The Ascendant Michael D. Protack
I had forgotten that Mike Protack was actually, once again, running for something. This year he is a Republican candidate for New Castle County Council President. This is a change in the trajectory of his political career. For before this year, he had been on a downward spiral in the office he was seeking in any given year. In 2004, he ran for Governor and lost in the Republican Primary. In 2006, he ran for the U.S. Senate and lost in the Republican Primary. In 2008, he ran again for Governor and lost at the Republican convention. In 2010, he finally lowered his sights and ran for something that even I thought he could win: a County Council seat. But he lost in the Republican Primary.
If he were to run again, I thought the next logical stop would have been Alderman or whatever similar office they have in Hockessin (or dogcatcher if they don’t). But to my surprise, Protack, ever the poker player, is upping the ante once again.
And this time, finally, at long last, after a long quioxitic journy, Michael D. Protack will be the nominee of the Republican Party for something.
But only because no one is running against him in the primary. But hey, take your small victories where you can find them.
I bring up Protack because he was in the news today.
Republican Mike Protack tells WDEL News if he’s elected, he’ll work to make county government more open, transparent and honest by creating an office of Inspector General, which would include a staff charged with rooting out waste and inefficiency. The Inspector General would serve a 4-year term, and be prohibited from running for office for at least 2 years after that.
Interesting that a Republican would propose expanding government and increasing spending. Why can’t Protack root out waste and inefficiency himself as County Council President? Is he saying he can’t do it? Then why should anyone elect him?
This race will be settled in the Democratic primary, so the next NCC Pres will be Renee Taschner or Christopher Bullock.
Protack gets props for making sure the R’s have a warm body though, and he actually appears sane along side the current GOP office seakers.
Now don’t count out Prozac. One of his problems was he was trying to start out too high. It’s like going into the Army and trying to enlist as a Colonel, what he was doing. He’s probably qualified for NCC Council and he wants to participate.
That makes NCC sound like the special Olympics of government. (Which is kinda is)
The mustache alone will garner him tens of votes in the gay porno constituency.
Welcome back, skip!
And this:
That makes NCC sound like the special Olympics of government. (Which is kinda is)
captures the entire vibe of the elections here in NCCo. Including Wilmington apparently.
Protact mentioned “inspector general” because it’s a Rick Jensen concept — one that’s guaranteed to get a mention on WDEL. His next original idea for improving government will be his first.
Tango yankee, Cassandra.
Protack is actually endorsed by Priscilla Rakestraw and Laird Stabler this time, which has sent the few remaining reasonable Republicans in New Castle County into orbit. They’re furious because they have had to deal with this guy’s pathologies for years.
Inspector General?
Oh, seriously. If we can’t get Danny Kaye, no.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuU9gtsjzww&feature=related
Could we not slur the fine people who support and participate in Special Olympics? It is beyond offensive!
Mike Protack has his first clear shot at an office after losing several primaries and party leader positions. After yrs of crazy antics, we’ll see how he finally conducts himself when he faces off against Taschner-Bullock winner. Tough road ahead.
The funnier part: GOP Rakestraw endorses Protack , who drove her her totally crazy for yrs., and she has Bill Montgomery
signs on her front lawn. Not Mike Protack… or GOP candidates who want to cut taxes but a candiadte whom pledged a 15% prop. tax increase in the city…
Endorsements: Protack needs to hang on to this one close. For Prez, she really wanted to endorse Rick Perry, then finally endorsed Romney, then on WDEL triumphantly switched to Newt the day before the DE primary to curry favor with tea party, and then switched back to Romney the very next day. Wait, I have a headache. Who can dance that fast? Maybe Dancing with the Stars is in her future…
Whats next? Maybe she’ll be dancing with VP Joe Biden when he rolls into Tampa next week for GOP Convention.
skippertee – as a gay man I have to say, your mustache comment is the funniest thing I’ve heard in weeks!
Well he also lost a race for school board in 2005
http://electionsncc.delaware.gov/Brandywine/2005/br_mbr05.shtml
@skippertee & John–
As as straight man, that was funny as hell!
Comment by Jpconnorjr on 22 August 2012 at 12:50 pm:
Could we not slur the fine people who support and participate in Special Olympics? It is beyond offensive!
No one “slurred” the Special Olympics. Could you try not to be such a cry baby & maybe get a sense of humor?
Le Bey not “legitimate” member of human race, [Ed.].
I don’t know Mike Protack. Apparently neither does a college classmate of mine who for some reason is “friends” with him on Facebook. My friend, like myself, often stakes out positions well to the left of center, and Protack seems to love to chime in with posts filled with ad hominem attacks, to the point when my friend responded to one with “Mike, I don’t know you…” my response was “Then why put up with this nonsense?” If Protack were elected dog catcher, I’d root for the dogs.
As the mother of a Special Olympian, I took some offense to the comment too. They are not second rate to anyone as the comment seems to imply.
I like Protack. He was a leader of my Boy Scout troop (537), a Jewish BSA troop (God knows why I was there) and he taught me Aviation merit badge among other things. I trust him quite frankly. His politics are the anti-Amato to use WDEL terms so to speak.
I don’t know Protack and little about his policy views. But anyone who has taken a beating in so many elections, plus the ridicule from the public and the enmity of his own party, and keeps coming back for more deserves some credit.
I like Mike, he is truly motivated for all of the right reasons. That is why he keeps at it. I don’t expect you would understand selfless service in that way.
Mike has been advocating the Inspector General for a while. The idea makes sense. You know the President of the Council sets the agenda, but has nothing to do with the day to day management, right Del Dem? He has not authority to do so. That is why an inspector general makes sense, it would be someone beholden only to the people.
– Protack would be the best choice in the long run for the members of council. He would just be a vote, nothing more. Then Wiener could make the claim to fame that “HE” got him elected. Then there would be 3 Republicans to 10 Democrats. He would just be discounted.
David: With all due respect, you have no idea what Mike Protack’s motivations are. As best I can tell, he’s motivated by towering narcissism and a desire to land a public-sector pension to replace the one his private-sector employer took away.
I sat down with Protack at the GHADA forum and discussed his IG idea. He developed it (to fit NCC) over the last few weeks, first taking it to DelCOG. They made a few suggestions and have heartily endorsed the concept. It is well thought out and looks to highly benefit NCC governance.
I told Mike how much I abhor his comments in general on facebook (Mike Matthews’ site) and blogs and it makes it very hard to accept him as anyone for whom I would cast a vote. He shrugged and basically said he enjoyed getting under people’s skin.
Ah,,, At last !!! They Found each other !!
Let’s just make plain that Mike Protack, even if elected, will not have the votes to do anything at all on county council. This idea is DOA.
If you think an inspector general is the answer to Delaware’s or NCCo’s problems, take a good look at our Public Advocate. That office was supposed to do many of the same things that an IG would do, in terms of representing the public. It doesn’t work, because it’s an appointive office; all it takes to defang it is the appointment of an apparatchik loyal to the chief executive.
Geezer is correct. All Protack will have is the ability to Whine. Even his two same party Councilpersons will have a hard time trying to accommodate him. And he will have a long learning curve on what County Government actually is. It’s all about Land use, sewers, parks cops, and a few other things the Generous Assembly doesn’t want to do, so they relegate those chores to the Counties.