“We are kings of our bikes. So, we are again really lucky to live in Rehoboth, when we park a car, we have to get back into the car. We can hop on our bikes and our ritual is that we are always biking from our home to L(ewe)s. We do a little bit of walking around, a little bit of margarita, a little bit of good food – there’s amazing food then bike right back. So the ritual, on our bikes, every chance we can, any place we can go, and eliminate the cars.”–Dan Cruce.
The best laid plans…
…I had originally planned to urge contributions to the slate of progressive candidates here in Delaware. You know, in time for the end-of-year campaign finance reports. That, however, will have to wait. Too much stuff happened this week. Let’s hit it.
1. State Treasurer Colleen Davis Announces Retirement At End Of Term. Her announcement:
For the last seven years, it has been one of the great privileges of my life to serve as Delaware’s State Treasurer. In that time, I have worked with an extraordinary team to strengthen our state’s finances while always putting the needs of Delawareans first.
After months of reflection, I’ve decided that this term will be my last. It’s the right moment for me, both personally and professionally, and I want to make room for a new leader to step up. But in the 13 months ahead, my focus will remain exactly where it has always been: delivering results for the people of Delaware.
I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together. We strengthened Delaware’s finances, generating more than half a billion dollars in investment returns. We refinanced our bonds during COVID, saving billions for taxpayers while easing pressure on families and small businesses. We delivered critical COVID relief funds to help people stay afloat. We launched Delaware EARNS, giving thousands of small-business workers a way to save for retirement. And we continued to grow and modernize our other savings programs – from DE529 to ABLE to Deferred Compensation.
For the remainder of my term, I will continue working closely with the Meyer Administration and the General Assembly to advance policies that will keep Delaware’s finances strong for years to come. And I’ll ensure a smooth transition for the next Treasurer.
This has been an incredible journey. I owe so much to the support of an amazing network of friends, family, and everyday Delawareans who wanted a Treasurer committed to protecting our state’s finances while uplifting working people. And I’m grateful for my incredible team at the Office of the State Treasurer. They work hard every single day to make life better in our state.
Finally, I have to thank the people of Delaware for entrusting me with this duty. It has truly been the honor of a lifetime.
You may have heard this before, but politics abhors a vacuum. We already have one alleged Democrat who has filed a committee. Said alleged Democrat, one Theodore Lauzen, could well be Ken Simpler, if one swapped out Princeton for Duke:
He’s a Marine pilot, a pentathlete, and a partner at a wealth advisory firm. He graduated from Duke, which raises red flags to me. So why is he running in a Democratic primary? What are his Democratic bona fides? I’m searching. Let’s see–their kids all go to a private day school in Newark—his wife is on the board there–and that’s about all I can find. He sounds like a perfect R candidate for State Treasurer.
No doubt, there will more scurrying to fill that vacuum. Uh, anybody know what Dennis E. Williams is up to at the moment?
2. Chris Beardsley Primaries Chris Coons. We’re already discussing this in another thread. I reallyreally hope that we’ll be able to interview Beardsley soon. If the Rev gets an interview, we’ll definitely link. Coons doesn’t even rise to Neville Chamberlain levels when it comes to passive acquiescence. He is less than useless when it comes to, um, resisting fascism. I’ll be posting several of Jason’s right-on screeds about this pathetic nepo baby next week. I’d forgotten a lot of info from those posts, bet you have as well. It’s great reading…and oppo research. With lotsa laughs.
3. D Jill Hicks Files In Suxco Council District 5. She is President of the Sussex Preservation Coalition, ‘a grassroots organization that advocates for smart growth’. She is a land use reform activist. She is also a published novelist. The incumbent is R John Rieley. There is one especially notable fact about Rieley:
More importantly, though, he (literally) laid the foundation for a lifetime of faith and family, raising 12 children with his wife, Lou Ann, on her family’s farm near Millsboro.
Assuming that all of Rieley’s kids are not yet of voting age, Hicks’ more cautious approach to development could well win the day in this race.
4. Curtis Linton Files In NCC Council District 4. Penrose Hollins’ district. He’s retiring. Jason Hoover has already filed. Norman Oliver’s son is rumored to be running. Curtis Linton is the Business Manager/Secretary Treasurer of Laborers’ International Union Local 199. Lest you wonder who’s behind this candidacy, scroll through the officers until you come to one James Maravelias. Any questions? I have one: Does Maravelias still have access to the same union accounts that he plundered on behalf of Bethany Hall Long? 2 questions, actually: Were there no complaints from the Jersey local after Maravelias flushed tens of thousands of their dollars down the toilet on behalf of BHL?
That’s all I’ve got this week. What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?