Wingnuts Don’t Only Run for Congress
Angel Clark over at delawarepolitics.net posted an interview she did with Matthew Walsh, who is running for Mayor of Georgetown.
Now if I was running for mayor of Georgetown, or any other city in Delaware or the US for that matter, I’d address things that I believed the voters would be concerned about, such as police protection, street maintenance issues, land use, you know, the bread and butter issues of local politics. But the Matt half of “Matt & Crank” doesn’t do that. Instead, our “Sussex County Angel” questions Walsh, and he responds to, these hot-button issues affecting everyday life in the Sussex County Seat: handguns in state-run public housing, school district consolidation, HCR, HB 353 (which Clark claims to be about “state sovereignty”), and immigration. Needless to say, Walsh, who hosts a morning show on a local station, gives answers that would warm any teabagger’s heart.
Maybe I’m missing something here, but what does HCR, immigration, school district consolidation, yada, yada, yada, have to do with keeping a town of 4600 people running? Absolutely nothing! I don’t know what Walsh’s long-term plans are for politics, but I’d start by addressing what you’re going to do to make Georgetown a better place to live instead of issues you’re not going to have any control over if you happen to fool enough people to vote for you next month.
It’s all about those hot buttons.
And it is about a persistent demonstration that these people are simply not serious about governing. If you can’t be bothered to get up to speed on and be able to seriously address local issues that a local government can handle, then you pretty much signal that you are a vanity candidate — pretty much a third party effort.
Immigration is a big issue in Georgetown and other areas downstate. I would say travel below the canal to some area below the beach, but I remember an Elsmere councilman making a pretty big issue of it.
This guy just answered a questionaire that was sent to all candidates. I was a little surprised that she sent it to city folks, but it has provided an interesting window into their thinking. It helps us prepare for the future.
He is not running on those issues. He just answered a question.
Yeah, I seem to remember the former sheriff claiming there were thousands of Hispanic gang members living in Sussex County, centered in Georgetown, and that they were all illegal immigrants. His charge was refuted by real law enforcement in the cities and towns down here.
If Matt were a serious candidate, he should have asked Angel what her questions had to do with being mayor of Georgetown. His “campaign website” consists of a Facebook page that has zilch regarding any issues he’s running on. Seems like this is some type of gimmick to gin up Arbitron ratings.
MJ, your memory is faulty.
The Sheriff was mocked by his opponent and by a Trooper (a political allie of his opponent), but 3 months after the election the State Police released a report highlighting the growing latin gang (MS13)problem in Sussex.
I don’t recall that report and don’t recall anything about this supposed report in the local papers down here. I’m sure you have a link to this report?
I should have added that the former sheriff, Superfly Robert Reed (who deserved to be mocked), put emergency red lights on his department’s cars, even after the County Council told him not to. One of his deputies decided to respond to a police call he heard over a police radio and severely injured someone – the deputy had no emergency lights or a siren. The sheriff’s department in Sussex does not have police powers.
Be nice. Walsh got up and spoke at a tea party event in Maryland and got booed when he told them not to vote for Sarah Palin, or any Republican, for that matter.
He then proceeded to call one heckler a “senile old fart.”
Video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvvnHK_wM8k&feature=player_embedded
In his defense, he’s 23.
Thanks for that video. I think he showed, intentionally or not, that there are some in the tea party movement are dupes.
Incidentally, my favorite part of the video was the adjustable sign that said “Infil-Traitor”. How apropos.
Sheriff Reed was ‘somewhat’ respected by the law enforcement community… until he tried to increase or expand his department’s enforcement powers/authority without getting appropriate changes to Delaware Code (Title 11-Criminal Code), tried to get his officers enrolled in the Delaware State Police Training Academy, put lights and sirens on his cars and started responding to police calls in Georgetown, and blew the Hispanic gang situation totally out of proportion. He seemed to be under the impression that, if he made his civil enforcement agency appear as a police department, it would be so. He was ultimately censured by Georgetown PD, and the Sussex County Police Chief’s Association.
