Williams’ Mayoralty Headed for Potter’s Field?
Wherein the “nothing to see here folks, move along now” defense run into actual journalism.
While Wilmington officials used taxpayer money to help cover police expenses and other services at a concert last weekend promoted by a top city employee’s son, organizers of other events that weekend found themselves paying for their functions’ security.
Mayor Dennis P. Williams defended using public money to pay for some costs of the all-day, hip-hop Foxtail Fest, arguing that other events last weekend also received city services. But organizers of three other events made clear Thursday that they were not treated the same, particularly when it came to security.
Whoops.
The Hispanic Festival paid $7,000 to $8,000 for its police coverage last weekend, said Jorge Pizarro, vice president of the non-profit Nuestras Raices, which puts on the event. Councilwoman Maria Cabrera noted the event was canceled last year because of funding deficiencies and might finish in the red this year, too.
So Cabrera was upset after she found out Williams’ administration picked up the bill for cleanup, emergency services and 20 police officers for security at Foxtail Fest, an inaugural concert organized by What Scene?. The company’s founders include Brandon Potter, the son of Williams’ chief strategy adviser, Velda Jones-Potter, and state Rep. Charles Potter Jr., the mayor’s cousin.
Total coincidence probably….
“You can imagine how this sits with people in the community and others who have begged the city to help them with their events,” Cabrera said, later saying of the Hispanic Festival, “instead of getting a hand from the city, they get a slap.”
[Added by Delaware Dem]. Allan Loudell’s take is really good here (emphasis mine):
Mayor Williams appears to be trying to distance himself from this latest example of apparent nepotism in his administration. What is it about the Potters? Governor Markell felt compelled to name Velda Jones-Potter to fill out the remainder of his term as state Treasurer. She enjoyed a lucrative contract with the City of Wilmington – at a time of austerity – and ran a glaringly inept campaign to win the state Treasurer’s office in her own right. (Including exceptional obfiscation in agreeing to any debates.) Brandon Potter took a newly minted position in marketing at the start of the Williams Administration, then abruptly gave his two weeks’ notice after four months on the job.
It seems to me Mayor Williams has a choice. Either cut a check to Hispanic Festival and any other festival that was required to pay for their own security, or have Brandon Potter reimburse the city immediately. And Mr. Mayor… perhaps it is time to cut all the Potters loose.
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What a fucking joke. The Mayuh is clearly in the pocket of the Potters, and has no one in city hall except yes-men.
At least Bill Montgomery didn’t try to enrich his family at taxpayers’ expense.
I can’t get over how tone deaf this mayor is. And, totally arrogant. Somebody (other than Bill Montgomery) please primary him!!!
At this rate, this Mayor will not last one term.
No … he will last one term. We don’t have recall or impeachment in Delaware and these activities are foolish, not felonious.
And he will have a chance at a second term unless some D has the gumption to primary him. The Republicans in Wilmington are in a sorrier state than they are statewide, and it’s hard to believe that’s possible.
Don’t know if I’m the only Wilmington resident to comment yet. Although I’m guessing I’m the only one who attended the WHYY mayorial debate at Arhst Hall on the UD Wilmo campus during the campaign.
AQC is correct. Williams came off as an arrogant prick. He was the hand picked successor to Baker and this was pointed out at the debate. However, like many cities this size a small cabal of powerful people have relatively simple task to keep their grasp on power. I’m sure you all know who succeeded Williams in the state house from the first district… take a wild guess.
It’s a slimely political machine, but they know how to keep the rich white boutique liberal people content and they know how to control the poor. Like I said… the city happens to be small enough. Color me cynical, but he’s about as corrupt as I expected.
If a few thousand dollars of favors here and there are all it is, I’ll consider myself lucky.
Unfortunately I’m registered as unaffiliated so I couldn’t vote against Williams in the closed primary… in the general I left it blank. What was the point?!
Oh, and don’t forget who preceded Williams in that DE state rep seat… another snake in the grass thief… take a guess.
Great campaign signage:
Lonnie George, of course.
However, given that there was a three-way primary and that Baker’s guy didn’t win, it’s a bit of a stretch to call Williams a hand-picked successor.
