Gwynn’s Islanders turned out en masse at Tuesday night’s Mathews County Board of Supervisors meeting to express their anger at the board’s decision to issue a request for proposals for the county-owned Seabreeze Restaurant, a favorite gathering place for the island community.

Following the public hearing, supervisors voted by a 4-1 margin to approve a motion to continue using the Seabreeze as a restaurant, directing the county administrator and county attorney to enter into a contract with Mac Casale, the lone complete bidder, to operate the restaurant.

A restless standing-room-only crowd packed the small historic courthouse and spilled outside, but a request to change the venue to Thomas Hunter Middle School was turned down by the board. County Administrator Mindy Conner later explained that the recording equipment used to keep a record of the meetings is operable only in the courthouse.

The RFP was issued after the current leaseholder, Garry Galluzzi of New Jersey and Gwynn’s Island, inadvertently failed to exercise his option to automatically renew the lease for an additional five years by the February deadline, then declined to submit his own proposal for the business, saying at the time that “I’m not going to beg for something that was already mine.”

Ever since the decision, Galluzzi has been making a case against the board’s action among his customers and on social media.

Before the public hearing began, supervisor G.C. Morrow told the crowd that the board was aware of the passion that residents have for the iconic restaurant. But he noted that a lot of ugly things had been said about people on both sides of the issue and that people shouldn’t throw stones. The county needs to be run in a business-like fashion, he said, and there are rules that must be followed.

“We’re as passionate as you are, but it’s a business,” said Morrow. “We’re not in cahoots with anybody to make a deal.”

Morrow reminded everyone present that the issue before the board was not who would be allowed to lease the Seabreeze but whether it would continue to be a restaurant at all.

When board chair Edwina Casey called for speakers, no one had signed up to speak either for or against the proposal. Instead, several speakers had signed to make comments that were neither for nor against it.

Pete Ashby of Gwynn said he understood that the board had to follow the rule of law, and that it would be “folly not to” continue leasing the facility. He suggested that, because of recent septic issues at the site, the board should make the new leaseholder foot the bill for repairs.

Dean Tsamouras of Mathews, owner of Southwind Café in Mathews Court House, said he was in favor of keeping the Seabreeze as a restaurant because the county “needs something on the water.”

Tyrone Hudgins of Grimstead forcefully expressed his displeasure with the county’s actions.

“Shame on you, Mathews County,” he said. “Shame on you, Mindy Conner. Shame on you, board members, to allow this to go on as planned.”

Hudgins also called down shame on building official Jamie Wilks and on Casale, owner of the White Dog Bistro, who submitted the only proposal for the Seabreeze that the county accepted as complete.

Hudgins expressed support for Galluzzi and his family and challenged board members, who, he alleged, had privately expressed their belief that Galluzzi was wronged, to stand up and say so. 

Supervisor Jack White told Hudgins that the board is governed by statute when it comes to real estate deals, and that the only way Galluzzi could have remained in the building would have been to submit a proposal, “and he chose not to.”

“We were required by law to advertise,” White said.

Hudgins charged that Casale’s proposal had been developed in a suspiciously short period of time, but White said that two years ago, when Galluzzi was allowed to sublease the restaurant from former owners Ralph and Mary Valdrighi, Casale had questioned why he wasn’t allowed to enter into a bidding process for the business.

“We did not have a choice,” said White. “That was taken from us.”

But White’s statement was met with scoffs from the audience, with one person shouting, “We don’t believe that!”

Supervisor O.J. Cole responded, saying, “I don’t think there’s a person standing or sitting out there that would expect anyone on this board to commit an illegal act. We are bound by the law. We have opinions, too, but we can’t allow them to surface. We understand the Seabreeze is an icon, and we wish that it remain. But we have to do it legally, properly, and without a group of excited folks telling us we’re not doing our job. We are.”

Gwynn resident Judy Rowe praised the Galluzzi family for maintaining the Seabreeze as a refuge for islanders in the same tradition as the Val-

drighis and called the process for dealing with the lease flawed and unfair. She said communication had been absent and wanted to know why no notice had been sent to Galluzzi before the deadline. Instead, she said, the board assumed Galluzzi didn’t want to renew.

“Why would you assume anything without asking?” Rowe said. 

She asked that the board rescind the action it had taken and allow the Seabreeze to continue in business.

Galluzzi himself spoke, but kept his comments brief, pointing out that the proposal that Casale submitted for the Seabreeze had not been dated and shouldn’t be accepted because it wasn’t complete, and asking how the county could enter into a lease when the building has septic issues that haven’t been resolved.

Two more county residents, Richard Pittard of Gwynn and Bobby Dobson of Cobbs Creek, made comments, after which the public hearing was closed and board members took a five-minute recess. Upon returning, White moved to continue using the Seabreeze as a restaurant and to direct the county administrator and the county attorney to sign a contract with the successful bidder. 

The motion was met with angry shouts from the crowd. Galluzzi shouted, “You’re a bunch of liars!” and was escorted out of the courthouse by Sheriff Mark Barrick. Tyrone Hudgins shouted that “Elected officials can be elected in and elected out” and his wife Gayle said, “It’s not about the law, it’s about heart!” One man shouted that the bidding process had not been legal, but White said that not having a date on the document was not a fatal flaw because it was time stamped when it was received.

Chair Edwina Casey finally called for order and threatened to have Tyrone Hudgins removed. She called for the vote, and the board passed the motion 4-1, with Supervisor Charles Ingram voting against.