From the “Be Careful What You Wish For” File: Tom Gordon Files
When the year began, we were all hoping for one credible candidate to take out New Castle County Executive Paul Clark in the Democratic primary. We had two not well known and definitely underfunded candidates file, and then had one drop out, leaving Bill Shahan as Clark’s opposition. Bill is a nice guy, and a good Democrat, but he has not been blowing the doors off this race so far.
So guess who sensed an opportunity. Convicted criminal Tom Gordon, whose last stint at County Executive ended up in a corruption trial and a conviction. After weeks of rumors and one obvious poll, Tom Gordon has filed candidacy papers with the Department of Elections today.
Now, as long as Bill Shahan remains in the race, I will be voting for him, as I suspect a lot of people who are uncomfortable with both Clark and Gordon. But if this race ever came down to Clark v. Gordon, I would be forced to vote for Clark, and you know what? I am a lot comfortable with that prospect than I would have been a couple of months ago. Clark was impressive earlier this month at a County Candidate’s Forum that the Progressive Democrats for Delaware put on. (You can watch video of the forum at the link).
I think what will happen now is that Clark will win in a three way or a two way race. Therefore, for those who think land development and Clark’s prior conflicts of interest are important concerns, I think the best case scenario now is to ensure that Bill Dunn gets elected as County Council President, as he will serve as a powerful check on Clark and the Council.
Now that he is a candidate, perhaps Tom Gordon will make it out to the candidate forum this evening (thanks Nancy Willing for the information):
CANDIDATE FORUM – NCC EXECUTIVE AND COUNCIL PRESIDENT
6:00 to 9:00 pm
Cab Calloway School of the Arts
100 N. Dupont Road
So, we’re supposed to just forget that Tom Gordon was indicted and nearly convicetd of racketeering and wire fraud? What kind of an ego and lack of conscience does someone need to have in order to run for their old position after that?
Tom Gordon has the same anti-social disorder that allows corporate CEOs to poison the environment and kill working class people with their cost-cutting strategies.
Who’da thought Clark would be in this race looking like ‘the good guy?’
Well Clark won’t be able to ‘force out’ Gordon from the race like he did the one good candidate….
Like him or not, Gordon’s the only qualified candidate and Clark is just not electable. Shahan doesnt have a realistic chance.
“Gordon’s the only qualified candidate and Clark is just not electable”
In what way is Gordon qualified that Clark is not?
ummmm well..while Clark was hanging coats in Boscov’s, Gordon was running the government with huge surpluses…AAA-credit rating..etc..How is clark qualified ?
FYI, my contacts say the mystery poll from a couple weeks back was developed to help unions gauge public support for Gordon and that the wizard pulling the strings in the background was … Mike Harkins.
Clark vs. Gordon — reminds me of what Reggie Jackson once said about Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner.
Oh, give me a break with the Gordon-was-a-genius bullshit. In case you hadn’t noticed, he did it during the greatest boom market since the 1960s. And if you ask him, he can’t give you a single detail on how it was done, because most of it was bullshit from jump street.
Clark is qualified by dint of the fact that he’s been in government just as long as Gordon was, yet has not yet been charged with running the government as if it were his private possession. And he never ran a police department so badly that it was cited in a taxpayer report — buried by Gordon upon its release — as one of the most political departments the firm had ever studied.
Go shill for the crook somewhere else.
Mike Harkins? Again? Doesn’t anyone in Delaware know how to flush the toilet?
“Clark is just not electable.” It isn’t often that you hear this charge leveled at incumbents.
An incumbent who’s never been elected.
UGH, Clark was only impressive because no one asked him a question that he’d have to answer not answer around.
For instance, when discussing redevelopment he touted saving greenfields and removing unsightly blight, but no one pressed him to speak on Barley Mill Plaza and the MOA with DelDOT that gave his wife’s clients the ability to circumvent traffic impact studies in already grid-locked northern NCC.
So, I am glad Gordon is in the race. He won’t shy away from the tough questions and he will demand answers.
I will not place a primary vote at all, if necessary and will wait for the General Election to vote for the very good GOPer candidate, Mark Blake.
I hope the fun starts tonight.
Ralph,
I am going to say this slowly so you understand. Paul Clark was elected county wide as County Council President. More than once.
So you cannot say he is unelectable. It is factually inaccurate.