Montgomery had the support of a lot of the business community — the people who give money but can’t vote. Kelley’s base was the white and Hispanic neighborhoods — but that’s a minority in the city. And there were outlier candidates too.
Williams might have won a two-way race, but the three-way made it easier for him, especially since he ran a negative campaign and, as Dorian notes, “came off as an arrogant prick.”
I’ve talked to him a couple of times, and I think he’s got some good ideas. However, when you couple his desire to play police chief with the lax ethics and political tone-deafness of his top staff, the likelihood of positive change diminishes significantly.
I did not vote for him and I volunteered for Kevin Kelley, but, I wanted to get behind him when he won. However, he makes it impossible with these asinine decisions, his defensiveness and arrogance, and the sheer stupidity and ineptitude of those working for him! Plus, things just keep getting worse in the city!!
I was at the WHYY debate and this is not correct:
He was the hand picked successor to Baker and this was pointed out at the debate.
Baker rather pointedly stayed out of the fray and a small group of his top staff now work as top staff for City Council. Williams won in RDs 1 and 2, which are the districts with the largest turnout for D candidates in the city. Kelley won all of the rest, I think.
Lots of people work pretty hard all year long to work at putting on events for the city and there is a detailed process for getting your permit. For one to be let off of the hook is probably pretty discouraging to the other festivals and events that have a lot longer history in the city. But I’d want to know if this Foxtail thing even went through this process. Because it looks to me that you have to get them to tell you how many WPD you need (and you have to provide them with an insurance certificate). I don’t know what fell apart here, but we certainly need to know.
Velda Jones-Potter is “no longer with the Williams Administration”.
Good riddance! Now get rid of the rest of the rubbish!
Sometimes the best friend you can have in politics is a conflicted opponent.
If you have to have somebody running point to bellow at you about conflicts of interest or misuse of government funds, Mike Brown’s a good draw.
Will anyone challenge Charles Potter? They really should.
I think this is a scandal with legs. Williams set VJP free but that will only feed the sandal. Potter can reimburse the city but I think the question will remain as to how this happened. Williams defending the money puts him smack dab in the middle of it, since it would probably be easy to blame an underling or say he didn’t know.
Plus, it’s not clear at all that VJP ordered the security. Everybody was pretty much ‘unavailable for comment’. Again.
Isn’t it at least time for someone to challenge the alleged competence of John Matlusky, his COS? Who did the same job for the Republican State House Caucus? Which is hardly the same thing?
What’s scary is that she was pretty much the only demonstrated level-headed individual in his Administration. At least in terms of maybe preventing him from going off half-cocked.
Ousting her in a Friday night news dump in no way helps to make Williams’ administration stronger.
Man, this is getting downright scary for people who want what’s best for Wilmington. 3-plus more years of this?
The city council will have no choice but to conduct a thorough investigation. It is a painful way for the City to restore faith in government . The investigation should have sworn testimony and all employees must be guaranteed protection under the whistle blowers policy. The Mayor’s office should ask all employees to fully cooperate to clear the Mayor of any involvement . If there is an indication of abuse of power and personal gain the findings should be shared with the Attorney Generals office. All this is a huge distraction from the issues facing the city. It would however , help the Mayor and the City Council restore confidence in our government .
To my earlier point on Brown …. When you demand the immediate resignation of the police, fire and public works chiefs before any of them answer a single question, you don’t exactly come across as serious about helping the city.
To your point about Brown: How badly have you screwed up if Brown has the high ground?
Theo has the high ground
And here’s hoping he’ll use it for serious fact-finding, not just counting coup. This is very serious as a question of credibility and a question of governance — I’m hoping that the 30th is going to be focused like a laser on that.
Is Theo still Brown’s direct employer?
Calistro and Cassandra are right.
I hope this investigation is carried out as Calistro details in his post.
Like one of the other commenters, I did not vote for DPW but was willing to give him a chance and support him in any way that will move Wilmington forward. I have been sorely disappointed.
To Dorian Gray, it is not “unfortunate” that you could not vote in the Mayoral primary, it was your choice to remain unaffiliated. History tells you that a voter who does not participate in the Democrat primary has NO voice in the City of Wilmington Government.
It is long past time for open primaries in the City.