OK, kids, follow along with me here.
On January 7, 2020, NCC Clerk Of The Peace Ken Boulden files for reelection to the office he has held since 1997. ‘The best job in Delaware’, he calls it.
On Monday, June 28, 2020, state representative Quinton Johnson announces he will not seek reelection to his 8th RD post. That gives prospective candidates more than two weeks to file for the seat, which provides reasonable notice.
Following his announcement, three D’s and one R indeed file for that seat–Rae Moore, Yvette Santiago, Matthew Powell, and Daniel Zitofsky.
At, or more likely, after, yesterday’s 12 noon filing deadline for candidates, Ken Boulden switches his candidacy from Clerk of the Peace to the 8th Rep. District race and, wait for it, his ‘Chief Deputy Clerk Of The Peace’ Lisa Darrah files for NCC Clerk Of the Peace. Meaning, while providing no notice of his intent to switch races, Ken Boulden has effectively installed his chosen successor as Clerk Of The Peace. Meaning, prospective candidates were shut out of the process, and primary voters were shut out of having a say. The posting wasn’t made public until close to 3 pm, likely due to a last-minute surge of candidates.
I know, I know, it’s only New Castle County Clerk Of The Peace and, in the cosmic universe, it means less than nothing.
But Boulden and Darrah conspired together unethically to shut the public out of the decision-making process. Voters in the 8th RD should consider that when choosing which candidate they support in that primary and, if they want someone with ethics, they should dismiss Ken Boulden as a consideration.
And, should the R’s nominate someone sane to run for Clerk Of The Peace, I’d encourage you to vote for that candidate. You know who’d be perfect for that job? Lee Murphy. He’s an actor and he can feign sincerity. That’s all you need for the job. Ken Boulden proved that.