Meyer Campaign Throws Shit At Collin O’Mara
Don’t see any way one could interpret this otherwise:
May 20th, 2024Dear Commissioner, Albence,
I wanted to inform you that according to the Delaware Constitution, a candidate for Governor must have been an “inhabitant of this State” for the six years preceding the general election. I write to you today because, with great confidence and information, I believe that Collin O’Mara does not meet that requirement and is unqualified to run for Governor.
In Maryland tax property records, Mr. O’Mara and his wife, Krishanti Vignarajah, identified the property at 19623 Hoover Farm Drive, Laytonsville, MD 20882, as their “principal residence” as recently as this year. Under Maryland law, “Principal residence” is the dwelling where the individual or married couple regularly resides and is the location designated by the owner for the legal purposes of voting, obtaining a driver’s license, and filing income tax returns.
According to Delaware law, one’s domicile is one’s permanent home, based upon two factors: physical presence in an area combined with an intent to remain there permanently or indefinitely. (Del. Op. Atty. Gen. 83-I033 (Del.A.G.), 1983 WL 142666) A person has one and only one domicile at any time. (Mitchell v. Delaware State Tax Comm’r., Del. Super., 42 A.2d 19 (1945))
It is not sufficient to simply announce one’s domicile — claiming an intention to permanently reside in a given locale when such an intention is contrary to the objectively verifiable facts, further, where one votes is not legally dispositive of residency. (Del. Op. Atty. Gen. 83-I033 (Del.A.G.), 1983 WL 142666)
According to a May 7, 2024, Spotlight Delaware article, O’Mara says his family moved their primary residence from the Washington, DC area to Bear, Delaware, in 2022. (Yes, because his primary residence prior to 2022 was in Wilmington. But I digress.)
For much of the last six years, Mr. O’Mara’s spouse and children from his current marriage have resided in Laytonsville, Maryland, in the Washington, DC, area. Mr. O’Mara’s child from a prior marriage and his job are also in and have been in the Washington, DC, area, which is where his primary residence is under Maryland law.
Additionally, Mr. O’Mara’s wife, Krishanti Vignarajah, ran for Governor in the state of Maryland in 2018 and faced her own residency challenge, in which the Maryland Circuit Court included substantive allegations that she was a resident of Washington, DC. She claimed residency in Maryland with an intent to remain there, including a signed affidavit where Krishanti swore she intended to raise their children in Maryland.
Furthermore, in 2019, 2022, and again last year in 2023, Mr. O’Mara and his wife, Mrs. Vignarajah, were named a “Maryland Power Couple” by Maryland Matters, a leading news site about Maryland Government and politics.
Finally, Mr. O’Mara and his wife’s shopping to find a state to run in mocks the Delaware State Constitution’s residency requirement and calls into question their loyalty to doing right by our state’s residents, which is the very reason there is a Constitutional provision requiring in-state residency for the chief executive office of our state government in the first place.
I would like to reserve the right to amend this challenge as additional facts and laws become available.
Thank you for your timely attention to this urgent matter.
Suncerely,
Tamarra Morris
Now, just who is this Tamarra Morris, you may ask:
NEW CASTLE – Tamarra Morris, the economic development director for New Castle County, retired earlier this month.
Her departure opens the chief economic development role for Delaware’s most populous county as it is tasked with protecting businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic while also seeking to attract new employers.
Morris told Delaware Business Times on Thursday that she and her husband were retiring to Costa Rica, a plan they had hoped to start this past summer before the pandemic scuttled it.
County Executive Matt Meyer said he was sad to learn of Morris’ decision to retire and credited her with “transforming” the way that companies looked at doing business in the county.
Morris has helmed the county office since January 2017 as she joined the then-nascent Meyer administration after he pulled off an upset win over incumbent Executive Tom Gordon in the 2016 election. She took over the role from Marcus Henry, who had held it for four years under Gordon but moved over to head the county’s Department of Community Services under Meyer.