He mostly did battle with the then Director of Public Safety, Brian Bushweller (an impotent dickhead in his own right). Then he went head to head with the AG’s office over the above issues, and M. Jane Brady kicked his ass. Aside from the above wingnuttery, Bob was a likable guy. Last I heard, he was fired from his job as Police Chief in Preston, MD.
That being said, anyone with aspirations for public office in Georgetown should be tuned in to immigration issues. Last I heard, the Hispanic population there was well over 60%.
Anytime you upstate turds need a lesson in Sussex County law enforcement, just rattle my cage.
Mis: Do you think Sussex should have its own police force? (not a leading question, just curious). Not in the way Reed tried to do it, but following the example of NCCo?
The main argument for a police force in Sussex would be that, due to large amount of unincorporated area (where I live and play), the response times are unacceptable by any model. This frequently results in the local PD’s having to leave their jurisdiction for critical incidents. This pisses off the mayors and town managers, who then impose draconian policies on their police, who mostly ignore them and extend their liability. At this time, Sussex County gov. is paying the state police a shitload of money to provide “extra” coverage’ for the unincorporated areas. For the money we are paying, the extra coverage is not at all noticeable. I know this from experience. So yes, in the interest of public safety, we could use a county-wide police force.
Reed actually had a good infrastructure in place to accomplish that goal, but took the wrong approach by pissing off every nearly law enforcement agency in Delaware (especially the locals, the Attorney General and the DSP, who are very possessive of their turf down here) by his backdoor approach, and his overbearing persistence.
Speakng of SC, you have to love Rollins’ argument for why she is a Sussex Countian- her husband once owned a home in Lewis.
Jason – it’s Lewes. Lewis was the funnier half of Martin and Lewis from the 1950’s.
Thanks, Mis. That sounds like what others from Sussex have told me. Nice to get an answer that’s intelligent analysis rather than partisan spin (not accusing you of that, just that it’s hard to find anyone on the internet who isn’t using a partisan prism for eyeglasses).
Mis – What infrastructure? Reed had a handful of deputies, who were experienced in serving subpoenas and running sheriff’s sales. No special training or network or communications systems or geographic deployment. He just wanted to be able to pull people over. Talk about a blowhard. It would have been interesting if he’d won the county council seat he ran for in 2008. (He lost the GOP primary to Sam “No Money For Haiti” Wilson.)
Sussex needs more cops, period. I don’t care if they’re staties or a county force or what. But we’re not going to get them while there’s no money. Somebody’s got to pay for them.
“Mis – What infrastructure? Reed had a handful of deputies, who were experienced in serving subpoenas and running sheriff’s sales.”
If you have ever been to Reed’s HQ (I have), he actually ran it more like a police department than many actual police departments (right or wrong).
“No special training or network or communications systems or geographic deployment.”
You’d be surprised at the amount, and type of training his deputies received. Typically, they far exceeded the requirements of the Delaware Council on Police Training, which is the agency that mandates the amount and type of annual training police officers must get to retain certification. He did indeed have a communications infrastructure in place. he had compatible equipment as all other law enforcement agencies in Delaware. Sussex County municipal agencies were dispatched and tracked by SUSCOM (DSP) at no charge. Ironically, other state agencies, such as DNREC had to pay DSP through the nose to get that service.
“He just wanted to be able to pull people over. Talk about a blowhard. It would have been interesting if he’d won the county council seat he ran for in 2008.”
Agreed.
“Sussex needs more cops, period. I don’t care if they’re staties or a county force or what. But we’re not going to get them while there’s no money. Somebody’s got to pay for them.”
Truth. Bear in mind that Reed’s quest began (and probably ended) when Sussex County was operating at a significant budget surplus. Also keep in mind that we are getting boned by DSP for the amount SSC pays them. A while back, SC also started throwing some chump change to the towns for law enforcement. I’m not sure if that money has dried up.