1. Brad Bennett Is So-o-o-o Toast.
Bear in mind that I predicted he’d lose his reelection bid handily in 2010 after his first drunk driving arrest, in October of 2010, and I was wrong.
He got just over 50% of the vote, though, and there was a strong element of ‘we’ll give him one more chance’ in the equation.
That’s not happening this time, not with DUI Arrest #2 under his belt. First of all, he really could be expelled from the House. Second, he’s not exactly John Atkins in the charlatan/charisma department. Third, the whole story’s out now, how he ditched his wife, who just happens to be the daughter of a Kent County State Senator, for a Senate staffer, who just happens to be the daughter of a State Representative. Fourth, the main thing he had going for him in the first place was the fact that his dad had been a State Rep for a long time. Fifth, the one good thing that Bennett has done as a legislator has been to try to reform Kent County government which, needless to say, has not set well (use of ‘set’ deliberate) with Nancy Cook-style county cronies. They’re not rising to his defense.
As of last weekend, the 32nd District unofficially became an open seat.
I wonder who…waitaminnit, suh-prize, suh-prize, we now have an R candidate. One Ellis B. Parrott of Magnolia filed yesterday. He’s an attorney with a law practice in Georgetown. It appears that he used to be, or maybe still is, a Justice of the Peace. There is/was a magistrate by that name in Kent County. Could be his father, I guess. In fact, I think it’s likely. Some help here?
Just so you know, Bennett’s R challenger from 2010, Beth Miller, cannot challenge for this seat this year because, wait for it, she was drawn out of the district during reapportionment. Coincidence? I think not. Anyway, I hereby predict that Brad Bennett will withdraw from his bid for reelection. Lots of developments yet to come.
2. The 33rd Could Be Interesting As Well.
A classic swing district with a fairly conservative bent, this district swung to the R’s in 2010, with Jack Peterman ousting two-time Democratic incumbent Bob Walls, by a margin of 52.2% to 47.8%. It hasn’t been easy for Peterman to even secure the R nomination in the past, having lost to, I’m not making this up, Ulysses S. Grant, in the 2006 primary, and edging Steven Rust in the 2008 primary. Lost to Walls in 2008, beat him in 2010. In other words, Peterman is no electoral juggernaut, even among R’s. For that matter, neither was Bob Walls.
One John Kevin Robbins of Harrington has filed as a D to challenge Peterman. Based on past experience, this should be a competitive race.
3. There’s No Crying in Mayoral Debates.
The Wilmington Democratic Party has decided that a May 8 mayoral debate at the Queen will be limited to only those who have filed to run for the office. Four candidates have filed: Robert Bovell, Kevin Kelley, Bill Montgomery, and Dennis P. Williams. Four others who say they are candidates, Serena Gatewood, Rev. Derrick Johnson, State Sen. Bob Marshall, and Scott Spencer, have not.
I, for one, support the decision of the Party. You are not a candidate until you file and pay your filing fee. You may say that you’re a candidate, but you’re not. It’s that simple. While the fee, $4250, may seem onerous to some, it’s not that onerous, especially if you aspire to be Mayor of Wilmington. And, it entitles you to a line on the ballot. Like it or not, the parties run the primaries, and it has ever been thus. There have been numerous debates since the beginning of the year, so it’s not as if those who have not yet filed have not had the chance to be heard. But I think it’s to the point where the serious candidates for mayor need to be heard in more detail. You can’t be a serious candidate until you’re a candidate. You’re not a candidate until you’ve filed. At some point, either you file or you exit stage right. Either file or stop complaining.
4. Filings, We Have Filings.
Incumbent Henry Supinski, City of Wilmington Treasurer, a D obviously; D Robert Bovell, for Wilmington Mayor; and D Shirley Price, 38th Rep. District (open seat).
That’s it for this week. What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?