How Developers And Their Lawyers Deliver ‘Bundles Of Joy’ To Elected County Officials: Part 2
So, what, you may ask, happens at one of these bundling events? Let’s take a look at just one of them. This one held on behalf of arguably and verifiably the most consistently corrupt member of County Council. We’re talking Bill Bell. The guy who has collected fully 79% of his $$’s from developers. We’re talking a single date. In this case, June 24, 2019. Which, not coincidentally, came about one month after Kevin Caneco filed his committee to challenge Bell in a primary. Just take a look at who came to Bell’s rescue, all drowning him in checks on that same day:
| 6/24/2019 | Apex Engineering Inc. | APEX Bundle | $600.00 | D | |
| 6/24/2019 | Dale Walley | Tucker | $100.00 | D | Relative of Shawn Tucker |
| 6/24/2019 | Jefferey M. Bross | Bross/Duffield | $500.00 | D | https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-bross-3bab2813/ |
| 6/24/2019 | David Cantera | Cantera | $400.00 | D | MIDDLETOWN COMMONS MANAGEMENT, LLC |
| 6/24/2019 | R.R.M. Carpenter III | Carpenter Family | $100.00 | D | Carpenter Family Developing their Estate in the Brandywine Hundred |
| 6/24/2019 | RRM Carpenter IV | Carpenter Family | $100.00 | D | Carpenter Family Developing their Estate in the Brandywine Hundred |
| 6/24/2019 | David Carpenter | Carpenter Family | $100.00 | D | Family Developing Estate in Brandywine Hundred, Wagoners Row Development, along scenic byway |
| 6/24/2019 | Keith Carpenter | Carpenter Family | $100.00 | D | Family Developing Estate in Brandywine Hundred, Wagoners Row Development, along scenic byway |
| 6/24/2019 | Lucinda Carpenter | Carpenter Family | $100.00 | D | Family Developing Estate in Brandywine Hundred, Wagoners Row Development, along scenic byway |
| 6/24/2019 | C CDA Engineering | CDA | $600.00 | D | https://www.cdaengineering.com/ |
| 6/24/2019 | DE Leager | $500.00 | D | Paving Contractor | |
| 6/24/2019 | Drake Cattermole | DC Squared | $100.00 | D | https://dcsquaredmanagement.com/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP | Drinker Briddle & Reath | $600.00 | D | https://www.faegredrinker.com/en |
| 6/24/2019 | John Papili | DSM | $500.00 | D | DSM Commercial – https://dsmre.com/who-we-are/ |
| 6/24/2019 | James Wittig | DSM | $500.00 | D | DSM Commericail |
| 6/24/2019 | Wittig, Robert | DSM | $500.00 | D | DSM Commericail |
| 6/24/2019 | Brian DiSabatino | EDIS | $600.00 | D | https://www.ediscompany.com/team-member/brian-disabatino/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Fusco Property Managment | Fusco | $300.00 | D | https://www.fuscomanagement.com/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Fusco Property Managment | Fusco | $300.00 | D | https://www.fuscomanagement.com/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Lorraine Ferrara | Greggo & Ferrara | $600.00 | D | Greggo & Ferrara Construction |
| 6/24/2019 | Nickolas Ferrara | Greggo & Ferrara | $600.00 | D | Greggo & Ferrrara |
| 6/24/2019 | Francis Julian | Julian/Eastern States | $600.00 | D | http://www.easternstatesgroup.com/about-us/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Richard Julian | Julian/Eastern States | $300.00 | D | http://www.easternstatesgroup.com/about-us/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Amelia Wyant | Julian/Eastern States | $300.00 | D | President of Eastern States Group, Residential and commercial real estate. |
| 6/24/2019 | Dev Sitaram | Karins & Assoc. | $300.00 | D | https://www.linkedin.com/in/dev-sitaram-907b2b11/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Michael Marris | Maris | $200.00 | D | Traffice & Highway Construction for Development – http://www.mma-engineers.com/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Gregory Pettinaro | Pettinaro | $600.00 | D | https://pettinaro.com/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Tracey Crowley Rev Trust | Pettinaro | $600.00 | D | Pettinaro |
| 6/24/2019 | Verino Pettinaro Trust | Pettinaro | $600.00 | D | Pettinaro Construction |
| 6/24/2019 | Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLp | Saul Ewing | $600.00 | D | https://www.saul.com/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Joseph Setting | Settings | $300.00 | D | Settings Properites Inc. Provides services for residentail and commericial propertetys |
| 6/24/2019 | Tarabicos & Grosso LLP | Tarabicos | $500.00 | D | https://tarabicosgrosso.com/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Geoffrey Grosso | Tarabicos | $400.00 | D | https://tarabicosgrosso.com/our-people/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Larry Tarabicos | Tarabicos | $600.00 | D | https://tarabicosgrosso.com/our-people/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Michael Hoffman | Tarabicos | $600.00 | D | https://tarabicosgrosso.com/our-people/michael-j-hoffman/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Scott Matthews | Tarabicos | $200.00 | D | https://tarabicosgrosso.com/our-people/scott-l-matthews/ |
| 6/24/2019 | Michele W. Tucker | Tucker | $500.00 | D | Asssociated with Shawn Tucker |
| 6/24/2019 | Thomas McGonigle | Tucker | $200.00 | D | https://btlaw.com/people/thomas-mcgonigle |
| 6/24/2019 | Shawn Tucker | Tucker | $500.00 | D | Land Use Development Attorney – https://btlaw.com/people/shawn-tucker |