It was Morris’ first public position after previously serving as new business development, sales, and marketing director for the real estate management firm Greystar. Upon taking office, she said one of the first major tasks was changing New Castle County’s reputation of moving too slowly in development.
Now, I’m sure that the Meyer campaign will deny any link with this. I’m sure they’ll be able to claim that this merely came from a private citizen which, likely, will prove to be the case once one has taken care to ensure plausible deniability.
But this just looks like Meyer trying for a two-fer: Lamely appearing to question O’Mara’s eligibility to run while planting the carpetbagger seed in the minds of voters.
It’s worked for me, but perhaps not in the sense the Meyer campaign would wish. I was planning to vote for Matt in the primary against BHL. I was leaning towards Matt even when O’Mara entered the race because I just didn’t know enough about him and didn’t know if he could effectively gear up a campaign.
I now know more about Collin, we all know more about the Meyer campaign as evidenced by this. I still don’t know whether O’Mara can gin up an effective statewide apparatus.
But I’m now voting for O’Mara because the other choices are more of the same and a little less more of the same.O’Mara promises to work for genuine change, and I believe him.
One more thing–I wouldn’t have known about this had she not blind copied The World. They WANTED this out there.
This whole spiel notably leaves out voting history, because Collin O’Mara has voted in every primary and general election since 2010 when he became DNREC secretary. Anyone with the publicly-available voter file can look it up.
This is the same sort of tactic that folks used against Sophie Phillips, and now she’s one of the most effective progressive legislators in Dover. At the end of the day, what matters is the job that you’ll do, which is what the debate should be.
It’s a campaign. What do you think people are going to do? The residency thing is an issue whether you guys want to admit it is or not. I’m very unsurprised that their campaign is doing what campaigns do. Colin has been on the attack since he announced.
Please stop clutching the pearls.
If you are interested in the legislative races, we’d love to see you at one of our local-level canvasses that we are having every Saturday and Sunday, including one this upcoming Sunday for Kamela Smith: https://www.mobilize.us/delawareworkingfamiliesparty/event/624859/
I am interested in the legislative races. That’s where you have been successful. And where you should be spending your time imo. Any time or dollar spent on this race is a waste. It’s not needed and not your strength.
I agree 100%, Monte! Residency is an issue for Collin, and it looks bad to voters without a horse in the race.
Respectfully, the primary won’t be won on DL.
“Colin has been on the attack since he announced.”
Care to elucidate?
I’ve heard him a couple times talk about how Democrats have failed in Delaware to deliver for people. Then he talked about having to do a lot more. Interesting way to frame it but he was trying to make Meyer and BHL look like the status quo. Which I feel like was Meyer’s approach before Omara jumped in.
I would imagine Meyer has done a poll by now for the 3 way race and didn’t like what he saw or else he would want him in the race.
That’s not quite the same thing, as Meyer isn’t responsible for what happens at the state level and wasn’t cited by name. That’s more a swipe at BHL than Meyer.
Tom Gordon is chocking on his dinner reading this. He had a better case against Meyer and chose not to pursue it.
With all respect to my enduring friendship with Joe, the challenge to Matt Meyer’s residency by the Gordon forces in 2016 was without merit. [The original article linked to the full text of Matt’s lawyer’s letter; alas, it appears that secondary link is no longer available.]
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/2016/10/21/state-affirms-meyers-qualification-ballot/92511896/
Way to plug yourself, Chucky!
Wow, rookie mistake by Meyer. Politics 101: Never, ever punch down…
O’Mara has virtually no name rec, but now every operative in the state will know two things: 1) Meyer is scared of O’Mara being in the race and 2) Meyer doesn’t think he can win without going negative.
What a massive sign of weakness and fragility…
I think it just shows that they want the guy disqualified? Everyone has a lot of strong feelings about going negative all of a sudden. A blog that prides itself on general curmudgeonly politics.
I personally like that the three of these people are about to tear each other apart. It’s about time Delaware had a real, open political race.
