“We’re Not Going to Let This Commission Take Credit for These Ideas”
That’s a paraphrase of what Wilmington’s Public Safety Liaison, Mr. Douglas Iardella, told one of the attendees of tonite’s Wilmington Public Safety Strategies Commission. This, unfortunately, is the only thing that can explain the Administration’s continued and obvious delay in talking about implementing the recommendations of the Commission’s report. Tonight’s meeting was expected to feature Chief Bobby Cummings discussing the report’s recommendations that the WPD would implement and discuss the path forward. Many community members came out (again) to be a part of the discussion and several of Wilmington’s GA delegation came as well.
Instead of hearing from the Chief, we heard from Iardella, who is a consultant to the Mayor and also on the WPD at the time the Mayor was. Few people know what Iardella does at the City, besides show up at meetings, but he is paid a pretty penny (in addition to his pension, of course!) to do it. This time, Iardella was sent out to disresepect the citizens of Wilmington on behalf of the Mayor — instead of starting the discussion of how to move the WPD forward, he came to push forward the story that the WPD has already been working on these ideas, well before there was a WPSSC. According to Iardella, they’ve been working on most of these ideas since October via the Violence Reduction Network program that Wilmington was named to. And they’ll be ready to talk about the work that they’ve done via the VRN next week — he didn’t know what day, what time, whether it would be a press release or a press conference or whether residents would have a chance to engage in a dialog about it with the City.
And that was pretty much it. Community members from all over the City gave up their evenings to get no briefing from the Chief (the consultant Iardella *actually* spoke for the Wilmington Chief of Police). This was especially distressing as many of us knew that there were going to be big changes in our community policing unit — as in officers being transferred and reassigned in favor of bringing in new people. Not being able to contextualize of explain that was a mistake by the Chief and Iardella. Not showing up prepared to have a robust discussion on these issues (how many more people were shot over the Memorial Day weekend?), but trying to vamp their way into next week was a mistake. But telling someone that the Administration can’t have the Commission get credit for these ideas? That’s just a tragedy.
No one from the Commission, from the consultant group or from the community showed up to do this work with the idea of getting credit for ANYTHING. We all showed up to work on ways to make Wilmington safer and the WPD more effective. It is beyond despicable that the Williams Administration ran right by improved safety and a police department that was better managed to trying to figure out how the Commission can be deprived of credit for the thing. They also ran right by the real bloodshed in the streets and the real families that are devastated by this violence in their quest to make sure the Commission gets no credit for these recommendations. The Williams Administration ran right by the citizens and those who work in the City who have real concerns about their safety here in order to focus on who gets credit for this.
The only people who are interested in credit for these ideas are the people who are trying to bamboozle you into thinking that Operation Disrupt is working. They probably need all of the time they are taking to respond to actually try to put together a VRN paper trail to say that “they did too do their homework!” Because if they were getting so much from the VRN, Mayor Williams would have said that when he first welcomed the Commission. He would have taken the chance then to say that this tool was working for them. Certainly the consultants would have seen some of this workproduct and would have included it in the report — rather than indicating where VRN resources could help.
Credit is what motivates this Administration — not your safety, not good custodianship of your tax dollars, not a better functioning WPD. Think about that the next time you read of a shooting in Wilmington. And be sure to give the Mayor credit for each one of them.
In the meantime, it is time to energize the Wilmington delegation to hold some portion of Wilmington’s funding from Dover to incentivize Mayor Williams to join the reality based community and dump this narcissistic credit business. If you are a constituent of Senator Bob Marshall or Senator Harris McDowell, it is time they heard from you. Wilmington’s City Council couldn’t get any accountability from the Williams Administration — time for Wilmington’s delegation to the GA to get it done.
Tags: Bamboozled!, City of Wilmington, Featured, Mayor Dennis Williams
Cassandra you hit the nail on the head. The room was filled with civic association leaders, elected officials and community members who really care about their city. If the administration had any respect for it’s citizens time they should have asked for another postponement and canceled the meeting. It now is up to the governor and legislative hall to negotiate some implementation strategy. The community and civic leaders have already weighed in and asked for full implementation .