Geezer, Clark lined his pocket the whole time he’s been in elected office. Hate to see anyone make him a saint because they dislike Gordon.
Clearly, there are a lot of Paul haters and there are a lot of Tom haters . . . do they cancel each other out and then the new voters focus on the current land use issues . . . I wonder????
WDEL Story
http://www.wdel.com/story.php?id=43002
I do like the way Gordon handled the interview. I can’t bring myself to vote for Clark, who is serving the interests of the big developers. Voting for Shahan would be a waste. Only option is Gordon. At least he can balance the damn budget lol
How did we get to the point where these were our only 2 choices? I cant say I wouldn’t rather have a republican than either one of these guys… at least that might wake up the democratic party.
Well, you have Bill Shahan, the third man in this race.
Mark Blakes’s biggest problem is that hardly anyone knows him now and nobody will pay any attention to anything he says until after Sept. 8. No matter how tarnished the Democratic nominee, I doubt that 8 weeks will be enough for a relative unknown to establish himself as a winner.
Shahan may be in the race, but he can’t campaign while he’s at work, he doesn’t have a staff and he doesn’t have anyone with any influence in the party willing to step up and say he’s better than Clark.
If the choice is between Gordon and Clark, I’d have to go with Gordon. I can’t bring myself to vote for Clark after that email he sent out from Saul Ewing trying to lobby land use for them. He should have been removed from office for that.
“Clark vs. Gordon — reminds me of what Reggie Jackson once said about Billy Martin and George Steinbrenner.”
Close. Billy said it about Reggie and George: “One’s a born liar, and the other is convicted.”
Thanks, Geez. There’s a place on Basin Road that could use an editor/fact-checker with your skills.
Thankfully Geezer know his stuff! The Gordon Acolytes need a refresher on the millions of taxpayer dollars he spent on such worthy items like giving Carousel Park a Wild West theme. Just like 2008, he will promise heaven and earth that he will “restore the county,” without one solid example of how he would do it now that the real estate bubble has burst!
“Clark lined his pocket the whole time he’s been in elected office.”
I think you mean he lined his wife’s pocket — a situation the voters knew about when they voted him into his previous office. If you have any actionable evidence, take it to the US Attorney.
“Hate to see anyone make him a saint because they dislike Gordon.”
And I would not do that. If someone previously unknown shows up here to portray Clark as a saint, I will race you to allege otherwise.
I know how astroturf-trolling works. These previously unknown people are here to inject the Gordon campaign’s memes into the political discussion, especially here on the blogosphere.
“At least he balanced the budget…”
“He ran huge surpluses…”
“AAA bond rating…”
These are the campaign’s themes. No actual voter ever cites a AAA bond rating in support of anything, ever. Normal people don’t think that way. If partisans are going to campaign on the blog, I’m going to point out they’re campaigning.
These memes are based on truth, and speak to Gordon’s strengths as an administrator. But they are hardly the full truth; he was not a magician. His methods can be easily identified and, should someone else try to use the office as a stepping-stone to Dover, he would do well to follow the formula Gordon laid out.
Gordon would, indeed, be a more capable county executive than Clark has been, both because Gordon truly is good at running things and because he served in government (don’t kid yourself, that’s exactly what the police force is) from a young age and knows where bodies are buried — not just in the county, but to some extent in Dover as well.
This must be weighed against the appalling behavior of Gordon and his administration, and not just in those incidents that led to charges.
The question for voters is whether Gordon will do such things again. The fact that he has never apologized gives me great pause. To this day he minimizes the charges and maintains he did nothing wrong, even though at the time he acknowledged the phone bank, etc., was wrong but said “everybody does it.”
Does that sound to you like a man who has learned his lesson?
MW: It was hard to forget. I hated Billy, and that’s the only thing he ever said that made me feel otherwise.
look, our choices are not great. im not a big fan of any of the candidates. I do think Gordon would do a better job than Clark. Shahan doesnt seem to be a real option.
Cheg 541: I agree. More should have been made of that, because a forensic analysis of the email would have gotten to the truth. Clark is the worst liar I’ve ever seen in an important office — meaning not that he tells the most lies, just that they’re the lamest I’ve ever heard (if some of his explanations are actually the truth, then that’s worse, because it means he’s describing his own stupidity in a way that makes it sound like a lame lie.)