And I have no clue what the deal was with Sophie’s residency. I do know that, and I’m pretty sure of this, that she didn’t have a spouse run for Governor in a neighboring state within the past few years. Feels like a different thing to me and I think, perhaps, it will feel different to voters.
And speaking of, and Karl knows this I think he’s just being disingenuous, the place where you vote doesn’t mean shit for your residency. It just means that you voted either illegally or legally depending on whether or not you are a resident.
“ At the end of the day, what matters is the job that you’ll do, which is what the debate should be.”
Actually, no? I don’t agree with that. I do think we should actually follow the law and I personally would like a Governor who actually lives here and has during the amount of time legally required. This is not a major thing to ask. We don’t just get to ignore that because the guy gave WFP money and three people in your organization decided to nominate him. And you have no idea what he will do or not. Did Kerri do what you guys wanted? Eugene?
Yo, Monte Cristo–remember my question?:
“Colin has been on the attack since he announced.”
‘Care to elucidate?’
You haven’t. Answer the question, please.
The whole campaign is against the Delaware way and carney specifically. But Matt as a part of that I guess because he’s an elected official and not an “outsider”. Which is a label we could debate but nonetheless. To be very very clear it is a position I agree with and glad he’s doing it. But if you are going to start getting upset and disqualifying candidates for doing politics then you aren’t going to have anyone left at the end of this. It’s going to be the nastiest and most expensive race in a long long time. I welcome the bloodbath. It’s needed.
And one more thing. For a guy who is selling himself as a fighter against the corrupt establishment and for the working class. Getting so upset over a very obvious and predictable complaint letter does not bode well for his ability to actually fight entrenched interests. Imo
Who’s upset?
Please note: Question I asked twice still not answered.
I listened to the REV interview yesterday. Without saying his name, Colin continues to imply that Matt is a delaware way lackey, without evidence. Coming from a guy who has never had to get elected in a delaware race, maybe everyone who holds office is delaware-way?
A guy who gets a lot of money from developers and ex-Republicans is going to have to demonstrate that he’s not a part of the Delaware Way, because otherwise it does look like he’s part of it. As you noted, it’s hardly possible to hold a governing position in Delaware without that being the case.
Just like Meyer’s move on residency, consider it an opening skirmish.
Primaries, not general elections, are where we need ranked-choice voting, because the number of people who would put BHL third would doom her. Without it, she remains formidable.
“Everyone has a lot of strong feelings about going negative all of a sudden.”
I don’t have any feelings about it at all. My take is that it shows the two gentlemen will beat up on each other because each would prefer it be a two-way race between him and the gentlewoman, which should provide the gentlewoman with an easier path toward the nomination.
Monte, I don’t think I know you, but you took the words out of my mouth. Well said! Delawareans deserve a gubernatorial race that pressures the candidates to answer for their gubernatorial motivations. This was a good move by Meyer. At best, it looks like Collin and his wife are shopping for an executive position in the mid-Atlantic.
At best? You think he could be up to something more nefarious? What, pray tell?
A better move by Meyer would be to engage on the issues. This is a backhanded move, just as it was when Gordon did it to Meyer, and runs the risk of looking petty to voters.
Yes, at best it looks like Collin and Krishanti are shopping states for career elected positions.
If Krishanti was governor of Maryland, what would become of Collin? In which state would he claim to reside? How else might Collin manipulate election laws?
At worst, Collin was hired by BHL.
Right. Like he needs money she doesn’t have anyway, or that he’d carry water for someone he clearly doesn’t agree with.
You don’t like him, fine, but don’t make up shit to throw at him. The forum-shopping is damning enough, and you make it look less damning by throwing out silly charges.”How else might he manipulate election laws” is well below No. 1,000 on things I might ever worry about. In what state he’d reside is even lower. Wake up – spouses can live apart. This is a non-issue, and the fact that you consider it one marks you as a partisan without you stating it out loud.
You apparently don’t know what “at best” means. At best he’s sincere. A cynical but not inaccurate view is that they’re shopping for such positions. The worst-case scenario as I gauge it is that his candidacy elects BHL, not that he got involved so that would happen.
