PART ONE:
The Caesar Rodney Institute, aided and abetted by the usual suspects like David Burris, has been working overtime to portray itself as some sort of non-partisan good government honest broker. Kinda like Common Cause or the League of Women Voters. Do the facts warrant this narrative? Let’s take a closer look.
In its mission statement, CRI describes itself as:
…a 501(c)(3) research and education organization dedicated to the measured improvement in the quality of life, the degree of individual liberty, and opportunity for personal fulfillment for all Delawareans.
CRI seeks to become Delaware’s preeminent non-partisan, free-market oriented think tank. The Caesar Rodney Institute’s vision is to be the catalyst for improved performance, accountability, and efficiency in Delaware government. Being the catalyst means providing quality information, solutions, and critiques to Delaware government spending and policy decisions in an effort to improve the lives and liberty of Delawareans.
The mission of the Caesar Rodney Institute (CRI) is to influence public policy in Delaware by helping every Delawarean understand and put into practice the fundamentals of a free society: individual initiative, personal responsibility, private property, voluntary agreements, informed choice, the rule of law, and strong local communities.
It appears that CR is dedicated to eliminating those pesky regulations as well, presumably because deregulation couldn’t have worked better in, say, ensuring the integrity of the financial markets and in protecting our fragile environment:
It is clear that Delaware needs a strong voice to research and propose new roles for a constitutionally limited government that is less intrusive, less costly, more enabling of individual initiative, more open, and more responsive to the needs of the individual.
“It is clear”. Who can argue with that airtight logic? Well OK, CR’s a fierce advocate for free markets and deregulation. Still, they probably come at it from a non-partisan perspective. ‘Bulo is sure that a careful perusal of CR’s key players will demonstrate strong non-partisan qualities. Let’s go to the record.
According to its own press releases, one Garrett Wozniak is the Policy Director for CRI. Here are his ‘non-partisan bona fides’ , in his own words, and direct from his University of Delaware Institute of Public Administration bio:
“After graduating from the University of Delaware’s MPA program in May 2006, I began working as the Campaign Coordinator for the Delaware Republican Party. Following the 2006 election, I became the Executive Director of the Delaware GOP, a position I held until June, 2007 when I became the policy director for the House Republican Caucus. In this position I implemented an extensive district operations plan for incumbent legislators and advised on numerous policies. In May 2008, I left the House to take on the role of Campaign Manager for State Senator Charlie Copeland in his campaign to become Delaware’s Lieutenant Governor.”
Hard to imagine a more textbook definition of non-partisanship than that.
Still, the Beast Who Was Born at Night But Not Last Night is positive that CRI’s Board of Directors will prove to be fair and balanced:
Barrett E. Kidner, Chairman & CEO: Here’s the official CRI Bio. Hmm, either current or former ‘Chairman, Republican Comm. 23rd Rep. District; Various Delaware Election Campaigns’.
BTW, ‘bulo is certain that it’s purely coincidental, but the Barrett Group contributed to Charles Copeland’s 2008 campaign for Lieutenant Governor, and Kidner himself once contributed $$’s to the Republican National Committee.
His bio also describes Kidner as President of the Barrett Group, Inc., a provider of administrative services to trade associations and other government affairs organizations headquartered in Dover, Delaware. In other words, a guy who helps the lobbyists lobby.
But surely someone chairing the beyond-reproach CRI is just doing it in his capacity as good government watchdog. Oops. Turns out Kidner is a lobbyist himself:
Region 1: Delaware
Delaware Apartment Association
Barrett Kidner, Association Executive
9 E. Loockerman Street, Suite 309
Dover, DE 19901
El Somnambulo found it interesting that the Association has a Resource Center for Landlords, but not for renters. He’s sure this must be an inadvertent oversight.