What alerted TNJ to Gordon’s budget manipulations (including a big new discretionary account for the county executive) was a simple rundown of the county’s checkbook after a FOIA request. I don’t think they’ve ever done the same for Clark.
Thanks, “ghesner.” See my point?
to the point that clark was elected countywide twice. In 2008 he ran against Bill Dunn a civic pixie that was virtually unknown. He barely had enough money to pay the filing fee.He had no campign-noliterature no signs,no mailings, no endorsements,no robo calls. no anything.Clark armed with a big developer warchest ran a vigorous campaign and still only beat an underfunded unknown 57-43.My guess is that of the over 40 thousand people that voted no more than a thousand knew who Dunn was. This puzzling showing must be an anti clark protest vote. Supporting that was the astonishing fact that nearly 6000 voters who had just pulled the lever for county executive chose not to votefor pres of council . These are voters who knew Clark didn’t know Dunn and figured the safe postion to be none of the above
I don’t think you’ll find any vanquished titans in Gordon’s electoral record either.
RUN, TOM, RUN take it to the people.
Ignore DL commentators: opinions are like a-holes….everyone has one; in the final analysis they each only have one vote.
I suspect that DL has little impact on voters….they are too bias and readers know it.
That is all.
Gordon thinks he will get the city by promising county dollars to the church leaders in turn for their endorsement. We will see more push pieces of him in front of fire engines and promising to “get tough on crime” in Wilm.
R.F. has been promised something as well obviously.what the hell does “take it to the people” mean? Lunch? Dinner and a movie? Spare us the jargon and tell me how the county would be better with him!
And yet, RF, you were instructed by Gordon to comment here. I wonder why. If no one cares about Delaware Liberal, why are you here?
on geezer point on clark being the biggest liar in important office, the Mr. Softee incident clearly indicates that clark is not only stupid but also demonstrates an ethical infirmity of world class proportion. As county exec he gathered up all the county employees on county time on county property to tell them what a great job they’re doing and fed the Mr Softee ice cream that he said he personally paid for. Someone alerted the comissioner of elections that Mr. Softee was paid for by the Clark campaign fund and that he obviously lied to the employees. The commissioner ruled that it was an illegal campaign expenditure in that you couldn’t possibly be conducting a campaign activity on county property.
lol someone is definitely screwing with that poll…Shahan was beating Clark all day. Gordon had a huge lead..Now Clark is up 50 votes in an hour lol
So glad Geezer has chimed in on Gordon. He has SO much info that never made the papers. I recall reading some of it in his exchanges w/ “Iowa Dem” or some such person a few years ago.
Gordon is a corrupt Democrat. The Delaware Democrats should expel him from the party. He & Sherry are a disgrace.
With Clark and Gordon in, we’ve got two candidates whose partisans will (justifiably) slime the other relentlessly for the 113 days remaining until the primary.
If Rich Krett really wants to be county executive, he will quit his day job and get in the race right now. I’d guess that Clark can lead enough sheep and Gordon enough blind mice to the polls to each secure about 30 percent of the vote. If only 40 percent of the Democratic primary voters have brains, Krett could win the primary. (One could use the same math on Shahan’s behalf, but I have yet to detect any groundswell of support for himn.)
@sisyphus–Didn’t Tom use NCC employees to campaign for him on County time? Pretty sure THAT detail made the papers.
Also, The Delaware Way is sometimes hilarious. Someone w/ a better memory than me can check this, but I’m pretty sure our current commissioner of elections worked for the County during the Gordon years. I know for a fact she’s not a fan of Tom or Sherry.
@ R. F. Conner–
Yes, we’ll take your word for it. YOUR word…the guy who doesn’t know the difference between “bias” and “biased”.
PLEASE run, Tom. It will be fun to watch you further make a fool of yourself.
Geezer, you were entertaining at first, now you’re just annoying. BTW, a quote from one of your many Gordon Hating comments “Clark is qualified by dint of the fact that he’s been in government just as long as Gordon was, yet has not yet been charged with running the government as if it were his private possession” KEY WORDS “has not yet been charged”. Remember, he IS the ice cream man.
I wish Rich Krett would get back into this race. He was/is one of the most crediable candidates we have had in years for public office. It is a shame Clark screwed him and threatened his job.
Can we make him a right-in candidate?
How can someone get it touch with him (Rich Krett)?
