Mo’ Better Dems: Everybody Into the Primary Pool…RD 1
The incumbent: Charles Potter.
District Registration: 12,665 D; 1,444 R; 2,626 I. Those are not misprints.
OK, why should Charles Potter be primaried?
First, he and his family have fed at the public trough for far too long. And, yes, by ‘family’ I also include disgraced ex-Mayor Dennis P. Williams, who is Potter’s cousin. The same disgraced ex-Mayor who hired Velda and who hired Velda and Charles’ would-be rap impresario son. Who, of course, both proceeded to misuse their public offices. And these ethical lapses extend to Charles Potter as well. There’s so much more. Cassandra was all over this at the time:
https://delawareliberal.net//2016/08/11/i-get-email/
https://delawareliberal.net//2013/09/23/as-the-potters-field-turns/
Charles Potter and the entire Potter/Williams clan have no ethical compass whatsoever. That in and of itself should be grounds for a primary.
Second, Potter has a particular knack for mucking things up. Take, for example, his intervention into the Baynard Stadium upgrade. Please. Guy’s nothing but a bullshit artist.
OK, let me just say that I think that a primary challenge to Potter has a great chance to be successful. Especially if Eugene Young’s Network Delaware gets behind a candidate. In the 2016 Mayoral primary, Young defeated Williams in RD 1 by a 970-888 margin. Keep in mind that Williams represented the 1st RD in Dover for 18 years, from 1995 to 2013. It gets even worse for the Potter/Williams clan if you look at the 1st RD mayoral numbers in toto. Of the 4008 votes cast in RD 1 in the mayoral primary, the favorite son who represented the district in Dover for two decades got just over 22% of the vote. 78% of D voters supported someone other than Williams. Potter’s initial claim to the seat was simply that he was Dennis’ cousin and hand-picked successor. That on its own won’t get him reelected, and that’s all he has.
Gene Mauch once said ‘Sometimes you add by subtracting’. That’s precisely the case with Potter. If the Young forces get behind an ethical and progressive challenger, I see no reason why that person should not defeat the ethical sewer that is Charles Potter. I hope they do.
Noting for the record (and anybody who comes across this post not knowing the district maps) that RD 1 includes Northwest Wilmington, Pennyhill, and half of Edgemoor. Bounded on the west by the Brandywine. I imagine this district has not previously been a focus of Democratic campaigning; whether the party would be willing to come to Potter’s aid would be a question for someone who knows it better than I do.
Given the registration numbers, it’s fair to say that whoever holds this seat will be a reliable vote within the Democratic caucus. The point here is that pretty much any D with a pulse will have a better sense of ethics than Potter and there must be dozens of Ds in the district who possess the courtesy, tact and professionalism required to legislate successfully. The key question, however, is whether there are enough district residents who have the smarts to realize that they can do much, much better than Charles Potter.
Hey, only 22% of them voted for Cousin Dennis in the mayoral primary. I think they’re sick of these sycophants.
Speaking as a private individual, not necessarily as a member of any organization, I know that there is a potential candidate who lives in the district who would be excellent in not only taking on Potter but as legislator for RD 1. This person is reluctant to join the race for various reasons but certain parties, whom I will not name, are encouraging him/her to run and hopefully I’ll have good news to report soon.
Josh, make sure they read this thread.
Amen to that idea!!!!!!!!!!
Would be the best thing to happen to Wilmington .
Flush the Potters out with an honest replacement.
CP is a lying, cheating, thieving, back stabbing pile of pre stepped on dog shit. But enough about his good qualities.
” I won’t steal from you” should be sufficient slogan for a challenger :).
http://www.wdel.com/news/judge-rules-against-wilmington-s-rep-potter-in-home-improvement/article_59775ce4-4709-11e7-b584-5367620c1808.html
He gets worse by the day!
Well, THAT was right on time. Pulling Trump tactics in the 1st RD. Thanks for the link, Gigi.
Plus hes a deadbeat. Lost in court today. Has to pay his contractor 86K
Somebody better keep an eye on the Wilmington treasurer’s office budget for any $86,000 special contracts …
Paper reported she got added extra money (20K plus) for travel ,conferences and outreach in this last budget…..hmmmm
Som, I’ll pass the link along
It is not 86K it is 150K. Hope someone from the News Journal put its out there.
The News Journal’s Wilmington government/police beat reporter is very good. If you have any information and/or feedback contact her.
Christina Jedra
TNJ now has a single person covering police and Wilmington government? Pretty soon they’ll have a single subscriber.
Well, they still have other reporters do big features and support reporting. Example, the story today about the WPD cop working on illegal dumping and clean up was reported by Esteban Parra. Today’s story about developing the old nursing home at 8th and Walnut into housing for homeless vets was reported by Xerxes Wilson. It was the third story on that important topic.
