being nominated to the committee? Yes, I I apologize.

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