Tony DeLuca Has Disgraced His Office. Markell MUST Call Senate Back.
One person. One person with power he does not deserve. One person who has continuously thumbed his nose at the public’s right-to-know. Tony DeLuca. Remember the name.
That one person, on his own, and in defiance of legislators from both parties, destroyed the hopes and dreams of hundreds of students who need scholarship assistance to attend Delaware State University. Why? DeLuca, per usual, was ‘unavailable for comment’.
First, read the stunning story in today’s News-Journal.
As chronicled in my Live Blog on Wednesday, the House passed HB 399 relatively early on Wednesday evening. The House broke for Caucus immediately thereafter and, according to the News-Journal:
… at about 10 p.m. Wednesday, House Democrats sent the Senate its “must list,” a document each chamber sends to the other to request votes on bills needed before the close of the session. It contained one bill, the Inspire Scholarship (HB 399).
The money had already been allocated for the program. All that was needed for students to receive assistance in time for the fall semester was the passage of the enabling legislation, HB 399. The President Pro-Tempore had merely to allow the bill to be considered. He and he alone refused to do so. This resulted in…well, let’s let the News-Journal tell the story:
It became clear at 1:30 a.m. Thursday that there was a problem with the legislation. Speaker Bob Gilligan left the House chamber and walked over to the Senate chamber, where lawmakers worked on routine bills. The House speaker’s unusual presence in the Senate chamber caused whispers among staffers as Gilligan stood at DeLuca’s desk. The two then walked into a back room.Five minutes later, Gilligan emerged and stormed across the building, ripping open the House chamber doors and returning to his seat. At 1:46 a.m., the Senate adjourned for the year. Sen. Patricia Blevins, D-Elsmere, said it was too late to stick around and debate the bill. “We’re tired,” Blevins said shortly after adjournment.
“We’re tired.” With those words, Sen. Blevins earns herself a Profiles in Courage Award. She and her colleagues are tired, so screw the 140 students who were counting on the scholarship money for this fall.
But this is about Tony DeLuca. For those of you unfamiliar with him, he was a union electrician hand-picked by then-President Pro-Tempore Tom Sharp in 1994 to run for the Senate seat vacated by the retirement of Sen. Roger Martin. He put his chief political consigliere, Mark Brainard, in charge of keeping the seat in Democratic hands. But, the Golden Boy failed. The profoundly-undistinguished Donna Reed won the seat by a thin margin, 3614-3328.
Four years later, DeLuca edged Reed in the rematch, 3413-3160.
In addition, what does this ‘union electrician’ do today? Why, he’s the “Administrator for the Office of Labor Enforcement”, a position he got courtesy of Tom Sharp and Mark Brainard.
The same Tom Sharp who recruited DeLuca to run. The same Tom Sharp to whom Mark Brainard and Ruth Ann Minner gave the Secretary of Labor position, a no-show golden parachute if there ever was one. The same Mark Brainard, who, along with Ruth Ann Minner, pushed the Senate Caucus behind the scenes in 2002 to support Thurman Adams and Tony DeLuca for leadership over a group of reform Dem Senators. The same Mark Brainard who is in line to replace Lonnie George as President of Del-Tech, a competitor for education $$’s with Delaware State University.
Oh, and keep in mind that, when the SEED Scholarship Program was established, the Delaware General Assembly notably excluded Del-State from the program, making the $$’s available only to the University of Delaware, which isn’t even a state institution, and, of course, Del-Tech.
Governor Jack Markell must not let this stand. Sometimes you just have to stand up for what’s right. Forget about fraying working relationships with the Senate. Governor Markell MUST call the Senate back into session to consider HB 399.
And while the Senate’s in session, they should do one more thing. They can and should strip Tony DeLuca of his position as President Pro-Tempore. He has demonstrated through this arbitrary, capricious, and mean-spirited decision, that he is unfit for leadership.
And maybe the News-Journal might want to investigate how DeLuca got and has kept his job with the Department of Labor. After all, his job title makes you wonder what he is enforcing and what he isn’t enforcing.
Here’s what IS clear: He will make his own rules until somebody in power decides they’ve had enough.
Enough already.
Tags: Sen. DeLuca; Mark Brainard; Delaware General Assembly; Delaware State University
Right on, ‘bulo!
Markell will roll over and do nothing. The Senate Democrats have already told him who is boss.
If you read anything today on Delaware Liberal, you should read this post!
I was going to put up my once-a-month post on this, but I’ll stand down for yours. I think next time work comes to me with a project, I’ll tell them that it wasn’t properly on my must-list. When that call comes in around midnight, after a full day of work, about a production issue, I’ll moan that “I’m tired,” and hang up.
Not just DeLuca, but Blevins, too. No more leadership for them. They didn’t just lose it, they flat out gave it away. Sen KP should be running that show.
‘Bulo…
I highlighted this in my Facebook feed this morning. In fact, I zeroed in on the same Blevins (my NEW senator) quote. I’m sorry, Sen. Blevins…I was there until 2pm, too. I was tired, too. But, you know what? Suck that shit up! I can’t believe this legislation wasn’t passed. This is a disgrace.
And I’m with Smitty. Leadership changes will be made after the election. Time for DeLuca and Blevins to go!
Which is why Markell should call them back. It’ll give Blevins enough time to get her beauty sleep.
Dead on, ‘Bulo. I’ve sent out a message via FB and Twitter to have people call the Gov’s office. This must not stand.
but… I thought that Delaware Liberal was just a bunch of shills for the Democratic Party…
DeLuca has a long, sordid history of sucking. Here’s my favorite post about the giant suck that is DeLuca:
http://kavips.wordpress.com/2009/05/14/pamphleteers-unite/
Blind squirrel meets nut, ‘geek.