When he ran against Coons 4 years ago, Gordon tried that shtick of promising City organizations (and unions) the moon. That didn’t get him very far. And there is some recognition that Kovach won that special because people voted against Clark, for someone who might be a check on corruption. Both Gordon and Clark have structural problems, so it will be interesting to see them go at each other. But I’d bet that people will vote for the devil they know hasn’t had a run in with the Feds.
to roland LeBay==you missed the point, I was ageeing with geezer’s observation that Clark is not only ethically bankrupt but also is stupid in his dissembling.With Mr Softee he argues with the commissioner that he should be able to use campaign funds since he was campaigning on county property on county time. This is a self iuncriminatiog and obvious violation of the county ethics code. Since this was reported in TNJ, you might think the Ethics Board or its staff would pick up on such flagrant abuse.I’m sure if they asked,Clark would round up the county employees for Shahan and Gordon for kudos and Mr. Softee
@TruDem
Rich Krett still has a web site up richkrett.com, the site has an email link. You may try this.
Clark, Gordon, or Shaham would be smart to try and get Krett on their side. If Gordon wants people to vote for him, he needs to surround himself with some “creditable” people. In looking at Krett’s bio on his web site, he has a very impressive background.
Can he get back into the race?
@ Mediawatch
You are correct on your math. Krett could win this race hands down!!!!!!!
Thanks Samantha.
I just read Krett’s bio. I did not know he has a dam doctorate! Holy Sh–! Most candidates barely have GED! Let’s get a tracking poll on DE Liberals viewers views whether they would vote for Krett over the other 3 candidates. How about it Delaware Dem?
any word from the city forum tonight on the county council prez and exec races?
JenL, please let me know if you hear how things went. I am very curious to see how the CE candidates did and what they had said. Anyone have any insight?
Gordon must think he has some union support. He commissioned that poll a couple weeks ago that asked prospective voters to compare his ethical failings with Clark’s. Union people were pushing him to do the survey, and results obviously were good enough for Gordon to enter the race.
Cass, as for Gordon’s promise the moon to the city strategy, it’s got a better chance of success this year than it did four years ago because this time there’s a real race for Mayor and nothing else to excite voters in the suburbs. The county exec candidate who appeals most to city voters could well claim the Democratic nomination because turnout percentage in the city could be significantly higher than in the ‘burbs.
Mediawatch, as for the push poll from 2 weeks or so ago, what is your proof that Gordon commissioned it? Just want to make sure you know what you’re talking about before putting that out there??
The GOP would be crazy not to get a better known candidate in this race. Let Gordon and Clark sling mud till September, knowing that if Gordon wins there will be a large number of Dems who will absolutely not vote for him. Gordon will promise the unions pay raises that are no way possible, but is what they want to hear. How do you think Gordons numbers shot up on this poll? Certainly not because he is beloved. Its because people think they will gain from him being back in office. How mistaken they are in their thinking.
To say that the public understood that Paul Clark was lining his pockets (or rather his pockets by virtue of his wife’s pockets) and voted for him anyway is to overstate the public attention span.
And he did it all over time in office in the increments needed to make the slow adjustments until, like Goldilocks, it was just right for Pam’s clients’ interests.
The post about Bill Dunn’s numbers above says a lot. As does the post about the Clark memo.
No one has, to my knowledge, file an ethics complaint about Paul’s Mr. Softee moment. But after the slew of ethics challenges that went nowhere, who even will bother? The memo, as Geezer pointed out, would only have required a forensic investigation. But the ethics commission, who at the time had both a Danberg and a Keeley on board IIRC, could only muster enough votes to say there was a problem but not enough votes to say it should be actually investigated.
Renee Taschner threw out a couple of doozies this evening. She tends to show an ill temper and inability to suppress petty cheap shots – not likely to benefit us as council pres. She took an unusual moment to slander Kovach which made no sense until I saw John Carney’s NCC staffer in the audience.
The other mouth-gaping moment was after Bill Dunn dropped some names in his finishing statement. He is having a fundraiser on Thursday and mentioned that he is endorsed by Gilligan, Blevins, Sokola and Barbieri. Taschner had been drilling talking points all night about her skills in communication and the strategy to work with the municipalities and the state. I guess she felt pinned into a corner because she snapped and asked for another chance at the mic to say that while those endorsements were nice, SHE had 4 out of 5 committee endorsements and a tie in Bill’s own committee.
na na na na na sort of thing.
