DL Open Thread: Thursday, October 10, 2024

Yes, It’s Horrific.  Just don’t say ‘climate change’.  Or (coming soon), ‘I wonder if my insurance will cover this’.  Over 3 million customers w/o power as I post this.  Don’t think anyone anticipated the severity of the tornadoes, which resulted in multiple deaths.

Delaware Tries To ‘Big-Time’ NCC On Behalf Of Port Expansion.  Aided and abetted by one of Delaware’s most powerful land use attorneys:

During the previous three months, state environmental regulators and a powerful Delaware land-use attorney quietly lobbied the New Castle County Council to keep two pieces of public land – located on opposite sides of Fox Point State Park – zoned for industry.

In emails and in conversations with council members, they argued that one of the properties was necessary for the success of the future Port of Edgemoor container terminal planned at a nearby former chemical plant – a project to which the public (Carney, Bullock, et al) had already committed hundreds of millions of dollars.

And, any effort to hinder the port development by restrictively downzoning the property near the park would “undoubtedly cost taxpayers” even more, land use attorney Shawn Tucker said in an email to the county council.

Tucker, who has represented some of the biggest developers in Delaware, sent the email on behalf of the state-owned entity that oversees the Port of Wilmington, called the Diamond State Port Corporation.

Read the whole article by Karl Baker, and remind yourselves of the Delaware Way secrecy that has permeated pretty much everything involved in the Port negotiations.

Rep. Kim Williams Prepares Legislation To Address Public Employment By Officeholders.  Good.  Definitely should be part of a comprehensive public transparency agenda:

New state laws will be proposed requiring elected officials to disclose any second state-funded job to the Delaware Public Integrity Commission (PIC), and will also push for taxpayer-funded education institutions to comply with the dual employment law, which has been widely ignored for years.

The Dual Employment Audit Report, released by the State Auditor Lydia York last month, reviewed the financial records of elected state officials who also held second jobs at  state-funded organizations, institutions and schools — essentially investigating whether taxpayers were paying them to work two jobs at the same time.

The audit showed that some officials were being paid from multiple taxpayer-funded sources for working the same hours, which is against the dual employment policy, a law enacted for elected officials who hold second jobs at state institutions and/or other jurisdictions of government in the state. 

The findings have raised concerns about the legal and ethical consequences for those involved, prompting Rep. Kimberly Williams (D-Stanton) to look into legislation to mitigate these issues.

One key finding: Nobody currently has any enforcement power.  That must change.

Rethugs Challenge Military Mail-In Ballots.  When Trump says he doesn’t need votes, it’s stuff like this he’s talking about:

Republican congressmen from Pennsylvania have filed a federal lawsuit seeking stricter scrutiny of votes cast by U.S. citizens living abroad, reflecting a new GOP strategy to challenge the eligibility of a group of voters that includes overseas military personnel.

The lawmakers claim in the suit,which was filed this week, that because local election officials in Pennsylvania are not required to verify the identity or eligibility of voters who register overseas, those ballots are vulnerable to fraud. They have asked a federal judge to require officials to set aside completedballots and not count them until voter eligibility can be determined.

The lawsuit is notable for targeting a group of voters long thought to favorRepublicans because of the prevalence of military personnel stationed overseas, but that is now seen as more evenly divided or even leaning Democratic. The suit adds to a long list of Republican-backed litigation around the country with just weeks to go before the Nov. 5 election,with much of it aimed at disqualifying mail-in votes or removing ineligible voters from rolls.

“The policies and procedures around overseas voting have been known for years, if not decades,” said David Becker, who leads the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research, which promotes trust in U.S. elections. “For members of Congress to file a lawsuit four weeks before the presidential election, about a law that is four decades old, is disturbing, and could put the right to vote at risk for many members of the military.”