I have to admit that I don’t know much about Ruth Ann Minner or her administration. I moved to Delaware in 2007 and Minner was already on her way out. I know she is not beloved but not hated either. Yesterday, the News Journal published a second article on what seems to be a very cosy relationship between Ruth Ann Minner and Christopher Tigani of N.K.S. Distributors.
Former Gov. Ruth Ann Minner’s administration helped push through what commercial agents say is a “sweet deal” for a lease on land owned by the state. The deal was done for one of Minner’s friends in the state’s powerful liquor industry.
Christopher Tigani, who ran N.K.S. Distributors Inc., signed a 66-year lease on 10.3 acres of land on the east side of Milford for $1,500 a month in 2006, just two months after a state appraiser set the rent at $84,125 a month, public records show.
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Although the land needed to be rezoned from residential to commercial when Tigani signed the lease, his company made only one payment until the property was annexed by Milford as commercial two years later. So far, N.K.S. has paid $79,200 in rent — $3.96 million less than it would have paid at the rate the state land appraiser originally proposed
The earlier NJ article detailed a trip to a conference in Quebec by Minner that was paid for by Tigani but was not reported to the state.
So reading this article as an outsider it certainly looks bad for Minner. I wonder if further digging will find other deals for her cronies or if this is the only one. However, I don’t think there will be much fallout for Minner. She’s no longer an elected official and I really think most people are looking forward and aren’t that interested in rehashing the previous administration but I could be wrong about that. What do you think? Is this going to lead to something more or will everyone just shrug their shoulders and move on?
ed. note: I changed the post to correct my misspelling of Mr. Tigani’s name.