Many feel that Taschner and Clark are the high DEM favorites and the gig is up as far as party politics. That doesn’t mean the rest of us have to lie down and take it. !!!
Here is the info on the Dunn fundraiser:
The Hon. Speaker of the House, Robert Gilligan,
Senate Majority Leader Patricia Blevins,
Senator David Sokola and
Representative Michael Barbieri,
cordially invite you to a fundraiser on behalf of
William H. “Bill” Dunn
for County Council President
Thursday, May 24, 2012
6:00 to 9:00 P.M.
Wine Tasting and Hor d’oeuvres
DEERFIELD FINE WINES
The Shoppes at Louviers
Paper Mill Road north of Newark
$60 per person r.s.v.p. by 5/21
For more information see http://www.BillDunn.us
Reply to: BillDunn.us@gmail.com by copying the naterial below into “Write”
CITIZENS FOR DUNN
216 Fenwick Ave, Wilmington, DE 19804
R.S.V.P.
____ Yes, I will attend. There will be ___ in my party.
____ No, I cannot attend, but I would like to show my
support for Bill by donating $______
I will pay at door or mail a check for $______
Please make checks payable to: “Citizens for Dunn”
Tickets may also be purchased soon through
PayPal at http://www.BillDunn.us .
____ I cannot attend, but would like to volunteer.
Citizens for Dunn may contact me:
Name_______________________
Address:_________________________________
Phone:_______________ Email:______________
Please indicate a preference:
Phone Bank Calling____ Door to door with Bill___
Putting up Signs____ Lit drops___ Mailings____
Opposition research_____ Fundraising_____
bummer, my recap is in moderation.
I released you from purgatory, Nancy. 🙂
TS,
my sources are good — in fact, they’re better than my memory on old Billy Martin quotes.
Nancy,
How did the Shahan-Clark portion of the program turn out?
“a quote from one of your many Gordon Hating comments”
I know Tom Gordon better than you could ever hope to. If you want to seek the truth, it helps to remove your head from your posterior.
I, for one, am not going to elect Tom Gordon without Sherry Freebery to align the grift just right. Pockets must be padded and arms must be twisted. Fuck Sherry, Yo! Tom! I need a job!
@Joe good point. As long as he doesn’t associate with that vile c*nt Freeberry, I have no problems voting for Gordon.
Geezer, I will take my head out of my “posterior” as you so nicely put it, when you decide to answer my question instead of dancing around it . What proof do you have or do you just enjoy your personal vendetta against Gordon because of personal, not political, reasons?
And media watch, another with a whole lot of accusations with nothing to back it up except “my sources are good”. I call bs.
You didn’t ask a question. You smeared Clark, who richly deserves it, but you asked no question. “Proof” of what?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: No praise of Tom Gordon will be left to stand here without context. I will provide that context if those who praise him don’t. Don’t like it? Too bad.
Nothing I said has anything to do with my personal feelings for Tom Gordon. Tom is a good guy as long as you don’t give him any power to abuse.
Anyone who dubs himself or herself “truth seeker” is almost certainly interested in no such thing.
It was easy to tell the call was Gordon’s, because it phrased the question about Gordon by minimizing his crimes. It was also the most poorly designed poll I’ve ever answered; it was literally impossible to answer “I won’t vote for Gordon” to the last question. A poll that shitty could only be the work of Vince whatsisname.
I call BS on the poll here as well. You could vote multiple times from your Iphone as I discovered. So somebody was a busy bee for ol’TG!
Ok %%%%, you can sit behind your microphone and bash Gordon all you want, again, with nothing to back up your accusations. I guess you will think people are generally naive enough to believe what you say. You’re accusing him of commissioning that push poll, publicly, based on your belief that he “minimized” his crimes. Do you think if Conley had a leg to stand on with the serious charges of wire Fraud and Racketeering, they would drop all and settle for a misuse of county time violation with a $300.00 fine? You are definitely the type that thrive for controversy. I will not find the truth with you.
Typical %%% — change your screen name and post ad hominem garbage. Grow up, little girl.
Who is %%%? It’s obvious who you are, because you put that filth on here, much the same as it leaves your mouth. BTW, your act on Gordon’s pouting was not becoming.
“You’re accusing him of commissioning that push poll, publicly, based on your belief that he “minimized” his crimes.”
