Continuing our trek northward through the statewide primary ballot:
President Of Wilmington City Council (D Primary): Hanifa Shabazz vs. Trippi Congo. After all the dust settled at the filing deadline, we were left with Shabazz and the Man Without A District. To their credit, council members declared Congo’s 2nd District seat vacant after he admitted that he had moved out of the district. The Delaware State Senate would do well to follow that example should Dave McBride or Cathy Cloutier get reelected. But that’s another story for another day. I’m not a fan of Shabazz, but Congo is part of the Potter cabal, and I think voters will consign all three of them to the sidelines on Sept. 15.
Wilmington Mayor (D Primary) Mike Purzycki vs. Justen Wright vs. Velda Jones-Potter. Alby has the math on this one. Two Black challengers can’t beat the white incumbent. While it was very unlikely that Wright could have prevailed in a one-on-one matchup, Jones-Potter’s entry into the race virtually guaranteed Purzycki’s reelection. I doubt that that’s what she hoped to accomplish. One less Potter on the city payroll is a net plus.
On to New Castle County:
County Council District 12 (D Primary): Bill Bell vs. Kevin Caneco. Like Bill Powers in 2018, Bill Bell reminds me more of a Sussex County councilman who hangs around forever, helps out developer friends, and doesn’t do much else. Like Powers, Bell faces a challenge from a strong insurgent in Kevin Caneco. New Castle County Council has become steadily more progressive in recent years. I think that Caneco’s election would continue that trend.
New Castle County President Of County Council (D Primary): Karen Hartley-Nagle vs. Ciro Poppiti vs. Monique Johns. Does your pulse quicken when you contemplate this contest? Mine neither. I guess that Ciro is running as the competent one, and I’ll probably vote for him. Hey, what more do you want me to say?
NCC Clerk Of The Peace (D Primary): Lisa Darrah vs. Aja Ajavon. Ken Boulden’s cynical plan to install Lisa Darrah as his successor ran into a detour, if not a dead end, when Aja Ajavon switched from the NCC Council President race to this one. I’m voting for Ajavon on principle.
New Castle County Executive (D Primary): Matt Meyer vs. Maggie Jones. We know what we have here: the cops, the construction trades and the Gordon dead-enders vs. the generally-progressive Matt Meyer. Granted, Meyer can sometimes be a little politically-awkward, but his heart is in the right place. Plus, he now has a pretty progressive County Council to work with. I can’t imagine a majority of NCC Dems longing for a return to the ethically-challenged path that Gordon and his allies took us on. And, make no mistake, Jones is Gordon’s surrogate.
Coming soon, maybe as early as tomorrow, my rundown of primaries for the State House Of Representatives.