Jim Westhoff, the Democratic candidate in the 35th District, issued a press release today blasting Sen. Joe Booth (R-19th) for accepting a job with Sussex Tech as their new public relations official.
Westhoff notes in his release that Booth
will not be teaching, but will be an administrator forging connections with business leaders.
The salary is unknown, because Sussex Tech Superintendent A.J. Lathbury will not release it without a Freedom of Information Act request. According to Westhoff, most of the administrator salaries at Sussex Tech, which has only one school, are in the $100,000 range.
Westhoff points out that no other school district in Sussex County has a full-time PR person, and Sussex Tech has one of the smallest enrollments in the county.
The job itself is fiction. No other school district in Sussex County has a full-time person devoted solely to public relations. Other school districts, that have three times the number of students, do not need a public relations person. With a straight face, Sussex Tech expects us to believe that they need a public relations person.
The superintendent also insults us taxpayers by expecting us to believe that the hiring process was fair and that Booth was the best choice among a large field of candidates. I personally know many public relations professionals in the area who are out of work. I know many former journalists who are also looking for work. But we are expected believe that a man who has never before worked as a public relations professional, who has never worked as a journalist, is the most qualified candidate.
Last month, Westhoff pledged to resign his position with DelDOT if he won his election. He has also said that he will propose legislation banning legislators from holding state government positions. His proposal will not affect the 15 or so current legislators employed by the state.
You can read the full text of his press release at www.jimwesthoff.org.
Now this, ladies and gentlemen, is what we need in the General Assembly. Someone willing to take on the Delaware Way.