Paul, this date was picked by Chief Cummings. He was supposed to comment on the report at the last WPSSC meeting, but said they hadn’t had enough time with the report to talk about it. Fair, so we were to schedule a follow up. The Chief’s calendar was pretty full this month and this was the date he had available, so that’s how this date got set. If he wasn’t going to be available or if his management was not going to be ready, they could have respected everyone and asked for a postponement.
^^^ I did not think I could be more upset about the uninformative meeting last night, but your comment above has brought me to another level of despair.
Your piece today cassandra_m is a very good synopsis of what is happening in the Williams administration as it relates to the WPD.
Every citizen should be chomping at the bit to boot these clowns out of office in 2016.
I didn’t make the meeting and now I’m glad I didn’t make it. It’s not even just that these people don’t do the job they were elected/put in place to do, it’s their flippant attitude toward anyone who dares to question them that irks me!
WDEL’s report this morning on the meeting. On FB, I asked people to think about this seriously. Not only was this date the Chief’s pick, but when it came time to talk, apparently only Doug Iardella was allowed to speak. The *consultant* and Friend of the Mayor — a man who isn’t even in the Chief’s chain of command. I read that as this Mayor not only being contemptuous of the city’s residents but also of his own Chief. This would be a pretty big breach of protocol in most of the management circles I run in.
There is something wrong in the way the Mayor thinks.
This from an earlier blog because we can not let his own words be forgotten, I must repost them here.
When the Wilmington Public Safety Strategies Commission was authorized by the Governor, this is what the Mayor had to say:
“Since taking office in 2013, I have recognized the value and necessity of State assistance in fighting violent crime,” Williams said in a written statement. “I have consistently lobbied for Governor Markell and the State’s support in tackling the violent crime in Wilmington. I would like to thank the Governor and City Delegation for their steadfast support and commitment, as we work collectively on the issue of eradicating the crime and violence in our city.”
As you said before cassandra_m; what a difference a report makes.
Apparently the NJ was there last night as well.
Was listening to Al’s show. Pastor D was on, and he basically said he was inclined to run for mayor. He ‘guarantee’d, his word, not mine, that he’d solve the crime problem within a matter of months. Where have I heard that before?
Anyway, I know him as a caller on the show, and he’s always interesting. Is his running for mayor a good idea or a bad idea?
Pastor D thought that he was running for Mayor last cycle, then withdrew as he didn’t get much traction. I have no idea what he has done to improve his position now. But anyone promising overnight change is someone who cannot be given any responsibility for the city. IMO. We already heard these promises and we already know that this is one tough task. It needs someone who will competently develop, implement and manage some long term solutions.
That said, Pastor D was disqualified from running the last cycle. I have no idea if Pastor D has done anything to appeal this or change something so he can run. But when he did drop out, Pastor D pledged his support to Kevin Kelley. Shortly after that, he decided to support Williams in exchange for promises that clearly did not work out.
We all have an interest in the problem of violent crime, that the problem, the most danger of them all, PUBLIC SAFETY , we all need it and since, we know not only, what the problem is but where they are taking place at any given time (hot spot)
It is hard for me to believe that a city of this size, a little problem can’t be fix.
The problem is that if The WPD is part of the solution, they are part of the problem.
eliminate the part of the problem and, the solution will come.
If “Pastor D” has such miraculous solutions, and loves the city as he claims to, he should be doing something now. I mean something other than finding ways to get himself press.
You don’t have the first clue what he’s doing or not doing.
I’ve heard good and bad about Pastor D, but I will say that when I heard him in the Mayoral candidates debate in 2012, I thought he spoke passionately and made sense. He hasn’t been publicly outspoken as much.
