A Very Special Edition Of Delaware Political Weekly: Filing Deadline Day
Events, of course, will determine just how special, if at all, today’s edition is. The deadline for candidates to file is 12 noon today. We already have some news!:
BREAKING: Last-minute primary challenger to Sarah McBride. One Elias Weir. Ran as an independent in RD 27 back in 2020. Also ran against LBR in the 2016 Democratic Primary for Congress. Got 0.7% of the votes, 449 statewide in all. Vanity candidate.
1. A D Primary In Suxco District 3. Dr. Jane Gruenebaum has filed, and will face Dana Paskins in the primary. Gruenebaum seems like my kind of candidate:
The Rehoboth Beach resident co-founded the Sussex Preservation Coalition (SPC), an advocacy group that fights to control over-development and protect the environment.
Gruenebaum tells WMDT News, if elected, she would fight to protect the environment and take a balanced approach when it comes to approving development, something she says is rampant in Sussex County.
“We need to maintain the natural environment that keeps us healthy, that includes forests and wetlands, and we need to keep a healthy economy that works for everyone, and that includes housing for the people who work here,” Gruenebaum said. “People who work here should be able to afford to live here, and right now they cannot.”
It’s that same mentality that led Gruenebaum to help found the SPC along with other residents who worked, unsuccessfully, to modify the 175-acre, 300-home development called Coral Lakes that was approved along Robinsonville Road in 2023.
Coral Lakes, which clear cut an entire forest, is one of many large projects approved by the Sussex County Council in recent years that SPC members say disregarded the impact to the environment and infrastructure. Even larger projects are pending before the county right now.
Gruenebaum did stress that she’s not anti-development, but wants to bring a balanced, common sense approach when it comes to approving those kind of proposals.
2. D Rony Baltazar-Lopez Files For RD 36 Seat. Will face the winner of an R primary between incumbent Brian Shupe and challenger Patrick Smith. Baltazar-Lopez would be a big plus in Dover, but is running in a district that increasingly skews R. His late entry also raises concerns. But let’s see if he can get his campaign off the ground.
More coming after I run some errands. Check back and/or post more news. Several new entries in the Wilmington City Council races–I’ll update upon my return.
3. “Dr. Joe” Wants In On Some Of That Anti-Sarah McBride Lucre? Yes, there’s now a three-way R primary for the honor of losing that congressional race. Hey, I didn’t request that ‘Dr. Joe’ monicker to appear on the ballot. One Joseph Arminio did. Hoo-boy, this guy. Claims to run something called the ‘Statesman Debate Institute’:
I’m Dr Joe Arminio, Senior Instructor, SDI, and I’m here to help you win more debate rounds, learn powerful (classical), critical thinking skills and learn how politics and economics really work. After many years working in government affairs and trained in history and classical rhetoric, I have applied myself full time to speech, debate and thesis coaching, beginning six years ago. My colleagues and I, at the Institute, apply Classical Education to forensics and the humanities in many ways–including Public Forum, Policy, Congressional and Lincoln-Douglas debates, Model UN and Model Congress, AP History and even BA, MA and PhD Theses. Institute programs have benefited a great many students ranging from grades 6 to 12 to college. We have taught those as young as 4th grade and as old as 98! Harness classically-based, PhD-led coaching today! Learn what those who built Western Civilization learnt. Subscribe now, soar now and lead tomorrow!
Appears to have run as an R in a Maryland congressional race back in 2008. From what I read here, he basically ran a ‘deport immigrants’ campaign:
When it comes to immigration, Arminio doesn’t view illegals as the only problem. America has been absorbing too many legal immigrants as well, he said — at a ratio about three times higher than he would like. He would like to see to figures closer to those of 1925 to 1965 rather than those over the last 40 years.
As well as lowering the allowed numbers on a reasonable schedule, Arminio said he favors conducting random searches on businesses for illegal immigrants. Those caught would be deported.
While America now contains an estimated 12 to 13 million illegals, Arminio doesn’t think mass deportation is hopeless.
He points to 1954, when Gen. Joseph Swing, the commissioner of U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Services (now Immigration and Customs Enforcement), led a purge of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants.
They were shipped hundreds of miles south, and INS claimed that more than half a million others left voluntarily.
Ho-kay.
4. An Embarrassment Of Riches Candidates In Wilmington City Council Races. Some, no doubt, spurred on by the mayoral primary race. Both Thea Lopez and Coby Owens have filed for the 1st District, where they will face incumbent Vincent White. Lopez is the Youth Development Coordinator for the DuPont Environmental Education Center at the Delaware Nature Society, and is also a Democratic Ward Leader in Wilmington. Owens is a self-proclaimed activist who is Vice-Chair of the Delaware Democratic Party. I could find nothing online as to whether he has a job yet or not, but he is on the board of the Wilmington PAL. I admit my skepticism upfront–anybody with ties to the Holloway family tree automatically raises concerns with me. Just wanted you to know. The only R on Council, James Spadola, now faces a primary challenge from one Shawn Dottery. This guy? You tell me.
