Mayor & City Council - City of Lewes, Delaware

MAYOR:

James L. Ford, III (Mayor)

Mayor Ford has been a resident of Lewes since 1976. In addition to being the Mayor of Lewes, he owns his own building contracting business, specializing in historic restoration. His wife, Teresa, is the owner of Kids’ Ketch on Second Street in Lewes.  The Fords have two children, Jacob and Maren. Mayor Ford graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biological Sciences. His hobbies are outdoor activities and he and his wife enjoy traveling.

Mayor Ford was appointed to the Lewes Planning Commission in 1987, elected to City Council 1992, appointed Deputy Mayor in 1998 and became Mayor in 2004. He is a member of the National League of Cities; serving on the Crime Prevention & Public Safety Committee, Small Cities Committee, and Small Cities Steering Committee. He is Past President of the Delaware League of Local Governments; serving on the League's Executive and Legislative Committees. Mayor Ford is also a member of the Sea Grant Advisory Council and serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Greater Lewes Foundation, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Lewes Historical Society, and as a member of the Fort Miles Historical Association, Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation, Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Association, Lewes Chamber of Commerce and is an Honorary member of the Lewes Fire Department.

CITY COUNCIL PERSONS:

Theodore W. Becker

Mr. Becker has been a member of the City Council since May 2004 and was appointed Deputy Mayor & Treasurer in June 2011. He is currently a managing partner of Stewart Becker Properties in Lewes.  He has worked as a program manager for the Division of Delaware’s Office of Special Education; the U.S. Department of Education; and served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserves from 1978-1996. Mr. Becker has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Ohio State University in occupational therapy and attended George Washington University where he studied public administration.  Councilperson Becker is chair of the Street Improvement Committee and the Finance Committee.

Barbara W. Vaughan

Ms. Vaughan was elected to the City Council in May 2004.  She has lived in Lewes since 1992, where she has taught history courses at the University of Delaware, Academy of Lifelong Learning. She has served on the Board of the Lewes Homeowners Association; and is a member of the Board of the Lewes Historical Society; the Lewes Pedestrian Safety Review Committee and is an Ad-Hoc member of the Lewes Historic Preservation Commission & Lewes Planning Commission.  Prior to moving to Lewes, she was the Director of Admission at the Key School in Annapolis, Maryland and served as Director of Human Resources at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Maryland.  Ms. Vaughan received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Allegheny College.

Victor Letonoff

Mr. Letonoff was elected to City Council in May 2007. He has been a resident of Lewes since 1984. Mr. Letonoff graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and served in the United States Army for 35 years. He received a Masters Degree from the University of Texas in Austin and attended the United States Army War College at Carlisle Barracks. He earned a Certificate from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia and attended the Ecole Des Beaux Artes in Paris. In recent years, Colonel Letonoff has served on the Lewes Drug Alcohol Abuse Council, the Committee that developed Lewes' Core Values, the Task Force to improve Cape Henlopen schools. Councilperson Letonoff is an Ex-Officio member of the Commercial Architectural Review Commission, the Mitigation Planning Team and the Lewes Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee. He is a member of the Finance Committee and the Street Improvement Comittee. Mr. Letonoff currently works as a fine artist in his studio in Lewes.

Fred W. Beaufait

Mr. Beaufait was elected to the City Council in May 2011 and appointed Secretary in June 2011.  He has been a resident of Lewes since 2004, when he retired with his wife Lois.  Fred recieved his BS in civil engineering from Mississippi State University, a MS in structural engineering from the University of Kentucky and his Ph.D. in structural engineering from Virginia Tech. Early in his professional career he worked for a private consulting firm and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Mr. Beaufait enjoyed a 46-year career in higher education from professor to college president.  He was a registered professional engineer in Tennessee, West Virginia and Michigan.  Since retiring to Lewes, Fred has served on the Board of The Friends of the Canalfront Park, is active in the Lewes Presbyterian Church and involved with the summer music program held in Stango Park.