Delaware Political Weekly: Oct. 27-Nov. 2, 2017
1. The Emergence Of Tizzy Lockman. Her candidacy for the 3rd Senatorial Seat currently held by Bob Marshall has become a rallying cry for grassroots activists. Notable not only for the candidate herself, but for the framework created by Network Delaware to facilitate her candidacy. Along with Rachel Blumenfeld and Laura Sturgeon, there are some promising signs for those seeking citizen-legislators in the truest sense of the phrase. More, please.
2. Melanie Doesn’t Live Here Any More. I may be in the minority, at least on DL, but Rep. Melanie George Smith’s lawyerly ‘rope-a-dope’ (that phrase again) only concerns me if she has decided she wants to seek reelection. Although it’s pretty clear that she’s abandoned her district, both with her residency and her legislative priorities, she’s probably in technical compliance with the law. Probably more so than, say, Tom Sharp was when he was living downstate and even paving the roads in his community there while supposedly residing in Maplecrest just off of Kirkwood Highway. However. as Democratic Party Chair Erik Raser-Schramm pointed out, constituents deserve to know that they are represented by someone who lives in their district. What we now need is a strong grassroots candidate in this district (I’ve heard that there is some interest) to ensure that she doesn’t maneuver herself back into office. After all, her family has a deserved reputation for watching out for themselves at taxpayers’ expense.
3. Ken Simpler Will Run For Reelection. Here is the video of his announcement. His vision may be clunky, may not make any sense whatsoever, but, against a governor with no vision, he just might win. And John Carney has no vision. But that’s three years away. Any word on who the D’s might put up? If anybody?
4. (No) Filings. Self-explanatory. Filing fees still haven’t been set for NCC or Kent Counties.
That’s it for this week. What’d I miss and whaddyathink?
Aside from being able to run sentences together with fluency, does anyone see any daylight between Carney and Simpler? It is all the fat lazy state workers soaking up your hard earned tax money.
The biggest thing with Melanie is the bald faced lie about living at her treasurers house during the work week. Isnt that fraud? and yea I’m sure her husband is like “oh, sure thats a great idea. you live there during the week and come home on weekends to make sure you are an upstanding public servant.”
Let’s not forget that McBride and McDowell are lying, too, and have been doing so for years.
I lived about a block away from Harris McDowell for many years. He lives on Baynard Blvd in Wilmington and I lived about a block on Harrison St. I have no doubt that he lives in the Baynard Blvd home. He was also a regular attendee at the monthly neighborhood association meetings.
Yeah, sorry Alby, Harris does live there. You can find him in his garden all spring.
OK, was lying, then. He has or had a house in Middletown, IIRC, that he spent a great deal of time in. Sounds like that has changed in recent years.
To be sure, I don’t know how much or little time either man spends at his “primary residence” (a term I did not encounter in searching the Constitution), just that it’s been an open secret for years that McBride spends a lot of time at the beach house he owns (as did Tom Sharp back in the day). I don’t think anyone mistook McDowell Middletown house for a vacation home.
I cant speak to a second house for Harris. I’m not sure about that.
But McBride most definitely lives in Lewes. If someone checked the voting rolls, I wouldn’t be surprised if his wife voted for Pete. Wink wink
McBride’s wife did vote for Pete.
While I can’t speak for what Harris does now, there was a time when he spent a lot of time at the McDowell family farm in Middletown–enough time so that his absence from the district was noted by those who lived there.
He might have sold the farm by now, I don’t know. But it was an issue during part of the time that I worked in the Senate.
Al and I talked about it on his show, so there IS a history. Al didn’t make it up.