Kidding! 😛
liberalgeek, does this mean we’re in trouble from the powers that be?
Nemski – Yeah, the Democratic party will undoubtedly be cutting our budget line item by a significant percentage. (for the slow conservatives, that there’s a joke)
Blevins will not get my vote and somebody should look into what Orlando George gave DeLuca for this little stunt!!
We can complain all we want but DeLuca is the one with the “power.” He’ll keep getting reelected, disgracing the Democrats, and stay in his leadership position until the rest of them get some guts to put him out. Can’t see it happening.
Damn, I guess the espresso machine will have to wait till next year.
DeLuca is my state senator. Yuck! Yes, let’s call the governor’s office and our own state senators. Bring the legislature back into session!
One very essential point I failed to make clear: Even in the snakepit that is the Delaware General Assembly, you are only as good as your word. DeLuca had given his word that, pending the House passage of a particular bill, the Senate WOULD work HB 399. Once the House had passed the bill in question, and the House had no further leverage, DeLuca went back on his word. Really, what he did is indefensible, which is yet one more reason why this arrogant prick will not deign to try to defend it.
Speaker Gilligan who, IMHO, did an outstanding job as Speaker this session, truly was unaware until 1:30 a.m. that DeLuca had no intention of keeping his word. It probably didn’t even cross his mind that a President Pro-Tem would so blatantly go back on a promise.
The Napoleonic martinet that is DeLuca violated the single most important part of a leadership position: He did not keep his word.
That’s why I disagree with my dear friend June. I think he WILL lose his leadership position over this. He’d better.
“We’re tired”???? Are you kidding me? May your electorate be tired of voting for you!
Good work Bulo–excellent, I mean wickedly excellent post–and may I add DeLuca is behind HB 500 that would mandate schools undergoing construction hire construction managers at risk—far prohibitive in cost than what is done now–but I don’t want to detract from your brilliant post–just want to add to his list of misdeeds. Bravo Bulo!!!
The next question is how we can get Mark Brainard out of DelTech. As far as I know he has no qualifications for the job.
While Sen. DeLuca did not run HB 399, Sen. Blevins joined him in pulling the same stunt on HB 443 – the re-write of Delaware’s drug laws and mandatory minimums. Rep. Melanie George introduced the bill (which had been written by the AG’s office, the PD’s office, the Police, private-practice defense attorneys, DHSS, and SURJ) on June 3rd.
HB 433 was voted out-of-committee and passed the House. The bill was placed, interestingly enough, in the Executive Committee in the Senate on June 17th.
But Senators Blevins & DeLuca claimed to know nothing of the bill. How they couldn’t know of the bill, when Senator DeLuca assigned it to his own committee, is an open question. Despite HB 443 being on Rep. George’s “Must List”, the Senate Leaders killed it because they weren’t “informed” (whatever that means). But hey, what’s another 10 or 20 Delawareans in need of treatment being sent to prison for 4 years due to a mandatory minimum.
Calling my boss as I’m going to call it a day . . . I’m a bit tired.
AQC
why would Lonny George want to kill a scholarship bill, he can’t get the money at DelTech unless the student show up with it?
seperately, it should be illegal to hold a seat in the legislature and a job in the administration (executive branch).
Don’t know why HB 443 wasn’t run. It sure should have been run. It had been around for quite some time in another form and was modified to make it acceptable to enough parties to get it passed.
The fact that Rep. George responded to its failure to be worked with equanimity is the only reason I’m not more PO’d about it.
But if it turns out that DeLuca and Blevins conspired to keep this bill bottled up, then I’ve got myself another rant for another day…
BTW, Charlie, are you ever gonna tell us about your ties to CRI? Just askin’…
Oh great…we go from desk drawers to bottles.
I am asking because I am unaware of the law on this: does the Governor have the legal authority to reconvene the legislative body in Delaware or can he just “forcefully” ask them to reconvene?
He has the legal authority, and governors have done it previously. He can’t force them to have an up-and-down vote, but you can bet that there would be Hell to pay if DeLuca and a well-rested Patti Blevins tried to sell their Caucus on ignoring the Governor’s will.
I would not be surprised if the Governor, as a ‘face-saving’ device for the two-faced DeLuca, didn’t arrange for a Special Senate Session to consider nominations and, oh, by the way, HB 399 will also be considered.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hn-enjcgV1o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6G7MkBMVxE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJomp47BliE
Public demand got the governor to cast a veto last year. Perhaps, public demand, as well as all the bad press, can get him to bring the Senate back in time for the kids to get their scholarships. I’d also like the Senate to vote on the drug law bill, HB443, as mentioned before. So, it is time to write letters to the editors and contact the governor.
Jack,
That’s a good idea. If they’re coming back to vote on the Inspire Scholarship bill we should ask them to look at the film bill and the drug law bill in that special session as well.
Props to John Young!! Fillin’ in what Bulo who has been distracted by excellent expose used to do :)!!! Thanks….
And here’s another amateur one to add on…compliments of my son (the one to the left as you face the main singer)…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UUTrZiUSag
Could someone please highlight that for me from DL–it’s not working for me as a paste–thanks….
And a wiggle of the ear to Jason…..
Cool. And that school looks like a very high end private school, or maybe one of the state’s top public schools.
They dressed for the filming. It was a TV production project.
I got that. I meant the cleaning and appointments.
Appointments?!!! Wrestling mats on the walls???!!!! Any of our district buildings have floors you are tempted to tapdance on, the custodians do such a fabulous job. Drop by in the evening sometime.