| 6/24/2019 | Eileen Walley | Tucker | $100.00 | D | Relative of Shawn Tucker |
| 6/24/2019 | Keith Adams | $300.00 | D | Co-Owner at Cross Nailed Construction, LLC. | |
| 6/24/2019 | Richard Woodin | $300.00 | D | https://www.woodinassociates.com/# | |
| 6/24/2019 | Alexis Waltier | $150.00 | |||
| 6/24/2019 | David Roberts | $150.00 | |||
| 6/24/2019 | E Thomas Harvey | $100.00 | |||
| 6/24/2019 | James Boyle | $150.00 | |||
| 6/24/2019 | Joseph Bryant | $150.00 | |||
| 6/24/2019 | Karen Barlow | $100.00 | |||
| 6/24/2019 | Leon F. Machulski | $100.00 | |||
| 6/24/2019 | TM Arcaro | $200.00 | |||
| 6/24/2019 | Wm Bazzelle | $150.00 |
For those scoring at home, or, just reading the blog, at least 42 of these 51 contributions came from the development community. BTW, ‘D’=Developer
This particular Bundling Party was only one of several for various council members. Based on the number of contributions posted on the same day, here are the other dates of bundling parties:
| Date | Number of Contributions Made |
| 24-JUN-19 | 51 |
| 24-MAR-16 | 47 |
| 30-APR-18 | 47 |
| 20-FEB-20 | 39 |
| 25-MAR-12 | 38 |
| 07-APR-16 | 38 |
| 28-APR-16 | 38 |
| 15-JAN-20 | 38 |
| 06-MAY-15 | 36 |
| 25-APR-18 | 34 |
| 08-JAN-20 | 34 |
| 20-MAR-18 | 31 |
| 06-APR-22 | 31 |
| 14-APR-16 | 30 |
If you’d like, I can find out who the beneficiaries were for these bundling parties. However, my Research Assistant is making noises about going to work for a development law firm, and she’s threatening to spill the beans on all my predilections and peccadilloes. Even the, um, foot thing. Can’t have that.
So, kids, there you have it. As of now, a significant number of county council members, and the NCC Executive, have largely been bought and paid for by those who do business with the County.
Now that you know, what are you we gonna do about it?
I’m always impressed by how cheap it is to buy a Delaware politician. But then I realize, these aren’t actual bribes, they are statements. The money is a mere token to let the candidate know “You’re our boy, and don’t you forget it.” And if they ever forget it, the next bundling party will be for an opponent.
That’s a good point. It isn’t as if any of the bundle recipients has an actual base of voters they can turn to or fall back on. Their only constituency is the development community. If the money dried up, they’ be dead men and women walking.
These articles understate the degree to which the developers try to buy Council.
Went back to look at the contributors to Bob Weiner, Bill Powers and Ken Woods in their most recent races. These weren’t included in the statistics. All three, ESPECIALLY Woods and Powers, were essentially funded by the developers.
Where did you find this info? I would like to do the same for crooked crony cabals in Sussex
If you’ve got the time and/or a research assistant, start with the campaign finance reports for the members of Suxco County Council. Especially for those who had primaries and/or general election opponents. Why don’t you give me a name and I’ll help research it for you?
In the past couple of years, I’ve gotten better at researching those reports and understanding what they mean. Still learning more all the time, though.
I also recommend the required lobbyists filings with the so-called Public Integrity Commission. Used properly, you can pretty much see who is carrying out their public duties with integrity, and which ones, like Deb Heffernan, are carrying out the agendas of their campaign contributors.
Ken Woods has announced a run for NCC Council President for 2024 and that is BAD news.
No thanks.
He’s REALLY bought and paid for.
But then, so is KHN.
Jeez!
Yes, but at least KHN is a complete incompetent. That minimizes the damage she can cause.
Let’s face it, Janet Kilpatrick actually runs the show, no matter what her title says. Just like she ran Roger Roy’s office once upon a time.
For sure.
The sole Republican on the council, Janet is in charge, wields her power with an odious amount of bullying and she works hand in glove with Meyer for Land Use objectives etc. as she did with Clark and the Coonsies on staff.
She even frothed and screamed about the ultimate and total powers of the Exectutive Office to run our county as he pleases at an early 2022 council committee meeting where Cartier, Carter, Hollins, Durham, and scant others were fighting for the council to have a say in how the NCC COVID funds would be spent.
Meyer’s staff sends over outlines of their wish list of expenditures and demands council rubberstamp them. Council who expressed wishes otherwise were harassed.
There even was a threat text sent to Cartier that scared him so badly it succeeded in stopping the effort he was leading to control some of the ARPA funds and maybe spend them on expensive county responsibilities that are severely underfunded like parks maintenance. Or getting ahead of sewer repairs.
The text threat was from an unknown source but the fact that an extortive threat text was sent to Cartier has been corroborated by several people.
With due respect, we’re talking about who gets to decide how to disburse a slush fund, a slush fund that Meyer appropriated for himself.
It was Meyer’s way of buying chits for his run for Governor using Other People’s Money.
Which is in no way a defense of Kilpatrick, who is every bit the bully who has been described here.