Sometimes people run for offices, especially open seats, without considering that others might have their eye on it too. See Young, Eugene.
If O’Mara didn’t run this year he’d have to wait until 2032. That’s explanation enough of why he’s doing it for me and Fr. Occam.
His biggest problem is his lack of name recognition. When’s he going to start advertising? Summer has already begun and nobody knows his name.
OTOH, the attitude from the Meyer supporters here boils down to “how dare someone offer another alternative to Bethany Hall-Long.” I’ve seen a lot more slagging of O’Mara than bragging about Meyer, which is strike two for me. Strike one is the backing of the Castle Republicans, which opens the door to the Chamber of Commerce.
It was a lot easier to support Meyer when he was the only alternative to BHL, and I suspect y’all know it.
Naaawwwww… just another overthought and underwhelming progressive viewpoint.
I don’t dislike Collin, I know very little about him. Myer is ok and no way on BHL.
You’re taking your eye off the ball. Ramone may win Delaware.
“Ramone may win Delaware.”
If that’s humor, don’t quit your day job. If it’s not, I question your connection with reality. He barely won his own district.
Honestly, what is the truth? Have they lived in MD as their primary residence or somewhere else? If they do declare md their residence on taxes, etc and omara has been voting in De there are some issues. If not, and they have lived in De but the wife has been voting in Md, there are issues there.
Isn’t that a great question? Seems pretty simple to clear up instead of shooting at whomever asks.
If it were simple to clear up it would have been cleared up.
If the O’Mara opponents had evidence that he’s disqualified they would have said so, instead of couching it as a question. You make it a question so you can get the headline full of innuendo even though you don’t have a case.
I think the “Evidence”, as such, is in that letter – which clearly was written by a lawyer. It doesn’t seem great for Collin and if their camapgin – like Bethany’s – is that the law doesn’t matter and no one cares so we are just going to do this anyway…. i’m not down for that.
I’m less interested in where he voted because that tells me nothing. More interested in where he pays taxes and has for the past 6 years. Frankly all of the candidates should have to release their tax returns. I don’t trust any of them. We expect so little of these politicians here. It seems like that’s why we are in the trouble we are in.
Alby- what did they pose as a question? they stated that they have declared MD as their primary residence and the mrs signed an affidavit that MD is where they lived, raised kids and voted. none of those are questions, they are statements of fact.
and yes, voting location matters because if he was voting in DE and living in MD thats fraud.
i’m not an omara fan but to me this feels like more of a grift move to run for DE in a state you only live (at best) temporarily in.
You’re right, misstated in saying “evidence.” They have evidence. Should have said “definitive proof.”
By listing evidence they don’t have to prove anything. If they could prove it they would have. If you have to toss “listed as a Maryland power couple by a media outlet” onto your pile of evidence, you’re reaching. That carries no legal weight at all.
The rest of it discounts the possibility that they maintain two residences. It’s possible for spouses to live in separate domiciles. But even if they worked this so it’s all legal by the standards of the two states, it’s still shopping for political office. This is the most obvious knock on his candidacy – whatever his legal status, he has not been focused on Delaware, so what does he know about what we need or how to get it?
I don’t say any of this as a knock on Meyer or his campaign. To fail to raise this would be malpractice.
My worry, as stated earlier, is that all the mud will be thrown between Meyer and O’Mara, leaving the high ground to BHL, but that’s the way things seem to be shaping up. Let’s see what surfaces when the truly negative campaigning starts.
Fair enough. And agreed on the malpractice piece. Lawyers and regulators and political people can screw around with the residency questions. I’m voting for whoever looks to be the strongest person who isn’t bethany hall-long. if that’s collin, fine. if that’s matt meyer, fine. sitting here today it looks like it will be meyer but I like both of their politics and I have confidence they would be able to effectively run the state. id be very surprised if meyer and/or collin don’t nuke her out of existence. collin has a dumb little letter war ahead of him – where dumb letters and statements are going to be tossed back and forth arguing the residency issue. bhl has real legal issues. and the feds don’t give a shit about john “fuddlesticks” carney’s dopey ass wishes.
