The Delaware State Senate Is Changed Forever
With the passing of Thurman Adams, the Delaware State Senate will never be the same.
And the State of Delaware will be much the better for it. While one wishes Adams’ family best wishes and mourns their loss, it must be said that, in the last few years, Adams almost singlehandedly kept the Senate’s tradition of obstinance and obfuscation alive.
Coming on the heels of the recent passing of Sen. Jim Vaughn, the institutional disdain for open government that had lasted for decades is gone for good. The only remaining proponent of secret government is Nancy Cook. She will either have to adjust or find her influence diminished considerably.
Here is what will change: There will be no more desk-drawer vetoes. There will be far less killing bills by putting them in ‘unfriendly’ committees. There likely will be no more denying R’s the opportunity to run their own bills on the floor. There will be much less Sussex County domination of the Senate, even if a D wins the Special Election, since George Bunting is a moderate at worst and Bob Venables has always been a follower of Adams and is too far out to assume a leading role.
This trend will likely accelerate as Senators who have become comfortable with, if not entirely committed to, the secretive way of doing things retire.
The Senate Democratic Caucus was so secretive that it is/was the only Caucus not to have its key staff people in the Caucus. That helps explain some of the PR blunders that the Caucus walked right into headlong. However, the real explanation was that the Caucus simply didn’t care what the public thought. It is impossible to convey the disdain for the public and the press that was shared by senators like Tom Sharp, Jake Zimmerman, Richard Cordrey, Herman Holloway, Sr., Vaughn, Cook and Adams, among others. All but Cook are gone.
There has been a great deal of understandable fondness expressed for Thurman Adams upon his passage. ‘Bulo himself will always remember his solicitous and courteous manner.
That fondness, however, must not morph into nostalgia for, or the desire to maintain, the era of secrecy and disdain for openness which characterized Adams’ governmental philosophy and the era in which he served.
El Somnambulo doesn’t believe that will happen. While he is indeed sorry that the Senator has passed, he is nonetheless pleased that the institutional decrepitude that accompanied his times is also likely an artifact of the past.
However, it’s up to each and every one of you who believe in open government to make sure that this is change you can believe in. Stay involved and hold them accountable.
Agreed…the senate has changed forever and hopefully for the better. Cook and Venables need to go though to make the cleansing complete!
Great post and very tactful! God rest Sen. Adams soul and protect his family. We can blame him for his desk drawer tactics but he wasn’t the evil monster that dwelled in legislative hall. The real evil was those who allowed his tactics and lobbyist who don’t represent the people. He might have been a face we could associated the ugliness of government but the real evil stayed in the shadows. This why we need completely open government with video or audio. There should be no reason government should meet behind closed doors unless it is a matter on state or national security or emergency.
Kilroy’s post reminds ‘bulo. It is also long past time for the Senate to post the Yays and Nays of all roll calls on line. The House has done it for quite some time now.
The passing of Adams will mean little to the Senate or to Delaware government.
We still need initiative, referendum, recall, term limits , inspector general and also a nepotism bill.
As long as tragedies like Orlando George of DelTech fame goes on, nothing has changed.
Mike Protack
It’s definitely a change in the era. Change was already happening but this perhaps hastens it. Thank you, Senator Adams, for your long years of service to the state. I do think there is a generational divide in politics and it’s not only age-related. It’s between people who want to do politics the old way (smoke-filled rooms) and those who want to do politics the new way.
Is Mrs Mervine married inot the family trhat once owned Nantcoke homes in Greenwood? sounds like the same last name
If you think that the old trick of bending the rules and abusing power to assert your will is gone from the Senate, then you are delusional.
Politics will always have dishonorable people in power hell bent to protect their own power. Less? for now. Power corrupts. Someone, or more than one will fill the power vacuum.
If anything his death fans the flames. He held SO MUCH power that it will probably never be held by one person again… but the corruption will not be gone.
Adams was sound on state finance, but with all respect, I remain unconvinced of his legacy. Blocked many good nominees of each party for reasons that remain known only to him. Bullheadedness on 121 just tip of iceberg. Even bullied GOP into not picking Liane S. as its leader:
http://www.delawaregrapevine.com/6-09thurman.asp
My first thought and comment when someone onthe Internet sent out the death noticee and said “May Gods rest his soul”, WAS and OPPEN his desk drawer to ssee what progressive legilstaionmight sitll be locked in there. B. Lifflander