Pastor D?!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. Oh. Sorry. I’m laughing so much because he is THEE biggest JOKE. He is a crook. A hypocrite. A poverty pimp. And basically just a general scum bag hiding under the “christian” cloak. UGH. I never want to hear his name – let alone hear it in association with our city’s politics.
I have ONE name we all need to remember… EUGENE YOUNG!
Oh please, please tell me that EUGENE YOUNG is thinking about running for something!!! That would be AWESOME!!!!!
Geezer, you don’t have a clue what I do or don’t know, but don’t let that stop you from holding on to your pathetic little resentments.
In the last cycle, I was impressed by Pastor D’s assessment of some of Wilmington’s problems. He was able to capture he attention of people who were in the room and he came across as incredibly reasonable. That fell apart as he jumped from ship to ship clearly looking for the better deal. Which is common problem in the “Wilmington Leadership” cadre — folks who can talk, but who can’t map a path to actually working on solutions. There’s lots of this in Wilmington’s City Council and you can measure it on the daily by their Facebook pages.
Who is EUGENE YOUNG?
I think he’s this guy:
http://www.delawarelawweekly.com/id=1202724705713/Delaware-Center-for-Justice-Hires-Advocacy-Director?slreturn=20150427193555
Used to work w/Cory Booker in Newark, NJ.
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
― Harry S. Truman
Ok here’s how the Mayoral field looks today based on conversations I have had with most of potential candidates( All but the Mayor). Dennis Williams announcement is public, Theo Gregory says he’s running and is talking to everyone in town. Eugene Young is very seriously assessing a run at the Mayor. Maria Cabrera says she running and that 2016 will be the year for female candidates. Kevin Kelley came in 2nd last time and thinks he has a shot this time.
If Eugene decides to run He has my full support and clearly would be the best candidate.
Nice to know Paul. I have known Eugene since he was a young teen. I will reach out to him to offer my support and $$ if he so chooses to venture into the political arena. I too, agree that he would be the VERY best candidate.
I spoke with Eugene briefly and was really impressed. If he decides to run he has my support and money, too!
@AQC: Listen, asshole, I’m not the one who’s working for Mike Barbieri, who sucks pretty damn hard at the government teat, and then turns around to slag actual government workers. Fuck you and the representative you rode in on.
I’m not sure what relevance there is to who I work for here. Believe it or not, I am capable of forming an opinion without the assistance of Mike Barbieri. But, if you see him as someone just sucking at the teat of government, you prove how stupid and unaware you are. You are a bitter, nasty, washed out fool who shows no respect for yourself with your hate and diatribes.
Yeah, you form lots of opinions. I just want everyone to know what they’re worth.
The relevance is that you came on here and trashed state workers and said they were overpaid, while you owe your own position to the a guy who shouldn’t be allowed to get state money in the first place because it’s a conflict of interest. I don’t know who told you that was a progressive position to take, but they lied to you.
I am none of the things you claim. You merely say them because you lack intelligence and have no answer to a simple, simple question: When does a public servant owe it to the public to resign his position because of incapacity.
If you had anything like a functioning brain, you’d think about the question and answer it. You, however, are just an apparatchik, an unthinking drone whose “opinions” are more accurately termed “biases.” An opinion, you see, requires thought.
Your “opinion” that nobody should talk about Beau Biden because it’s none of our business is not to be respected because you can’t defend it. “It’s my opinion” is not an acceptable answer in debate.
The relevance of your status is that you scolded those with legitimate concerns, as if you have some moral authority here. You have no moral authority. Your “opinion” was actually an attack on those who don’t share your opinion. Which is why I’m attacking you back.
Finally, your claim to know my motivations is offensive, because you clearly don’t know much of anything let alone my motivations. Which is why I say to you, “Go fuck yourself, dearie.”
Hahaha!!!’
Yet again you have nothing to say. You’re pathetic. How much you do get paid, and how much of it comes from what Barbieri pries out of the General Assembly? Like your boss, you’re a fraud if you consider yourself progressive.