Today is Wednesday, July 23, 2008. The deadline for candidates to file their intentions to run for office is Friday, July 25, 2008. Two days away. 48 hours.
From the News Journal:
Sussex County Democrats have just been stabbed in the back by their three council members, and they have little time to remove the knife.
The three Democrats who control the Sussex County Council dropped a political bombshell Tuesday, announcing their joint retirements in a move that could dramatically change the face of county politics.
Councilmen Dale Dukes of Laurel, Lynn Rogers of Milton and Finley Jones of Greenwood said they would not run for re-election in November, a mere four days [sic] ahead of the filing deadline.
Their decisions open the door for Republicans to take hold of the five-member council for the first time in two decades.
“They basically handed us the reins,” said Republican Judson Bennett, a candidate for Rogers’ seat. “Unless we self-destruct from within, I think we’ll have a good opportunity.”
Only one council member seems to have a legitimate reason for stepping down, as Councilman Rogers said he needed to focus his time and energy on taking care of his wife, who was severely injured in a May horse-riding accident. That is perfectly understandable. Indeed, Sussex Democrats have been expecting his retirement. But the other two were surprising, and as far as I can tell, no mention of their possible retirement escaped the lips of Mr. Dukes and Mr. Jones at any point during the past year. The only reasons they give is that they wanted to spend more time with their families. That is all well and good, but if both were expecting or wanted to retire, they should have informed the Party long before hand so we could get good candidates to replace them. Especially when we control the council on a 3-2 margin. So that is a betrayal, and it is political malpractice at the same time.
Luckily, we do have some candidates that seem prepared to run. In the Second District, replacing Jones, we have former Georgetown Mayor Mike Wyatt running. Unfortunately Wyatt is coming off an electoral defeat this spring in his reelection bid for Mayor. In the Third District, replacing Rogers, would be civic activist Joan Deaver, founder of Citizens for a Better Sussex. We do not yet have a candidate for the first district.
No matter the horrible position the resignations put us in politically, this is an opportunity for better Democrats rather than more Democrats. Joan Deaver is most definitely a better Democrat.