5. Three-Way Rethug Primary For Suxco Council. District 1. Christie Shirey filed today, and will face Mike Vincent and Matt Lloyd. Her Facebook page features the logo of the Delaware Tea Party, so she should fit right in.
Looks like that’s a wrap. Be back Friday to see if any candidates drop out before the deadline to get their filing fees back.
Today’s news that Rehoboth is starting voluntary water rationing is probably not related to climate change and rampant development in SC. Just a coincidence, no doubt.
At some point the water wars will indeed begin, just not in overcrowded and you can keep it Rehoboth.
Assholes need to stop watering their fucking grass obsessively every fucking day and stop using 10,000 chemicals on their grass a week. It’s the fucking watershed not a fucking golf course.
I’ll admit to some bias as my bloodline is hardly politically pure and he’s a friend, but Coby is a through and through activist who’s been working at the NAACP-DE and the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League. He’s been on the WFP National Committee and DE WFP State Committee for some time and he has served on the DE DSA Steering Committee in the past.
If you’re worried about his bloodline, his cousin twice removed was the late great Major Owens, the democratic socialist Congressman from the Bronx who held AOC’s seat for decades (AOC looks up to him as a role model). He’s a true man of the Left!
I interviewed Coby a few years back–I think he was running to fill a vacant Council seat. I also worked in the General Assembly with both Holloways.
You’re probably right. I remain an agnostic.
I think that one reason for the light activity today is because candidates can no longer play those games of musical chairs at the deadline–you know, switching the office that they’re running for at the last minute.
Good policy, bad for blogs.
Seems quiet.
I also saw a Republican filed to run for New Castle County Council in District 8 to try and join “I will do it whatever you developers tell me Janet Kilpatrack” as the only other GOP member of that body.
Also while Colby has always seemed like a nice guy what is his professional experience outside “being an activist” is a fair and legit question.
Fun fact: The NCC Council is now 100% Democratic.
Janet Kilpatrick has changed her registration to D. I have been told that it is so she can vote for Marcus Henry in the primary.
Might have to reconsider my support for Marcus…
Janet Kilpatrick runs the important business of the county. She can either work with Marcus Henry or work around Karen Hartley Nagle.
Personally, I will support only candidates with a minimum of two brain cells to rub together. KHN doesn’t clear the bar.
This checks out. Why on earth Marcus is letting her advise his campaign is wild to me. But I will take Marcus over KHN off her pills anyday.
Karen Hartley-Nagle didn’t even show up for our RD Virtual Town Meeting, which we did in conjunction with two other RD’s.
I personally invited her–she said she was busy ‘working 80 hours a week’ for NCC.
I have a Marcus sign in my yard. ‘Nuff said.
Two final additions–that Ralph Taylor did qualify and is now the R candidate for Insurance Commissioner.
And Michael Senisch filed as the R candidate to face newly-minted D Janet Kilpatrick in NCC Council District 8.
Whoa, this Senisch guy could almost be categorized as a serial litigant. As in here:
https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/nj-superior-court-appellate-division/1587039.html
And here:
https://courts.delaware.gov/Opinions/Download.aspx?id=328890
And here:
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/new-jersey/njdce/1:2016cv00047/328530/61/
Looks like he won one, though:
https://whyy.org/articles/n-j-paramedic-fired-for-performing-reiki-on-patient-wins-90000-verdict/
Kilpatrick isn’t up this year. CD8 is John Cartier.
You’re right. Was wondering about that Darley Road address…just misread that reference to Janet Kilpatrick in the thread.
I live in Cartier’s district. John is well-liked and very visible in the community. He’ll win with at least 70% of the vote. Senisch makes Trump look like a moderate.
You’re right. Wrong person. Wrong district.
My understanding is that Rony more or less had to wait until the end of the session, because he handles policy and communications for the Department of State. Would have been a little awkward for him to be lobbying legislators when he’s running for the legislature. I expect you’ll find that his campaign structure is fine. He served on the Milford school board a few years ago.
Thanks. That’s still a tough district for a D, right?
I was hoping Omara would drop out to stop wasting peoples’ times and disappointing people. We need to focus on defeating BHL.
He has until Friday at 4:30. That’s the deadline for candidates dropping out.
Don’t see it happening. Sadly, don’t see his campaign happening either.