So it’s not like Jedra covers everything. But it’s her beat so-to speak. So if you see an article about a City Council meeting or a Purzycki presser, it’s her.
Considering the shit pay and resources for these reporters, I think the News Journal’s actually pretty decent.
If it were being given away, it would be pretty decent. That they’re asking for money for what they provide is, at this point, an insult to the consumer’s intelligence.
There’s not enough money to hire, say, separate sports and editorial page editors. But there’s still enough to pay for a corporate structure that adds no value whatever to local consumers.
It’s a fair criticism. I know that the actual reporters care very much and are making a real effort for a pay packet that’s quite frankly the real insult.
I read just section A on the bus everyday. Physical newsprint paper. I actually think it’s worth the price. It’s really not that much.
I couldn’t care less about the sports section and the USA today national insert. The editorials are usually nixed off USA Today or Washington Post. But a little bird told me that there is a move in the works to hire a local, in-house editorial writer. I even know who it may be.
If Gannett still operates the way it did when I was there, that means another position will have to go dark. Corporate was so successful at micromanaging that it dictated not only the payroll at its papers, but how many positions that amount could be spread among.
I don’t know enough about it and I certainly don’t have any real information about the business end of it.
But here’s what I do know. The “Engagement Editor,” Carron Phillips, is headed elsewhere. This is public knowledge. The guy was a waste of space in my opinion. If they don’t backfill that dumb position they can hire a real Op-Ed writer. (Last bit is speculative but based on trusted rumor).
You’re not getting rid of Charles or Velda so get a life. Charles has reciprocating relationship with the neighborhoods in RD1. You all make it sound so easy to remove him. Joshua W, cut it out with the smoke and mirrors. Who’s your guy, Nnamdi? Ha! Been there done that. When he loses tell him to write me a poem about it.
Most Delaware Liberal’s subscriber’s wouldn’t take any part in this so called – hypothetical – pipe dream primary anyway, most of you from Hockessin and Pike Creek. Church going folks make the difference in the north side. Charles will be Governor in 8 years and now that we got Chip out of the way his wife will be State Treasurer in 3.5, mark my words.
Can’t touch this….
This fucking guy. Brother, you’re a wierd cat, feel me?
First, I live in the city. Second, I believe your colleague is the poet laureate of the state.
Are you mentally ill? You seem like a strange bird. You have your little fiefdom within our tiny Shire and you try to shit on everyone’s ideas because you’re a small, disturbed man with little to do. Two-bit grifter, you. So if you want to comment here, that’s cool. Just know that you’re out of you league by about four divisions.
Mr. Guy. From the looks of things. Charles and Velda Potter will be in Jail in 8 years. Oh by the way….good job handling Potters case. Finally Justice has been served. I hope that man put the house up for sheriff sale….Maybe I will buy it. You all are living in a fairly tale world. If you think he will be Governor. To many people know his game. I guess it’s good to dream.
So, Kelly, does this mean that Sam finally got his law license back? Did he charge the Potters for his legal expertise, or did he just do it pro bono? Either way, they got what they paid for.
Which raises this question: When Sam sues everybody on Wilmington City Council does he charge himself any billable hours? I mean, he wouldn’t get paid, but I’d like to know.
What’s that old saying?: He who has a fool for a lawyer is a fool as a client? Something like that.
In a way, though, it’s great that Sam has resurfaced at a time when we’re desperate for laughs. A bloviating buffoon in every way.
So the road to a matching pair of orange jump suits for CP and VP is through the flunky, the shadow who goes everywhere with CP. A strange alliance of a 70 plus public school Italian dude from WHS and the PS couple from Matson Run. Figure it out:).
No smoke and no mirrors here Sam, only a statement of fact: the old ways of doing business are coming to an end. You and the Potters have played too long for your own benefits at the expense of those you’re supposed to serve. The Bible says that “pride goes before destruction and an arrogant spirit before the fall”, and now yours and the Potter’s reckoning is at hand, and no amount of false piety can save you. I know this for certain: it won’t be the governor’s mansion that Charles will be occupying in eight years; it will be the dustbin of history.
Sam Guy’s puffery rivals that of Chip Flowers. Don’t believe me?:
http://www.samguy.net/effect.html
I just LOVE this line, and return to it often for inspiration:
“He is referred to by some as “Justice DE” and “Governor” in recognition of his statewide efforts in support of justice, fairness, and equal opportunity, thus leading to the receipt of numerous awards.” And censures. And suspensions.
Sam Guy. Two-bit grifter. I wrote it and stand by it.
You mean Chip Flowers, the last Democratic winner of the Treasurer election? That Chip Flowers? Call him what you want, he was a Democratic winner. Call him what you want, but he was no DINO.
If we can live (and we do) our D leadership and most of our D caucus being DINOs, I think we could have lived with Flowers’ rhetoric. Or at least we could have let him be brought down by Rs instead of Ds.