Dear Bawler,
78 years old is not to old to point out injustices and unfairness in a system that favors the wealthy and influential like Delaware’s does. it’s not being “angry all the time”, but angry at the apathetic approach of people such as you to the obvious unfairness and discriminatory abuse of taxpayers and less influential portions of the populations. My two kids went through the basic Delaware public school system. Downes, McClary, Shue, Bayard (via bus) and Newark High. My daughter received her doctorate from Harvard and my son has his law degree from American University Washington College of Law. Both are doing quite well despite not attending the well documented white-flight charter schools. I don’t have “ANY” opinion about “what everyone else is doing”, save those people of power and influence who design systems for their own benefits at the expense of others. It’s not about what everyone else is doing, it’s about what the Delaware Way has created and who have been excluded. Am I too old to be angry that Incyte will be moving a couple hundred jobs to Wilmington (basically no other options) that will enable Incyte to grab $50 million in Delaware taxpayer money? A move that will be touted by Carney as validation of his right to be Wilmington’s next mayor. Am I right to be angry that the Carney Administration will continue to underfund its employees benefits while giving away hundreds of millions of dollars (via the secretive Prosperity Partnership, birthed by the Chamber of Commerce) to the wealthiest corporations without any return on investment for Delaware taxpayers and families. As soon as I hear another “angry” voice railing against these special interests giveaways then I will be able to enjoy “hanging out” Representative John Kowalko (retired but not “tired’)
My error $15 million in giveaways to Incyte (and counting) not $50 million
I mean, it’s not the least effective tactic. Well, engaging the Commissioner is cause he won’t do anything, but doing so publicly perhaps isn’t. I honestly probably would appreciate it more had it been directly Meyer – having grown up in a UFC-style political arena myself. This language isn’t effective but it is possible to make the same argument in a more meaningful way ‘We need answers, and if we don’t do this now, Mike Ramone will later, and that is a risk we can’t afford.’
I think we can probably agree to debate/disregard the last 4 or so years, but if the Constitution says 6 years, and the family was campaigning in that 6th year elsewhere, we should be able to agree that’s messy and might require some interpretation. As far as the old law textbook goes, the term ‘inhabitant’ is indeed a legal term, and it indicates where a person actually resides as a permanent domicile. I like the guy but this is an answer I’d want – probably from a Judge not the Commissioner who keeps losing suits – before I decide to support.
I guess “Laytonsville Colin” doesn’t have the ring of “Park City Kathy”, eh?
It’s a damn shame that it wasn’t Catonsville. At least it would be alliterative.
Also, not for nothing, but is Albence really even the Commissioner? His term expired last year and the Governor has failed to renominate.
I believe, and I could be wrong, that he would continue to serve until/unless the governor nominates a replacement–or him.
Albence is useless. If there was anything to do about residency (and it’s not clear there is), he sure as hell ain’t going to do anything about it. He seems in the bag for bhl anyway. Probably at the direction of carney. Starting to smell a lot like corruption to me.
His predecessor allowed Kathy McGuiness to run for Lt. Gov despite being a resident of Park City, UT (she voted there as a Republican) within the mandatory residency window. There is precedent for this and it isn’t at all clear that Ms. Morris has standing.
Has residency disqualified anyone from running in recent Delaware history?
The Delaware Department of Elections lists O’Mara as “Qualified” which I’m assuming means he verified his residency.
Where do the children attend school? I think that is a pretty good indicator of residency.
Went over to O’Mara’s website. Found this:
“Collin and his wife Krish are proud public school parents, who are raising their family in Bear, near Lums Pond. Collin is a “girl dad,” who coaches his daughters’ youth basketball and soccer teams and is active in their schools and dance programs. If elected, Collin would be the first Governor in half a century with kids in traditional public schools while in office.”
