Whoa. Brian Pettyjohn Isn’t Going Anywhere.
DD has the story over at Blue Delaware, and I gotta admit, I didn’t see this coming. He wanted to go somewhere (Deputy Director For Sussex County Department of Elections). Ruth Briggs King wanted him to go somewhere. But it was kiboshed by:
Only the GOP members of the Board of Elections could vote on his hire, since the deputy position was the Deputy Director position reserved for Republicans (there is a Democratic Deputy Director position as well). And apparently the older Republican members of the Board object to Pettyjohn’s more outlandish and Trumpist tendencies and did not like the message that hiring him for the Department job would send.
Too Trumpy for Suxco? I don’t know about that. But he didn’t get the job and, as DD pointed out, the job has been reposted.
So, kids, let me ask you this?: Did Pettyjohn even bother to reach out to the R members of the Board? I mean, he’s probably had well over 100 gubernatorial nominees come to his office to grovel for his support. He knows how the game is played. He clearly wanted out of Leg Hall. Did he not exercise even the minimal effort to make sure that this was a done deal? Maybe that’s why he didn’t get the job as he at least would have been required to do at least some work at Elections.
The bigger question: Pettyjohn made his move to leave Leg Hall for questionably greener pastures. Does he serve out his term? Does he run for reelection, in which case I fully expect Ruth Briggs King to primary him and to defeat him? Or does he slink out of Dover with his man-tail barely intact? (He’ll always have his manly guns for compensation.) I wonder how his constituents feel about this.
Me? I love stories like this. Should I decide to resurrect ‘The Good, The Bad, The Ridiculous’ post at year’s end, this will likely be on the ‘Ridiculous’ list. It’s been a great year for ‘Ridiculous’.
You linked to the Wilmington Hope commission. The BD link is here: https://bluedelaware.com/2021/11/23/still-looking-for-a-deputy-director/
Sorry. I hope to master the technological details of this blogging thing eventually…changing it now.
None of the above.
Pettyjohn made the grave mistake of running around telling anyone who would listen that he had the job 6 months before he had the job.
Politics 101- you never tell people something is a done deal before it’s confirmed. My guess is the committee would look bad giving it to him after he was telling everyone that it was in the bag.
So what do you think happens with Pettyjohn’s district? Does he serve out his term? Does he run for reelection? Does RBK run for the seat?
I mean, he rang the bell. He can’t unring it.
He runs. His ego has to be stroked.
Although word is, his wife gave him an ultimatum. The Senate, or their marriage. He’s in a tough spot. They could always divorce and marry each other for the 3rd time though.
Interesting. Do you think RBK primaries him?
Third marriage? I want MORE. Are they cousins or something?
They divorced and remarried a few years ago (around when he first won, IIRC)
If he’s not in office, how’s he going to beat the next weapons charge against him?
Says the pig manure manager from Shaft Ox Corner:)
“Around when he first won”? Didn’t he poach the office from the rightful holder, Eric Bodenweiser?
I’m sure Bodie would say so.