Wilmington Mayor’s Debate — Social Justice Edition

Last Monday night, the candidates running for Wilmington Mayor met at the New Destiny Fellowship Church to take questions from members of the Black Clergy Consortium. All of the candidates showed for this debate, except for Robert Marshall, who, in spite of telling lots of people he’s really in, is looking like he may not have the stomach for it. Selara Gatewood was also at this event, and this was probably the first time people got a chance to see and hear her. My apologies for taking a week to put this up — I’m pretty well swamped at work right now.

If you read the NJ account of this hour and a half debate, you’d think that they spent this time debating about the African American Heritage Center. While this was one (contentious) topic covered, the majority of this debate was largely focused on social justice issues and crime. Among the candidates, it looked something like Get Montgomery night,with Dennis Williams providing the best Moment of Arrogance in this. While the questions were pretty good, much of the candidate’s responses were muddy (as if they hadn’t though through policy here) or pandering. One big fact not often recognized is that the City isn’t much involved in the funding, provision or management of the kind of services that are needed to address poverty, immigration, youth issues. Both Kevin Kelley and Bill Montgomery acknowledged this. But this was really Pastor D’s territory — he had alot of passion and ideas, but not at all clear about how a city Mayor could make these changes. Bovell wasn’t much of a factor here — still going on about making the city a landlord using their vacant housing inventory. Gatewood is just getting her feet wet and she still has a ways to go to get up to speed on the issues. Spencer is still make corporate speak into his qualifications for office. Bill Montgomery is still defending this Administration, but is making it clearer that his Administration won’t stray too far from what Mayor Baker has done. Kevin Kelley is still talking about how the city needs to make better investments in its neighborhoods AND needs to rethink its policing strategy. Dennis Williams changed his position on one crime issue for this audience, took complete credit for saving the State’s budgets for the past several years and got his knives out for Bill Montgomery.

The first question asked about what experience each candidate had that would be key to providing leadership:

Bovell ran through his self-made man story; Salera Gatewood cited some experience in helping people, which would put her in a position to address the city’s problems. Pastor D made note of the difference between inspirational leadership and aspirational leadership and his experience is with inspirational leadership. Kevin Kelly noted his experience with budgets — in his day job and on City Council, his work with neighborhoods, his work plan to make the city safer. Bill Montgomery cited integrity, lots of experience in the city (invoking community policing and other programs), his ability to provide compassionate intelligent leadership. Scott Spencer repeated his points about Transformation Innovation — less crime, more jobs, improved neighborhoods. Dennis Williams took credit for single-handedly saving the state budgets since the recession hit and his WPD background.

The next question asked about what was done well in the city and what each candidate would take the opportunity to change.

Gatewood said that city budgets have been well done and that she noted that city youth have been ignored, city residents have been ignored. Pastor D challenged Montgomery on the Child focused Community Policing — that this was a program that was something advocated by him and sloughed off by the administration until they needed a solution. He also thought that the administration’s attitude towards unions was bad and there were too many crony contracts being let. Kelley noted that Baker did a good job working at building the Riverfront and downtown. They did not do very well investing in Wilmington neighborhoods and spent some time discussing how to engage neighborhoods and pointing out how much time he spends there. This is the place where Bill Montgomery started to defend the administration again and pointed out Speakman Place as an example of investments in neighborhoods. It is remarkable to me that after being the Mayor’s Chief of Staff for so long that he wouldn’t connect to what kind of investments people in neighborhoods want, but no matter. Spencer also noted that the Riverfront and Downtown were good accomplishments, but that what he gets from the time he spends in neighborhoods is that the people who live in the city feel left out. Williams boasted about how much time he spends in all the neighborhoods in the city (except mine, apparently, where I’ve never seen him) and how much good he is doing there for people. The Williams turned to Bill Montgomery and told him that he should not even be in this race. Seriously. And this is from someone who continues to complain about how arrogant our current Mayor is. Bovell would put Wilmintonians to to work — he noted that there are trucks from lots of states working on Market St, but these jobs need to be done by Wilmingtonians. Then he went back into his landlord spiel.