Is commissioning a push poll illegal? No? Then why do you call it an “accusation”? It’s my supposition he commissioned it, because it downplayed — that is, minimized — his crimes.
Tom Gordon has never denied most of the charges in the indictment. He had them thrown out so he wouldn’t have to answer them. As usual, the naive person is you, %%%.
Everyone knows your game. You have often accused me of “having no inside information,” which is absolutely true. All of this is in the public record for those who care to look.
What? You’re not %%%? You mean there’s another cowardly lickspittle out there who uses the same tricks? Knock me over with a feather.
If you want to refute anything I write, feel free. Good luck. And feel free to point out what I wrote that was “filth.” Then compare it to the filthiness of Tom Gordon.
Tom Gordon can’t stand the truth, because the truth is that he’s a small man who put on a badge to pump himself up, and he’s never stopped acting like the arrogant cop he always was.
*cough* outing is illegal *cough*
Yeah, Geezer, stick with the subject. No more guessing of names. Outting is a bannable offense.
Just responding in kind. Or didn’t you notice?
I didn’t. Thanks for pointing that out. Then a warning for both Truth Seeker and you. I am editing your comments.
Geezer is this your own personal vendetta arena? Your mentality of an eye for an eye may work great for you but in your haste to prove your political point you leave everyone blind! The acts of Paul Clark and Tom Gordon are abhorrent to a large number of people but you answering each persons individual post borders on political cyber-bullying. Don’t bother answering my post I am sure you will attack me too or accuse me of being %%%, whoever she is, or some affiliation with either candidate but you need to stop and let this forum be for everyone not just for you!
Lickspittle? I think that may be my new favorite word. I may even form my own club “Delaware coward lickspittles”.
My question to you, what did Gordon ever do to you to make you hate him so much? Don’t sugarcoat it. You hate him, it’s obvious. You say he’s a great guy, the best CE we’ve had, yet in the same sentence you claim he’s bound for political abuse and although our best choice for CE, DONT VOTE FOR HIM.
Linda, you are warned. Do not use names.
@ DelDem, I was unaware of the “outing” issue. I apologize, I am new to this forum and will not continue this debate with Geezer. I voiced my opinion, that will be enough for me. Thank you for this forum.
Tom Gordon is counting on most people to forget all the details about what he did in office. I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen. It’s no more complicated than that.
“You hate him, it’s obvious. … in the same sentence you claim he’s bound for political abuse and although our best choice for CE, DONT VOTE FOR HIM.”
I wrote no such thing. I wrote that his behavior is not that of a man who has learned from his mistakes, leading me to believe he will behave the same way again.
What part of that don’t you understand? What part of that makes it a “personal vendetta”? Various commenters say far more personal things about a wide variety of politicians. Why is it “personal” for me to point out that Gordon has shown no remorse?
Thank you for the warning . . . Geezer should be kicked off then as he seems to be the prolific abuser . . . just saying . . .
DD: The editing doesn’t bother me in the least. Go ahead and ban me if you want, but I will defend myself when necessary.
How anyone can defend either of these guys is beyond me. They are both unethical and one is (not even debatably) a criminal. Tim Gordon is a criminal. He should not be trusted. Paul Clark has not been convicted of anything, but given how he has done his job, i wouldn’t be surprised. Is there no one in New Castle county that isnt a better choice? we should be embarrassed, not arguing over which scum bag is less scummy
None of you are being banned because you all did not fully out anyone. Only those in the know would know what the hell you’re talking about.
And you can fully defend yourself without outting. Trust me, you can do it and have done it.
Now, I will retire to let you all go forward with your holy war over Paul Clark and Tom Gordon.
I agree Ben.
I agree as well. But we have to realize that, as far as the public is concerned, this is a two-person race, because those are the only names recognizable to anyone but politics junkies.
It’s a pity the Republicans don’t have anyone with any name recognition to run for the office, because a well-known and well-funded candidate would win in a landslide. THIS is why the public benefits from a competent opposition party.
Ok, Geezer, please educate me, because I am truly unaware of what behavior you speak of when you state:
” his behavior is not that of a man who has learned from his mistakes, leading me to believe he will behave the same way again.”
How should he convey his remorse? How should he behave as to not lead one to believe he will make the same mistakes?
@ Linda, I feel you are spot on!
