“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.
1. Kim Williams Gets A Challenger–A Great Challenger! Just when I thought perhaps the dance card was almost full. I’m psyched! The name?: Will Imbrie-Moore. He has filed his committee to run as a Democrat in RD 19, currently held by Kim Williams. St. Andrews and Harvard alum. Was on research policy staff for the Biden/Harris campaign. What I like best about him can be found in his writings (well, since I haven’t yet met him, his writings are pretty much all I have). Check these out:
Reclaiming The Built Environment.
How Urbanism Will Help Solve Climate Crisis.
A Call For Intersectional YIMBYism.
Here’s a speech he delivered at St. Andrew’s for Diversity Weekend.
Kim Williams is one of Speaker Mimi Minor-Brown’s ‘mean girls’. She had an adversary tossed off her committee by Speaker Mimi. And just this past year, she bragged about how she killed school lunches for students against the objections of the legislator she got tossed from her committee. You can read about both of them here. Only person who doubts that Imbrie-Moore would be a major upgrade is Speaker Mimi, because she wants to remain Speaker Mimi. That’s what Phil Shawe’s handing her a $50,000 slush fund is all about. Some of which will no doubt find its ways into Williams’ campaign coffers. Even by Delaware Way standards, this stinks. As does the object of Shawe’s designs.
We’ll have lots more on this race in the next couple of weeks. It immediately becomes one of the most notable races of the cycle.
2. Questions For The Barristers Amongst Us–Are these legal?
a. The Mimi Minor-Brown Slush Fund. It looks like nothing more than a gift to the grifter to spend the money as she likes. It far exceeds the limit on campaign donations. Yet, that’s really what it is. I’ve never seen even her most amoral predecessors try to do anything like this. Not Speaker Pete. Not Our PAL Val. Sure, they had large campaign war chests, and they indeed shared the proceeds with others in their caucus and/or those running to get elected. However, those funds were accrued one legal contribution at a time. This was just a Golden Shower from Phil Shawe which, to push the analogy perhaps too far, pisses in the face of campaign finance law. Is this legal?
b. John Atkins’ Candidacy. He did jail time for beating up a woman. He had at least two other recorded incidents of beating up women. Yes, he got the one he did jail time for reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor, but he beat up women and was sanctioned for it. I know he claims to have found Jesus and a ‘good woman’, not in that order. But, since he is a serial liar, who can possibly believe him? Oh, did I mention he beat up women? I want to hear from the AG on this. Is the standard still being adjudicated for an ‘infamous crime’? If so, either beating women is not an infamous crime, or he’s ineligible to run.
3. We Have the Democratic Race for State Treasurer That Nobody Wants. Other than the two candidates who are just looking to jump-start their political careers. Democrat-In-Name-Only Ted Lauzen and the guy whose Mumsy and Daddy set him up with his own phony not-for profit, The Other Mike Smith. Come back, Ken Simpler. All is forgiven. No, not you, the Honorable Chipman L. Flowers, Jr.
4. Filings. D Mara Gorman for SD 8. Gorman is seeking the seat currently held by retiring State Senator Dave Sokola. She is currently State Rep. in RD 23. Two candidates, LuAnn D’Agostino and Dan Seador, have filed in the D primary there. I, uh, sincerely hope that they’re not the only ones.
That’s all I’ve got this week. What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?