1. Two-Way Primary for New Castle County President
Both Bill Dunn and Renee Taschner filed for the Democratic nomination for New Castle County President this week. I will leave it to those who are more involved in County politics than I am to discuss the two candidates’ strengths and weaknesses. All I know for sure is that Bill Dunn does not support the agenda of Paul Clark or his developer enablers, and that, of course, is a big plus for me.
2. John Cartier Gets Primary for New Castle County Council Seat
While this may be of interest only to people in Brandywine Hundred, I’m from Brandywine Hundred and it’s of interest to me. I like John Cartier, and have personally campaigned for him. I also like his opponent, Richard T. Perillo, as Rep. Diana McWilliams and I worked with him and the Brandywine Hundred Fire Company on issues concerning the fire company. Perillo is the President of the Brandywine Hundred Fire Company. As near as I can tell, this primary is about whether or not John has sufficiently followed through on constituent concerns during his time in office. I don’t think, but I am not certain, that Paul Clark figures into this contest. John has been vocal about his opposition to Clark’s shenanigans, which is one of the things I like about him. Of course, it’s also possible that Tom Gordon’s St. Patty’s Day assertions that he is planning to run for County Executive again are more than just the beer talking, and Gordon has roots in the Bellefonte area, and he bankrolled Carl Colantuono in a last-second primary against Cartier last time. Just sayin’. In other words, this is not a ‘Just Some Guy’ primary, and I’ll be following this one closely.
3. ‘Biff’ Lee Gets A D Opponent in Sussex House District
I like this, I like this a lot. Ray Adkins (no, not Atkins, be still, your beating heart) of Seaford has filed for the 40th RD seat. The district is currently represented by Rep. Clifford G. ‘Biff’ Lee (R-Laurel), a, wait for it, retired state trooper who inherited the legislative seat from his father upon his death. The district has a nominal D registration edge, so it’s not impossible that the right kind of Democrat, as defined by Sussex County voters, could win the seat. Adkins is a real estate agent, and it appears that portions of Seaford are new to the district, so this could be a sleeper race. What do our Sussex County spies think? Regardless, this is why candidate recruitment is so important, and also shows that Pete Schwartzkopf is damned good at it. I mean, does even Sussex County want to be represented by someone whose preferred name comes from a spelled-out Batman sound effect? That’s not fair. And I’m all about ‘the fair’. Here’s what the Merriam-Webster Dictionary has to say:
Definition of BIFF: whack, blow
— biff transitive verb
Examples of BIFF: “He got a biff in the noggin as his reward for trying to intervene in the fight between a former state cop and John Atkins.”
A former state cop with the nickname of Biff. Gotta love me some Sussex County.
4. ‘The Big Guy’ Files Against Odious George
That’s right. John Brady has filed for Sussex County Clerk of the Peace. The incumbent is George Parish. Parish, of course, was one of the most vociferous opponents to SB 30, although he has subsequently agreed to perform civil unions, which, after all, is only right, because that’s the law now. Not that ignoring the law has stopped Jeff Christopher. Or John Atkins. I just love me some Sussex County.
5. Filings, We Have Filings. And A Withdrawal
Here’s what’s new since last week (excluding those that I’ve already highlighted): Rich Krett officially withdrew his candidacy for New Castle County Executive. Filings include: Hanifa Shabazz, Wilmington 4th Councilmanic District; Jess McVay, Register of Wills, Kent County( isn’t he the guy that tried to run on something like three different lines on the ballot last time?), why yes, yes he is:
Uh, back to the filings, already in progress…Samuel R. Wilson, Jr., Sussex County 2nd Councilmanic District. Hard to argue with this description from the official Sussex County Council website:
Mr. Wilson is a steadfast supporter of the Sussex County way of life and an unabashed promoter of traditional values. Whether the problem at hand is simple or complex, Mr. Wilson is quick to offer advice, usually with his unique brand of home-spun wisdom and common sense philosophy.
How could you possibly vote against someone like that? BTW, just askin’, is this Wilson related to this Wilson? Hope he’s every bit as much of a silver-tongued orator…
That’s it for this week. What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?