Maybe Kovach should have run for County Exec.
He is the only state-wide GOPer with the semblance of legitimacy. But, you’re right, it would have been the smarter move.
Truth Seeker,
One can convey his remorse by conveying remorse. Tom Gordon has never apologized or even expressed regret for his past transgressions. Indeed, I read somewhere that he still thinks he did nothing wrong, even though he pleaded guilty and is a convicted criminal.
@Idealist and Jason330,
Yes, the smarter move would have been Kovach for County Exec, but the state GOP needed a heavy hitter to take on Carney now in his first bid for reelection, which is when a House member is most vulnerable. If the GOP does not defeat Carney now, it will never defeat him.
@ DelDem. I get that, but I thought he admitted to using county employees on county time for campaigning. I’m not sure about the wire fraud or Racketeering. If he was guilty of those crimes, should they have been dropped? Why were they dropped if they were legitimate?? They sound like serious charges to me.
TS and DD: Ask Nancy. He still tells anyone who will listen either that he did nothing wrong or that it was small potatoes and everybody else did it too. These are not the actions of a remorseful man.
And Linda, if it makes you feel any better, I still haven’t decided which one I’ll vote for. Like many others, I don’t like either option, but I’m reluctant to vote on a little-known candidate who probably can’t win.
TS: The charges were dropped when the judge on the case ruled out a big chunk of evidence, including some very damaging tapes made by cooperating witnesses in the government.
For context, let’s remember that officials with far worse corruption records than Gordon have been re-elected by voters who didn’t care what the person did — Marion Barry, anyone? In such cases, the second act seldom is as successful as the first. But seldom does a disgraced official get to run against someone with a record as shabby as Clark’s.
Oh, well if Marion Barry did it, i guess that makes it OK then.
Ben: My point being, lots of voters don’t care about past activities.
Delaware Dem,
From the Party’s perspective you’re absolutely right. However, had Kovach run for County Exec, he would have had close to 50/50 at defeating Gordon/Clark. In this alternate universe, where Kovach is County Exec, he may have gone on to claim credit for fixing the county’s finances as the economy improved and had a platform to run on in 2016 for Governor. Then he would have lost to Denn/Carney/Biden/whoever.
Unfortunately for him, he’s now forced debating Rose Izzo for who gets to lose to Carney.
This made me LTM*
“Unfortunately for him, he’s now forced debating Rose Izzo for who gets to lose to Carney.”
*I just coined that, it means Laugh To Myself – e.g step down from LOL.
If the Republicans wanted a knowledgeable candidate with high name recognition who could go toe-to-toe with either Clark or Gordon on land use issues, they would convince Bob Weiner to run. I can’t believe they’re going to let the survivor among these low lifes to get a free pass in November.
Okay, I didn’t coin that. Turns out LTM has meant laugh to myself since the internet was invented.
haha Jason. I’ve never heard of LTM before so I’ll give you credit.
The choice between Gordon and Clark is clear. Just ask yourself which of those candidates have been convicted of a crime. Should be a really easy equation. Plus–not just any criminal wrongdoing, but the kind of that indicates dishonesty. To think that same capacity for deceit won’t be manifested again should Gordon be back in office is simply ignorant. I’ll be voting for Clark because I have a brain that functions and I choose to use it.
@MW: Bob Weiner does have name recognition, but he does not have the political courage to run for any office other than the one he holds, and has little support in his own party.
I thought the whole point of Kovach running for Council was gaining experience to make a credible run for exec. Jumping from office to office every two years makes him look like nothing but a political climber. My guess is he expects to lose no matter what he runs for, so might as well aim high.
@Door Knocker: Which of the candidates has gotten more scrutiny from the press and prosecutors? Clark’s negative approval rating didn’t come from nowhere.
Here’s a challenge for you: Find me a single incidence of Paul Clark voting against or even speaking out against the developers’ interests. Gordon did so often.
OTOH, if you think a candidate’s honesty about his ethical blindness equates to honesty, have at it. It’s your vote.
I didn’t think I would have anything to actually agree with you on Geezer, but your response to door knocker is a good one. People have to look beyond what has actually been “charged” as opposed to just a “profound grasp of the obvious” that being Clark’s dishonesty that is well known, however not brought to charges (yet). I was a strong supporter (with my one little vote) of Shahan, but with Gordon in this mix, I know he has a snowball’s chance in hell. Bottom line, an honest politician is an oxymoran, is it not? It’s the nature of the beast, and very frustrating.
