Don’t get me wrong–there are a multitude of reasons why voters should support Kamela (not Kamala) Smith in her challenge to the current Speaker. We’ll enumerate them when we cover this as part of our ‘Most Intriguing Primaries’ series.
But one reason rises above all: Val Longhurst used her elected position to get a high-paying job for which she was not qualified, then used that position to essentially extort money from other governmental bodies as well as the state government.
From the time she was elected, Val complained to anyone who would listen and to many who wouldn’t that she needed a job. Not just any job, mind you. After all, even Val could likely have secured an entry-level job despite her lack of any career experience beyond her elective office. That’s not what she wanted, though. She and her then-drinkin’ buddy Sen. Nicole Poore wanted jobs that paid well and that secured a lot of funding from the legislators with whom they served.
Nicole got hers at Jobs For Delaware Graduates, a useless money pit if ever there was one.
Finally, Val, leaning on ex-cop and Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, along with a board full of ex-cop legislators, got the job as Executive Director of the Delaware Police Athletic League. The PAL halted a candidate search in order to hand her the job. Her real role is to secure funding for the Hockessin PAL, which was the brainchild of disgraced former NCC Executive Tom Gordon, who was an ex-cop and who lived in Hockessin. Oh, and serves nobody who lives in Val’s district. Except Val. Her salary and benefits are now well in excess of $100K annually. A large portion of her windfall is funded by legislators who she, as Speaker, assign to the committees who fund PAL.
Several sources have told me that Val has used her dual positions to coerce funding from other legislators and other governmental entities, using threats/promises relating to whether one’s bills get considered, and threatening to use her power to withhold funding to other governments, and to cajole other agencies into contributing. She and Pete even elevated PAL Board member Larry Mitchell, who supported Longhurst’s job search and who defines the term back-bencher, into a leadership position with a concurrent jump in legislative pay. I might also add that Longhurst has used her leadership position to bury any and all genuine police reform measures. It’s an unspoken, but essential, part of her PAL duties.
There is simply no way that someone who has used her office in such a blatantly unethical manner should be serving in Dover.
Her opponent? Kamela, not Kamala, Smith.
To any and all: Please feel free to use this in part or in its entirety on behalf of electing Kam Smith and defeating Val Longhurst.