Except that Collin’s statement about being first governor in half a century with kids in traditional public schools while in office is not correct.
Chris Carper was a classmate of my daughter in fourth grade at Burnett Elementary School in the 1997-98 school year. IIRC, Ben Carper was also in a traditional Brandywine School District elementary school in the same year. I think the Carper boys remained in traditional BSD schools until they entered high school (Wilmington Charter).
Carper was a senator.
He was governor 1993-2001.
My bad, had the years mixed up.
Carper created the Charter school system so his kids could enjoy the white-flight experience of a tuition free exclusive publicly funded school. Markell strengthened Delaware’s Charter movement so he could move his two $25,000 per year Tower Hill kids to a tuition-free “alleged” public school. These constructs of racial and economic discrimination drain taxpayer monies from regular schools and should be abolished.
john, you’re 78 years old. why are you spending the remaining days of your life being a prick on a niche political blog in Delaware? It can’t be a great feeling to be this angry all of the time. Just take a break and get some air. Go hang out with your kids since you have strong opinions about what everyone else is doing with theirs.
John,
A bit of overstatement here.
Carper signed the charter school legislation but the impetus for the legislation was not so his kids could attend a charter school. Indeed, if he were that influential, he would have put Charter School of Wilmington in P.S. du Pont, which is much closer to his home.
Markell, like Carper, both took advantage of the charter system. Can’t fault either one for figuring out how to save $25K per year. That’s the Delaware Way,
The charter law was predicted at the time to be the re-launch of two-tier resegregated schools, even in the DE Senate floor debate over the bill Carper signed.
Now that the resegregated schools have come to pass as predicted, it is hard to blame parents for sending their kids to the “better” school. But I can blame them for denying their privilege, for denying the systemic racism. and for not advocating for equity. And for those who have some actual power, more blame is attached.
Hey John, I disagree with your indication that whites have solely “flown” to charters. Charters have plenty of racial and ethnic classes associated with them.
Black charters include Kuumba Academy, Great Oaks, East Side Charter, Early College School at Del State, Campus Community School, Thomas Edison, Gateway, etc.
Hispanic charters include Academia Antonia Alonso and Las Americas ASPIRA Academy.
The bottom line is that most parents in New Castle County, regardless of race / ethnicity have no confidence in traditional public schools. You can keep on banging that old drum, but that ship has sailed.
Student accountability is what parents want. Traditional public schools have failed in that area. And that happened on your watch.
mediawatch,
Not faulting those who “figure” it out. I am faulting those political leaders of influence for strengthening and expanding discriminatory infections like the Charter School movement in Delaware. You are aware that Newark Charter has a 5 mile radius requirement to enter their lottery aren’t you? This radius precludes any matriculating senior, bound for High School, who lives in Wilmington (mostly black and poor) from being in the admissions lottery. These Christina District students can and do choice into Newark High, Glasgow and Christiana High and must be bussed in each day. This is a blatant discriminatory practice and you can check percentages of poor, minority and disabled on Newark Charters roster if you doubt what I say. I have tried numerous times to have that 5 mile radius requirement removed from the law and have been met with a unified resistance from some legislators. Would you like names? Publicly funded education should be available to all taxpayers’ children.
I’ve reported on this before. I’ve probably written more about charter school issues than any other journalist in Delaware. The only thing better than the five-mile radius is the “golden ticket” that families receive if their first born is lucky enough to win a kindergarten seat at Newark Charter. That guarantees a seat through high school not only for the oldest child but also for any younger sibling.
The charter school express train has long left the station. If I were a Christina district legislator now — with Christina likely to have its Wilmington zone shifted to Red Clay — I’d be sponsoring legislation to end Department of Education jurisdiction over charters. Put them in the hands of the districts where they’re located (as Red Clay now has with CSW and DMA). That would end this 5-mile BS and severely cramp the cronyism that now exists within Charterworld.
Couldn’t agree more. Certain Christina District legislators have led the obstruction to reform either publicly or hidden. Call me if you want a name or two.
John K