A question about racial hate crimes (referring to Treyvon Martin) as well as black on black crime provided answers all over the map and most not really addressing the question. Or if they did address the question, it was to discuss some new program that didn’t have a clear way of funding it attached. This is one of those questions where the questioner and audience was expecting to hear real solutions and didn’t really even hear that the city isn’t exactly in the social services business. Pastor D recounted a run in he had with the WPD that scared his wife and that he couldn’t get anyone in the Administration to take seriously. Bovell wants to raise or provide funds to create things for kids to do. Gatewood says that the WPD do not know how to talk to kids and that there is racism here in Wilmington. Williams says that every kid who wants a summer job will have one in his administration and he’ll find the money just like he saved the State’s budget.

Another question noted the the role that race and culture play in the Economic Misery Index and asked what the Mayor could do to address that in Wilmington.

Kevin Kelley wants the Mayor’s Office to be a catylist for creating opportunities — good schools, good jobs for the people who want to take advantage of the opportunity. He wants to engage the faith-based community in supporting kids and parents that need it. Montgomery notes that the Mayor needs to be the moral voice of the city’s citizens working for those citizens. Spencer calls for an end to the Death Penalty. Dennis Williams takes this opportunity to remind people that he is a black man and as a black man he has had his decisions and authority challenged — this is a rambling bit on racism I suppose but I couldn’t tell where he was getting to. Bovell objects to the idea that children *need* to work. He thinks that their parents need jobs that can support their kids adequately and that would be his focus. Gatewood rambles off on a topic I really could not follow. Pastor D speaks of kids at AI that he knows are at risk now. And takes this opportunity to criticize the Hope Commission, its lack of focus and its leadership which he thinks is a result of the Delaware Way.

Next question asks about immigration — specifically how to make sure that those already here, working and raising families know that they have human and civil rights.

Bill Montgomery says that immigrants deserve our respect and they should get the services they deserve. He notes that all of us came here from some place and that we have forgotten who we are as a people with the focused venom on the immigrant community. He also notes that there isn’t much that the Mayor can really do about this issue. Spencer wants to create a provision in city contracts that would set aside some employment for young people on those contracts. Williams says that everyone should get the services they deserve. Bovell goes into a ramble about IDs and SS#s and I couldn’t follow what he said. Couldn’t follow Gatewood’s answer, either. Pastor D notes (ungracefully) that Jews and Asians are accepted parts of society, but this same society is very intolerant of other immigrant groups. After talking about the double standard, he says that his Administration would have someone specifically assigned to deal with immigrant issues in the city. Kelley says that we have to serve the people who need our help. Making lives better is important and we can’t treat some parts of the population differently than others.

The last question of the evening was asked by the moderator and he asked each candidate to go on the record about the African American Heritage Center, awarded to the Delaware Historical Society to create.

(Quick note here — this is pretty much the only issue that the NJ decided to write about from this debate. An hour and a half of discussion and they only reported on the last 10 minutes — if that — of the proceeding. )

Spencer thought that the Mayor’s decision was faulty and that the museum ought to be on the East Side. But he also said that it was time to find some path of unity and move forward from here. Williams said that the Afro-American Historical Society should run the program and then turned to Bill Montgomery and said that he “couldn’t wait to see what HE says” (pointing t Montgomery). Bovell didn’t have an answer to the question, but did say it was time for the groups to talk to one another. Gatewood said that the Heritage Center should not be on King St, but in the Allied Kidd building. Pastor D clearly said that “it was not in our best interest to have other people tell our story”. Kelley thought that it would not be in any of our interests to continue to divide ourselves over this issue. He noted that this goes to a problem in the city — an inability to work through conflicts. But that people need to start working together on this issue. Montgomery thought that we had spent the last 40 years trying to move away from segregation and that the Heritage Center grant was made by the group of people best prepared to make that Center happen.

There wasn’t alot of policy clarity or detail evident in this debate. I think that has to do with the nature of the questions asked by the clergy members. The City of Wilmington isn’t in the social services business — that is the state’s job. I doubt that many of these candidates have worked through much policy on this front, since the Mayor just doesn’t have much influence on it. Both Kelley and Montgomery pointed that out, to their credit. The person who pretty much walked away with this discussion was Pastor D. But then, these topics are his home territory. And I’m enjoying how Kelley’s focus on neighborhoods seems to be catching on with candidates, leaving Williams looking like he is playing catch up. Which he is.

The next debate is on 8 May, at 6:00 at The Queen. This one is sponsored by the City Democratic Committee and they have restricted the participants to candidates who have filed. I understand that this even will feature a debate, but will also feature booths or tables set up be candidates so you can talk to them directly.