General Assembly Post-Game Wrap-Up/Pre-Game Show: Thurs., May 12 2022
I hereby declare defeat.
Since 2014, I have chronicled the rampant corruption of the proposed, and now in-progress, Ft. DuPont ‘Redevelopment’ project. I thought that, at some point, some elected officials would take notice and at least take some action. I couldn’t have been more wrong. HB 355 cleared its next-to-last hurdle, as it was released from the Senate Elections & Government Affairs Committee yesterday. It is, of course, on today’s Senate Agenda. There is a Senate Amendment. However, the Senate Amendment, sponsored by Sen. Poore, who apparently can proceed in an unethical manner with impunity, makes it even easier for Ft. DuPont to access more state money.
The bill gives the Ft. DuPont Board a blank check to hoover up state funds. I guess Senate Ethics Rules only pertain to Sen. Darius Brown. And the words in the Senate rules are merely words. If any legislator cares to come on here and explain why I’ve been wrong about this project for the last eight years, I’d love to hear from you. Otherwise, just chalk it up to Delaware Way insider dealing. And the corruption that inevitably accompanies Delaware Way insider dealing.
Enough. Let’s get through the rest of this. Was gonna quote that Leonard Cohen lyric here as well (it’s in the Open Thread), but you can just cut and paste.
Here is yesterday’s Session Activity Report.
Here is today’s Senate Agenda. The key bill is HB 371 (Osienski), which could well be on its way to the Governor by the end of the day. The bill ‘removes all penalties for possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana, except for those who are under 21 years of age. Possession of more than 1 ounce of marijuana and public consumption remain unclassified misdemeanors.’ The bill has the votes in the Senate and, so far, no amendments have been filed. Here’s hoping.
The package from the Corporate Law section of the Delaware Bar will also be considered. No non-lawyer legislator has any idea what is in any of the bills. I remember that Harris McDowell voted against this package one year for precisely that reason. Doesn’t matter. Delaware has to stay one step ahead of the crowd to keep those incorporation $$’s rolling in.
Today’s House Agenda features this excellent bill, this questionable bill (Wilmington City Council will be the arbiter of who gets liquor licenses? Really?), and stuff we’ve either discussed before or isn’t worth discussing. Or, I just don’t feel like discussing.
It’s 10:45 am. Too early to start drinking?
I hear that Nicole Poore blistered those who dared to question her pristine ethics in the committee meeting on HB 355. Including me.
She then said that she’d make sure someone else served on the Board instead of her. I have to think that she was TOLD that she couldn’t serve on that Board.
Progress of a sort. I guess. The people in Delaware City KNOW how unethical she is.
Never thought I’d be out here with a Sen. Paradee appreciation post but today’s debate on the DSU resolution has made me, at least briefly, a stan.
He’s been a supporter of legalized pot from the jump.
When you contrast him with Bill Bush, his successor in the House, it’s not even a close call.
Be honest, this is the Delaware Way at it’s most typical, a money making scheme that is a million miles from ethical and as ever the politicians are in on it. The ones who are not refuse to comment let alone do anything about it.
It’s true that NOT A SINGLE LEGISLATOR has ever publicly come on here to defend this project.
Sen. Poore gave them a fig leaf–she says she won’t serve on the Board, completely ignoring the fact that two legislators who can hand out money will serve on a board asking for that money.
That was enough for ‘reasonable’ legislators to give her a pass.
Utterly pathetic.
But that’s it. Need to get thru the grieving process. Starting now.
I assume Step 1 is ‘Drink To Excess’?
So it seems that this election is the first time since 2014 that Sen. Poore has an opponent. Is it so terrible to get her out by actually voting her out?
No. However, her Democratic primary opponent, who looked like a good challenger, has dropped out as of yesterday.