New Castle County Boards & Commission Subcommittee Meeting - September 22, 2026

The New Castle County Boards and Commission Subcommittee met on September 22, 2026, to consider nominations and reappointments to several county boards and commissions. Present in chambers were Councilman Smiley, Councilman Cartier, Councilwoman Kilpatrick, Councilman Toole, Councilman Carter, Councilman Hollins, and Councilwoman George; Councilman Street and Councilman Tackett participated online. Council President Monique Johns and Councilman Sheldon also joined during the meeting. The subcommittee approved the minutes of the July 21st meeting (the chair later referred to them as the July 22nd minutes, a minor discrepancy in the record), heard from several nominees, and forwarded appointments to the full council for formal votes. No public comment was offered.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes from the July 21st meeting were approved by unanimous voice vote; the chair subsequently described the approved minutes as being from July 22nd.
• Councilman George moved, with unanimous approval, to move forward expeditiously with any appointees listed on both the boards and commissions agenda and the evening's consent agenda so they could be seated without delay.
• The meeting adjourned by unanimous voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public comment was received, either in chambers or online.

Appointments & Reappointments

• Howard Hayt — Board of Assessment Review (nomination). Hayt stated he has been a Delaware resident for 40 years, living in the Eden Ridge 3 community in North Wilmington and in his current property for 33 years. He expressed interest in serving and noted his knowledge of property taxation. His vote was scheduled for the following week, not the current consent agenda.
• Brian Moore — Board of Assessment Review (nomination). Moore described himself as a 10-year Delaware resident and a retired corporate finance professional with 35+ years of experience, including 10 years in public transportation and 25 years in the energy sector, with skills in financial analysis, capital budgeting, forecasting, and risk management. He said he wanted to serve, contribute, and do good within the community. His appointment was placed on that evening's consent agenda.
• Niels Fouager — Audit Committee (nomination). Councilman Toole introduced Dr. Fouager, an economist with a PhD who worked as an adjunct professor at Temple University and held positions at Sallie Mae Bank, JP Morgan Chase, and most recently as a senior vice president at Citibank, with expertise in enterprise risk management and corporate governance. Fouager said he would be honored to serve on the audit committee in the county where he has lived for 14 years with his wife and two children. His vote was scheduled for that evening.
• Robert Ott — Board of Adjustment, Chair (nomination). Councilman Hollins explained that Ott, who has served on the Planning Board, was switching to the Board of Adjustment, while Herb Inden would switch from the Board of Adjustment to the Planning Board. Ott was not present; Councilman George noted that both could serve on either board and expressed support for them. The expedited consent motion covered Ott and other consent-listed appointees.
• Herb Inden — Planning Board (nomination). Councilman Hollins described Inden as a former director of planning for the City of Wilmington beginning under Mayor Frawley, noting his involvement with Delaware's comprehensive plan requirement and the creation of the Riverfront Development Corporation. Inden briefly joined virtually.
• Chris DeMarco — Board of Assessment Review, Chair (nomination). Councilman Cartier highlighted DeMarco's extensive experience in real estate management and stressed that it is critical to fully staff the board to address the backlog of assessment appeals and prepare for future reassessment.
• Dennis Godak — Fire and Ambulance Advisory Board (reappointment). Presented as a routine reappointment with no additional discussion.
• Charles Tolliver, Esq. — Ethics Commission (reappointment). Councilman Hollins voiced support for Tolliver, a local attorney and judge in New Castle County, and said he was pleased to have him continue in the role.

Key Outcomes

• The subcommittee forwarded all nominations and reappointments to the full council for final votes; several appointees (Moore, Fouager, and others on the consent list) were expected to be voted on that evening, while Hayt's vote was scheduled for the following week.
• Approval of the July 21st meeting minutes passed unanimously.
• The motion to expeditiously advance consent-listed appointees passed unanimously.
• The motion to adjourn passed unanimously.