BY SARAH BARBAN
Eastern Shore Post
Wesley Wooten was recently appointed as Onancock’s new town manager. He replaced former Town Manager Matt Spuck, who is now the Northampton County administrator.
Wooten might be a new face in Onancock, but he’s no stranger to the Delmarva Peninsula. He grew up on a farm on the Maryland-Delaware border and attended high school in Seaford, Del.
He earned his undergraduate degree in history and public policy at University of Delaware in 2017 and earned his graduate degree at Delaware State University in 2022 in public administration.
He comes to town with his 5-year-old corgi, Pemby, and years of experience managing the small, coastal towns of Weaver, Ore. and Stevenson, Wash.
The Town of Onancock will host a meet and greet for Wooten on June 3 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Ker Place.
Q: What motivated you to choose Onancock?
A: I’ve always had strong ties to Delmarva. This is home for me so I wanted to come back and not just be close to family but serve the community I grew up in. Onancock is really special in that it has a lot of history and charm because it’s remained a small town, but it’s really vibrant as well. I feel like I can help preserve that character of a small town and the history here but also balance the economic growth to make sure it stays that way.
Q: What are you hoping to accomplish in Onancock in your first year?
A: I think Onancock is in good shape. There are improvements that can be made, but that’s the case anywhere. In my first year I’m hoping to cement our staff and make sure that we are a tight-knit team and that all of the processes here are working. I really want to improve communication. That’s something that the council reiterated to me when I went through the hiring process. I want to make sure that folks know what’s going on in terms of our finances, our resources, our projects and that everything is transparent. That’s the most important thing, that the residents feel we are good stewards of their dollars and that they feel they have a voice here.
Q: What do you think are Onancock’s biggest challenges and opportunities?
A: I think Onancock has a lot of opportunity in that it’s very stable. I think its infrastructure is good. I think it has done a good job of managing its finances well. I think you have a good team here at town hall and the council is really good too … I think one of the challenges Onancock faces is the nature of where it is. It’s off of Route 13, but it’s right on the bay so I think just trying to find a balance to get people off Route 13 here to sustain business but at the same time not grow and expand it to a major city because I don’t think that’s what the folks of Onancock want.
Q: Do you think your communications and nonprofit background will play a role in your work?
A: I feel like a lot of times people in this line of work like to get down into the details about finances, budget, projects, grants and it’s really tough to explain that to the regular person who isn’t steeped in this work. I think that my time working in communications in different areas and in different fields lends itself in that I’m able to understand the nitty-gritty but I can translate it in a way that is more understandable. Unless you’re doing this day in and day out, it’s a lot to take in. Being able to communicate that to people is something I’ve learned.
Q: What motivated you to get into small town government?
A: I always knew that I really liked working at the local level and working with teams to make an impact in the communities down on the ground. There are some people who like the really high-level view of national politics, but that just wasn’t for me. I like working and talking with people one on one and actually seeing changes happen, even if it’s small, like getting new street signs up or finishing a water line project. It might seem small but it impacts the day-to-day lives of my neighbors. That’s what really draws me to this work.
Q: Onancock as a community skews older. What do you think you bring to the table as a young person?
A: I think I bring a different perspective. I think having older folks and an older council is good because there’s a lot of wisdom and knowledge that I simply don’t have, but at the same time me being younger and working and living in a different area of the country, I can bring different perspectives. There have been a lot of challenges I’ve dealt with in those towns, so I learned from those and can bring them to this job and say ‘Hey, have we thought about X,Y, and Z’ and those perspectives just haven’t gotten here yet.
Q: Are there any pet projects you’re looking forward to bringing to Onancock?
A: I’ve always emphasized in my role as a city manager to be transparent with the public because there’s nothing we should be keeping from them. It’s always important that they know what is going on at their town hall, always.
Q: What do you like to do for fun?
A: I like to go out and run and go hiking. I like to go out on the bay. I’m hoping I can get a boat soon so I can go out on the bay and fish. I have a dog, a corgi, so I love playing with him.
