This is the district that was specifically drawn for Melanie George, now Melanie George Smith. The 2012 version retains most of the barbell-ian characteristics of the original 2002 incarnation and stretches from Bear to New Castle. It was part of a deal that D leadership, specifically Bob Gilligan, cut with the R’s who controlled the General Assembly at that time. Gilligan got Lonnie’s daughter an overwhelmingly D district, while D representatives Dave Brady and Rick DiLiberto got…the shaft. Go over here, click on ‘District 5’, and ask yourselves whether this district could, or should, withstand a challenge based on gerrymandering.
The district is overwhelmingly, obscenely, D for a non-city district. Check out these numbers: 10,832 D; 2059 R; 3210 I. You read ’em right. Well over a majority of the registered voters are D. Hey, when you’re the daughter of the former Speaker, and that Speaker controlled loads of patronage jobs at Del-Tech, this is what they’ll do for you.
You all know the story by now. Smith purchased a house outside of the district. And, after much back and forth, she decided that she wouldn’t come up with some sort of creative living arrangement to maintain official residency in the 5th. She is retiring. At least for now, without the judgeship she so assiduously sought. She’s hanging her shingle at Richards, Layton & Finger, the Rethuggiest of Rethuglican law firms. Also the white shoe-iest.
There is a three-way primary to succeed her. Might as do it alphabetically. By last name, still the only correct way to do it, the internets notwithstanding.
Aja Ajavon describes herself as:
…an activist who spearheads several ventures to empower communities and to provide sound solutions to social issues. She worked for Delaware Family Court as a mediation and arbitration officer and for New Jersey Superior Court Family Division as a hearing officer and mediator. Most recently, Aja taught job readiness skills to adults re-entering the job market at Career Time. Currently, she teaches at Wilmington University in the College of Social and Behavioral Science and is a volunteer mediator at Delaware Center for Justice.
She was born in Liberia and moved to the United States when she was 10. I can find very little on her positions on issues in any of her online media. Perhaps supporters of the campaign can provide a link to them.
…has dedicated her entire career to serving individuals living with disadvantages and life challenges. Kendra earned a master’s degree in Human Services from Lincoln University and is currently the Executive Director at Elwyn, one of the nation’s oldest nonprofit organizations, and leads a staff of 200. Kendra has extensive experience with managing and budgeting multimillion dollar contracts and is currently responsible for oversight of 21 programs in Delaware and Pennsylvania, serving over 1,100 individuals.
You can look at her priorities and positions here. Basic boilerplate. There is, however, one element of her profile that I like very much. I usually cringe when I click on ‘Endorsements’ b/c it’s often a laundry list of the usual suspects. Not so with Johnson. They’re all either people she’s helped, or people she’s worked with. And those comments all sound like they’re from the heart. People who I respect have said a lot of good things about her.
The third candidate, William Resto, filed just under the wire. He is a bail bondsman, so, if you’re looking for an end to cash bail, he’s probably not the candidate for you. His campaign has not been as visible as those of the other two candidates. Having said that, he has an admirable record of community service. From his linkedin page:
…Resto currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Wilmington Police Athlete League (P.A.L.) and the Nuestra Raices of Delaware: this organization coordinates the annual Wilmington Hispanic Festival and the Miss Hispanic Delaware Pageant. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Resto was a Delaware state employee and shop-steward for Local 640. He is currently the founder and owner of A Bail Bond by Resto & Company and co-founder of the Livingston Resto Project (LRP): a non-profit organization that advocates for the homeless in Delaware. He is a leader at Faith City Family Church: Pastor Steve Hare and the proud sponsor of the 3-Time Champions “Aquila’s” of the Roberto Clemente Little League.
OTOH, he misspells both ‘Delaware’ and ‘District’ on the same linkedin page.
Any of the three would likely be infinitely preferable to any of the candidates in, say, SD 2. (Hmmm, I wonder if any of them live in Nicole Poore’s district, gotta check… answer is no, but virtually the entire RD is in Dave McBride’s district. Woo-hoo! )
Melanie George was a good representative for years, although her focus was less on the communities in the district, and more on some of the more macro issues in the General Assembly. She was a strong advocate for criminal justice reform up until the last few years. She also embraced the budget austerity pushed by DINO’s Markell and Carney, and flipped from a yes to a no on abolishing the death penalty. Accordingly, this primary looks like a no-lose situation for the voters in RD 5. Johnson, in particular, looks like she has the potential to have a real impact in Dover.
If you live in this district, what do you think, what have you seen, and what have you heard?