Drama At The PDD Candidate Forum
Last night the Progressive Democrats for Delaware held a forum for Democratic candidates involved in primaries. The featured primary races were Treasurer, Auditor, New Castle County Sheriff, 24th District Representative and 27th District Representative. I’ve seen most of these candidates in previous forums and all of them are definitely improving in their 5-minutes speeches. Velda Jones-Potter was the best I’ve ever seen her.
The drama occurred in the Q&A period at the end of the speeches. The NCCo Sheriff candidates were asked if they would each support the other candidate if they were unsuccessful in the primary. Trinidad Navarro said yes, Mike Walsh said no. It certainly changed the mood in the room. Most of the questions of the evening were for the sheriff candidates. During the Q&A period Walsh accused Navarro of lying about his record, highlighted Navarro’s lack of advancement in the police department and gave himself all As if he had to grade himself. Navarro defended himself as being truthful about Walsh’s record and denied that he’s a candidate of Tom Gordon and Sherry Freeberry.
The last question of the night was a rather bizarre one: say something positive about your opponent. First up was Mike Walsh. His answer (my paraphrase) was that Navarro had a lot of courage for challenging such a great person like Mike Walsh. The moderator cut off Walsh’s answer before he could put his foot much further in his mouth. The best answer of the night belonged to Chip Flowers, who said that Velda Jones-Potter has challenged him to be a much better candidate.
If you had asked me months ago which race would be nasty and which would be clean I would have named the Sheriff’s race as a clean one and the Treasurer’s race as the nasty one. The Treasurer’s race is really turning into a political junkie’s dream race. Two qualified candidates, both very appealing but with different visions of the role of the Treasurer’s office.
The Sheriff’s race on the other hand should have been a cakewalk for Mike Walsh. He’s a longtime incumbent and quite popular in the county. He seems, however, personally offended that someone is challenging him. In my opinion, if you’re a long-serving incumbent you have the luxury to be polite but dismissive of your challenger, but that’s not the route that Mike Walsh is taking. Navarro, on the other hand, has made a lot of mistakes. He was overly negative when the race began and he’s suffering from a perceived link to Gordon/Freeberry. Walsh can’t seem to close the deal in the forums I’ve seen him in because he suffers from a lack of vision, perspective and needed humility.
Tags: Delaware Democrats, PDD, Primaries
Thanks for the great review of last night’s meeting U.I. As you said, a political junkie’s dream. Especially thanks to all of you who showed up in that heat. The people in PDD are an amazing group. I think you were rewarded for your effort last night and went away with a much better understanding of the candidates in the upcoming Primary.
Onward!
Nice blog post, but who should I vote for?
I agree with UI that both Treasurer candidates were very strong last night, as were both candidates for the 24th. We are cursed with some very fine candidates this September.
I think that Walsh is past his expiration date. He has had 30 years on the job–what further progress can he bring to the office?
Challenger Navarro has vision for the position, a clear set of improvements to the department, and last night he seemed to pledge to NOT appoint Gordon (or Freeberry) to any post in the department. I would like to see him make that a firm pledge.
I liked the comment that whoever loses the Treasury primary should run against KWS for insurance commissioner in 2012–PLEASE!!!
If the Treasurer’s race is a coin flip on merit, does anyone have any sense of who would match up better against Fatty?
I’m an outsider, but a voter. Here’s my take as a voter–who’s Mike Walsh? Yea, yea ,yea, the guy who’s been sheriff forever. Oh, isn’t that Trinidad guy always that name I see in the paper commenting on police things? OK–he’s probably a good guy–I’ll vote for him. Never, never, never in the narrow mind of my vote, would I be drawing arrows and x’s to Gordon and Freeberry.
Sorry–but we are tainted as local political junkies. I think Walsh needs to worry.
As an outsider myself, I’d say JC’s take on this misses an important point. This is a down ticket primary race in an off year in which only die hard primary voters will turn out. If this was a general election in a Presidential year, I’d give it to the Trinidad guy in a walk based on name recognition alone.
Joanne, I think you’re probably spot on about Navarro. His name is in the paper a lot. People are used to voting for Mike Walsh, so we’ll see. Walsh is actually quite charming one-on-one but he really seems to lose it when he’s dealing with Navarro.
As far as the Treasurer’s race I think both candidates would do well against Bonini but I’d have to give the edge in charisma to Chip Flowers.
Anyone else have thoughts on Flowers/Jones-Potter? Jones-Potter certainly comes across as very competent and qualified and rightly brags (not egotistically) about her record as Treasurer.