TS: I’m not sure Clark has done anything that violates any law. The No. 1 problem with Clark was that his wife’s job was incompatible with the ethics requirements of his. She finally left that job after her goals — and for all we know, his as well — had been accomplished. There is, unfortunately, no law barring the county exec from being married to a land-use attorney.
I hate to say it, but I lay Paul Clark at the feet of the voters. Everyone knew of the situation when they elected him.
I will repeat a call that bears repeating: This state lacks provisions for recalling politicians before the end of their terms. It should be the No. 1 goal of everyone in Delaware who isn’t in the employ of the major parties to rectify that.
Geez, would u consider it a crime to use authority to instruct an inspector to issue a business a building permit when that building is clearly not up to par on code? This, as a favor for campaign funding? Or is that just an ethical violation? I know from talking to a lot of people, not necessarily on the up and up on what’s going on with this race, and they are mostly siding with Gordon because as a lot have pointed out, he kept their pockets heavier with no tax hikes. His past conviction doesn’t seem to be as strong on their minds, b/c well, at the end of the day, money talks.
TS, I consider a lot of things crimes. When a Republican speaks I consider it a crime. Whether they actually are crimes or not in Delaware can be found out by consulting the Delaware Criminal Code.
“would u consider it a crime to use authority to instruct an inspector to issue a business a building permit when that building is clearly not up to par on code? This, as a favor for campaign funding? Or is that just an ethical violation?”
I honestly don’t know. But I know it will never be a crime if nobody reports it.
I once bought a house that had no casement windows — the storm windows were simply caulked into the window holes. The wind could blow out a match three feet from the window. Shoddy construction getting passing grades has been the rule, not the exception, for decades here.
Is having your ex-girlfriend and chief aide ram your county vehicle in your driveway with her county vehicle illegal or just an ethics violation? How about if it’s never reported to the police and the repair work is done out-of-state to keep it out of the public eye? How about installing hidden cameras in a state-owned house used by a county employee to try to catch that employee in an extramarital affair?
I could go on like this for hundreds of paragraphs.
If that’s worth saving you a hundred dollars a year, go for it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mGQUd8gPJY
lol i’m not voting for mr softee haha
I would call ramming one county car into another, intentionally, a crime. At least a title 21 violation, depending on if they did it to harm another person, or just property. I understand about the cover-up, it happens all the time, throughout our country. Politicians world wide have personal agendas; I think a large part is that greed is part of human nature. I just think that in this case, Freeberry was the cancer to the administration and as long as she’s out, he has a chance. So, he obviously has learned some things. 🙂
Sorry, Truth seeker, but we’re not buying the “Sherry was the bad guy” nonsense. Sherry is TRASH, but Gordon willingly got in bed and stayed in bed with her. He had his own agenda, primarily promoting Tom Gordon as a great guy and a fantastic politician. Tom Gordon has repeatedly demonstrated that he is NOT a great guy.
Gordon’s accomplishments as NCC executive:
1. Kept property taxes low.
2. AAA Bond rating.
Big Fucking Deal! A child could have accomplished these things during the boom years of the Clinton Administration.
Enough if all this Clark And Gordon crap. Will some call Rich Krett and convince him to get back in this race? He would kill these guys in a primary! Rich Krett where are you? Please help the citizens of New Castle County out of this nightmare we are living!!!!!!’ please!!’nnn
judging by these polls, it looks like 4 more years of gordon is likely. i’m not happy about the choices, but i absolutely wont vote for paul clark. i feel shahan would be a wasted vote. cant believe im saying this, but i think im going with gordon (yuck)
@Wang_J i’m with you. they all suck. all have their own interest in mind. i despise clark ever since that saul ewing email. shahan doesnt warrant a sentence. Im left with my least hated – Gordon.
Don’t be fooled by this poll- you could vote multiple times from your phone or by clearing your cache. It is some poor schlub sitting there for hours hitting the button lol!
@prochange i have my doubts. getting worried. gordon won every other poll so far. similar margin. i’m moving if that happens!
For all the previously unheard of commenters, these are not polls. Polls are conducted randomly and weighed to represent the population. These are popularity contests.
Gordon is winning them because this is the way his little minions have always behaved.