Been doing some due diligence during my days off from work. I’ve gotten some interesting insights into this November’s races.
And I’ve got a live dog in a State Senate race. A race that has some interesting twists on traditional themes. Here goes:
People who have a sense as to what races are competitive and what races are not believe that Dave Baker has a legitimate chance to knock off Ernie Lopez. While Baker may not, to put it mildly, have youth on his side, he looks like virtually every Sussex County State Senator, except Lopez, of the past 40 years. Voting for an old guy is not a deal-breaker.
Here are the demographics of the race: 17,373 D; 15,703 R; 11,075 I. This easternmost of Sussex senatorial districts includes Rehoboth, Lewes, Dewey, Milton, and Angola.
Those of us who have been through this generally shrug our shoulders and say, “Well, most of the I’s vote R and so do many of the registered D’s. Nothing to see here.”
Such conventional wisdom could be wrong in this case. Here’s why.
Baker has established scores of relationships with constituents here over the years in both his official positions and his volunteer work. Here’s his background:
Few have as much depth and breadth of experience attending to issues directly impacting the residents of Senate District 6 as Dave. An employee of the Sussex County government for nearly 34 years (1978-2012), Dave worked his way up from Supervisor of Accounts and Grants, to Director of Accounting, to County Finance Director, and finally to County Administrator. During his tenure, Dave worked with both Democratic—and Republican—controlled County Councils to ensure the County remained financially sound and maintained one of the lowest local tax rates on the eastern seaboard. He is especially proud of his work to obtain financing for wastewater infrastructure projects on the Route One corridor from east of Milton south to Fenwick Island plus Angola, and the creation of the Airframe Mechanic Program at Del Tech in Georgetown.
As to volunteer work:
Over the years, Dave has served as a member of the Cape Henlopen School Board, a Boy Scout leader, and a coach for the Milton Little League and Odyssey of the Mind. Two of their sons continue to live in the Lewes area with their families and follow Dave’s example as active members of the community.
Dave’s dedication to the community extends beyond his time working in County government. He is currently a board member of Primeros Pasos Early Childhood Learning Center, a non-profit preschool in Georgetown serving mostly children from low-income families with working parents. In his role as Building Chairman, Dave was instrumental in securing funds and managing efforts to build a $1.4 million campus in Georgetown. Dave also serves on the board of CHEER, an organization dedicated to improving quality of life and independence for our County’s senior citizens, and is a member of the Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council, the Beebe Hospital Investment Committee, and the Sussex County Pension Investment Committee.
He has a lot of respect from both sides of the aisle. He sorta reminds me of Bob Voshell who, following a 40-year career in the Division of Motor Vehicles, succeeded Ruth Ann Minner in representing the Milford area in the Delaware State Senate. Voshell was one of the finest public servants I ever met. Long before he became a Senator, he was a leading proponent for organ donorship via a designation on people’s drivers’ licenses. I think Baker would be a similar senator, with a focus on constituent service.
There’s also a lot of talk about Ernie Lopez, and not all of it is positive. He apparently has some more, um, relationship imbroglios that have become the talk of the beach towns. And it’s not as if he necessarily has deeply ingrained roots there. He reportedly is freaking out a la Mike Ramone, meaning mistakes aren’t just possible, but likely. I can definitely see a path to victory for Baker.
I have been admittedly skeptical of Baker’s chances. But when people who I respect tell me that I’m missing the boat on a race, I listen.
Sussex Spies, what are you hearing?