Georgetown, Del., June 23, 2009: Sussex County’s Planning & Zoning Commission will have a new face later this summer with the appointment of a Delmar-area farmer.

County Council, at its Tuesday, June 23, 2009, meeting, appointed Martin L. Ross, 55, to a seat on the five-member panel, a Council-appointed body that reviews and gives consideration toward subdivision applications and other land use requests. The appointment will take effect Aug. 1 and will last for three years. Commissioners are paid $250 a meeting.

A lifelong resident of Sussex County, Mr. Ross is co-owner of Ross Bros., a poultry and grain farm located near Delmar where he lives with his wife of 30 years, Chris. He has served on the Governor’s Advisory Council for State Planning Coordination since its inception, and was a member of the Delaware Energy Task Force formed by then-Gov. Ruth Ann Minner. He has represented mid-Atlantic soybean producers as a voting member of the National Biodiesel Board, and was appointed in December 2004 a director of the United Soybean Board by then- U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, a capacity in which he still serves today.

“Marty is well known for his support of agriculture, his respect for rural property owners and for his thorough understanding of land use issues,” said County President Vance C. Phillips, who nominated Mr. Ross for the post. “He will treat every application with thoughtful fairness.”

Mr. Ross takes the seat to be vacated by Martin Benjamin Gordy, who is retiring after serving three terms on the commission.

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