He’s having a more difficult time overlooking the following coincidence, however. It is not by accident that the Beast Who Boldfaces to Excess boldfaced Kidner’s Loockerman Street business address. It’s b/c that exact same address just happens to be the home of one of Delaware’s highest-powered and most notorious lobbying firms. And, get this, check out the last name here:
C.S. Kidner Associates Capitol Strategies
C. Scott Kidner
President
9 E. Loockerman St.,
Suite 309
Dover, DE 19901
But surely, C. Scott Kidner, like his namesake, is merely a forceful advocate for good government. Let’s just check out who he and his wife (Becky Batson Kidner) lobby for. From the oxymoronically-named Delaware Public Integrity Commission:
| Cristofer Scott Kidner 3 Shinnecock Road Dover , DE 19904 |
CARL M. FREEMAN COMMUNITIES RR2 Box 577J Ocean View , DE 19970 |
Cigar Association of America 1707 H. Street, N. W. Suite 800 Washington , DC 20006 |
Comcast of Delmarva, Inc. 5729 West Dennys Road Dover , DE 19904 |
| Commercial Industrial Realty Council P. O. Box 1789 Wilmington , DE 19899 |
DELAWARE APARTMENT ASSN. c/o Naaman’s Associates 799 Montclair Drive Claymont , DE 19703 |
DELAWARE ASSN. OF REALTORS 134 East Water Street Dover , DE 19901 |
|
| Delaware Charter School Network 100 West 10th Street Suite 403 Wilmington , DE 19801 |
Delaware Film Company, LLC 408 Victoria Ave Wilmington , DE 19804 |
DELAWARE HOTEL & LODGING ASSN. PMB 115 251 N. Dupont Highway Dover , DE 19901 |
|
| DELAWARE OUTDOOR ADVERTISING, INC 207 Golding Court Hockessin , DE 19707 |
DELAWARE PHYSICAL THERAPY ASSOCIATION 120 Church Lane Wilmington , DE 19808 |
DELAWARE Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association 777 Delaware Park Blvd. Wilmington , DE 19804 |
|
| DELAWARE TOURISM ALLIANCE %Roy Klien – Kline Development P. O. Box 619 Dover , DE 19903 |
Delmarva Power & Light Co. 401 Eagle Run Rd. Newark , DE 19702 |
Dewey Beach Enterprises P.O. Box 649 Dickinson St. Dewey Beach , DE 19971 |
|
| FIRST STATE MANUFACTURED HOUSING ASSOCIATION P.O. Box 1829 2 North State Street Dover , DE 19903 |
HOME BUILDERS ASSN. OF DE 5151 W. Woodmill Dr. Suite 19 Wilmington , DE 198084067 |
Scientific Games Corp. 750 Lexington Avenue, 25th Fl New York , NY 10022 |
|
| The Coalition of Natural Health, Inc. 1220 L Street, N.W. PMB 100-408 Washington , DC 20005 |
TIDEWATER UTILITIES 1100 S. Little Creek Rd. Dover , DE 19901 |
U. S. English, Inc. 1747 Pennsylvania Avenue Suite 1050 Washington , DC 20006 |
|
| Unison Administrative Services, LLC Unison Plaza 1001 Brinton Road Pittsburg , PA 15221 |
| Rebecca Batson Kidner Rebecca Batson Kidner, PA 9 E. Loockerman Street, Suite 309 Dover , DE 19901 |
American Express Company 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Suite 650 Washington , DC 20004 |
AMERIHEALTH INSURANCE CO.OF DE/AMERIHEALTH HMO, INC. Legislative Policy Office 500 N. 3rd Street Suite 500 Harrisburg , PA 17101 |
DELAWARE ASSOCIATION OF NURSE ANESTHETIST 9 Suffolk Road Rehoboth Beach , DE 19971 |
| DELAWARE STANDARDBRED OWNERS ASSN., INC. 830 Walker Rd. Dover , DE 19904 |
PROPERTY CASUALTY INSURERS ASSOC. 28 West State. St., Ste. 719 Trenton , NJ 08608 |
REBECCA BATSON KIDNER, P.A. 9 E. Lockerman Street, Suite 309 Dover , DE 19901
|
Lessee…the insurance giants, credit card industry, horsemen, utilities, manufactured housing and hospitality industries, cable TV, nothing says good government more profoundly than those stalwarts.
Evidence to the contrary notwithstanding, El Somnambulo is absolutely convinced that this snippet provides an unfair portrayal of the wannabe quote machine known as the Caesar Rodney Institute. He encourages anyone with information to write the Delaware Liberal Tipline. All tips will be thoroughly investigated by ‘bulo’s fact-checkers.
Tune in tomorrow for Part 2 as the Beast Who Slumbers, in the interests of investigative journalism, demonstrates the honorable and above-board nature of CRI’s efforts. Or at least tries.