Remember Wayne Smith? I do. He whipped my butt when I ran against him back in 2004. Smith was the House Majority Leader at the time. Smith won reelection in 2006 and, shortly thereafter, was appointed the President And CEO of the Delaware Healthcare Association (the hospitals). Smith announced that he would step down from his House seat, which resulted in a special election that was won by Bryon Short. Smith immediately became one of Dover’s most prominent lobbyists. From Bay To Bay:
The Delaware Healthcare Association was the most active organization, providing input on measures as disparate as the budget bill and a resolution declaring June Post-Traumatic Stress Injury Awareness Month. All of its lobbying was done by Wayne Smith, the association’s president and a former state representative…..”
That was 2006. In 2026, the Original Mike Smith is running for reelection in RD 22. On September 30, the Delaware State Chamber Of Commerce announced that Smith had been named the new President of the Chamber. OK, the Delaware Healthcare Association is a powerful trade association. The Delaware State Chamber Of Commerce is the Delaware Healthcare Association on steroids. They lobby the General Assembly on virtually any issue of importance. Do I need to point out how the Chamber’s approach likely differs from residents of RD 22? On, say, the issue of data centers, for example? Industrial pollution? Provide your own examples. There is simply no way that the President of the Chamber can make concerns of his constituents his top priority. He can be one or the other, not both. Now that he’s been named the Chamber’s President, it would be blatantly unethical for Smith to continue as a ‘representative’. An unethical path Smith seems determined to follow.
Question #1: Where the fuck are the Democrats? They should be publicly calling for Smith to withdraw. They should be up in RD 22 knocking doors and explaining just how unethical Smith is behaving. The State Chair should be in court. The radio silence from the D’s is simply disgraceful. I mean, we’re also talking about the seat that can give the D’s a super-majority. I am at a total loss as to why the D’s have remained silent. My guess: Because they suck?
Question #2: If Smith wins, what then? Whoever is Speaker should (a) deny any committee appointments for Smith. There is not a single House committee that has no interaction with the Chamber. (b) Announce that the Speaker, not Smith, will decide which bills Smith will not be able to vote on or comment upon due to conflict-of-interest. The General Assembly has generally deferred to the individual legislator when it comes to deciding whether they have conflicts. That must not be the case here. In fact, the current Speaker would do well to make clear that Smith’s wings will be cut off should he get reelected.
Question #3: It is state law that a retiring legislator cannot lobby the General Assembly for 2 years. It has been an essentially toothless law that has been routinely ignored. Whether Smith is or is not reelected, the House should ensure that Smith is barred from lobbying. If the law needs to be strengthened, so be it. The Delaware Way is the reason the law is so weak as it is. Legislators can make Smith the example to strengthen the law.
Dems: You have the juiciest electoral target imaginable. You have an excellent challenger. If you’re not totally in thrall to the Chamber, get to work. I will assume that if you don’t get to work, it’s because you’re totally in thrall to the Chamber. Your move.
1. Why isn’t he retiring now, and why will he forswear running in 2028? Because the $300K salary will let him move out of Pike Creek and into Chateau Country, just not yet.
2. Let this be a reminder to everyone that the only reason there are more crooked Democrats than crooked Republicans in Leg Hall is that there aren’t very many Republicans left. They’re just as concerned with lining their own pockets as the Delaware Way Democrats are.