I do hope the loser of the Treasurer primary runs again, soon.
Navarro came out on top last night. He handled himself with dignity and respect, and Walsh acted like the old-time nasty politician. It was quite uncomfortable. I guess he’s done a good job in the last 30 years (never paid any attention to it before this), but now it’s time for him to retire and to move on with someone young and more energetic.
Jason,
Good point that this is a primary race but I still think the political junkies are a small subset of primary voters. How many times have primary voters had to vote for Mike Walsh? They probably only see his name on the general ballot and he’s been mostly unopposed.
For the 27th, only Meravelias spoke (Jaques couldn’t attend) and I was a bit confused. He didn’t really introduce himself or his qualifications but talked a lot about unions and jobs. He may be suffering for being late jumping into the race.
You make a good point about primary voters jason–but I think we may see a new wave of primary voter this season–last year’s general election, may still have some gas left in it to bring more than usual out to the polls (you know–those folks who think their VR card hasn’t expired yet this year:) ) Anyway, not just diehards will be showing up.
What about the Auditor candidates? Were either of them impressive? If not, maybe Chip Flowers would do himself and his party a lot of good by switching to that race.
Velda Jones-Potter is clearly competent at her job. Flowers has a more sweeping vision both for the office and for himself. If we’re getting a rerun of KWS/Gene Reed, this time in the race for auditor, I’d much prefer someone like Flowers in the auditor’s race. He strikes me as having the desire to be proactive that has been lacking in that office for…well, forever.
As of now, we seem to have two quality candidates for a ‘nothingburger’ position, and two ciphers for an important, and underutilized, office. I’d like to see that change.
‘Bulo
I came late so I missed both Auditor candidates this time. I’ve seen them both in the past and I would say both of them see the Auditor’s office as more pro-active than the current office. I think Korn definitely has the edge in the charisma department but his personality could turn some voters off. Korn will definitely make Wagner work for his election this time.
Being ‘off-putting’ would likely be a plus as an auditor. Who needs a ‘good ol’ boy’ supposedly watching the henhouse? That’s what we have now.
Having seen Korn in action, though, I’m just uncomfortable that he may be an operator, and not in a good sense. I can’t really put my finger on anything specific, just that feeling you get after having been around operators and con men in Dover for as long as I was. Still don’t know what I’m gonna do about that race.
thanks for the update…just heard the same feedback on the Sheriff’s candidates….agree on how fortunate we are to have two quality candidates for Treasurer as well…I forgot to ask about the Auditor candidates…like El, I was wondering how they did?…actually heard that the challenger in the 27th, Maravellis(sp?), was pretty good…thanks for holding this forum…wish I could have been there
ronh,
Keep checking the Delaware Democratic website for information on future candidate forums. Hopefully they’ll be one you can attend.
I’ll do that…thanks UI
Korn strikes me as sleazy. Matlusky is a nervous little wreck, but I suspect he would be very diligent as an auditor. I don’t believe either of them is going to beat Wagner though.
I count Richard Korn as a personal friend, so clearly I’m prejudiced here, but he is the NCC and City of Wilmington endorsed candidate and he also carried the two districts in Kent who endorsed in this race. Richard has contributed much to our community since moving here from NY, including the ruling by the Chancelor over the huge kitty that GordonBerry amassed. He and his wife Maggy are responsible for bringing heating oil to the vulnerable in our area through a cooperative program he negotiated with CITGO and Catholic Charities. Richard works tirelessly in the General Assembly, the Democratic Party and in his chosen home of Wilmington. He has also been a life-long Democrat and I would vouch for his principles and values.
Some of you may recall that Richard’s bid for State Rep from the 20th District (he lived in Hockessin at the time) scared Roger Roy out of the race. That’s because Richard does his homework. He’ll do it again if we elect him Auditor. Richard is smart and dedicated. He’s the only person I know who carries a copy of Title 29 of the Delaware Code in his breast pocket and can recite chapter and verse of the law and the requirements for the Auditor’s office. When you talk to him about his goals for the office he mentions things like forensic auditors and hiring the qualified staff to actually do the job. He knows what he’s talking about and he has the ability to make the Auditors office actually do what the law requires.
The other guy? Well, he didn’t bother to put on clean clothes to come to last night’s meeting which could mean he figured it wasn’t worth the effort. Maybe, but it looked pretty disrespectful of a serious process. Just saying.
I’m confused about calling Flowers “qualified” for the Treasurer’s’ office.
What part is confusing Nemski? Have you met and spoken to Chip?
What qualifications do you think Flowers lacks nemski?
Nice defense of Richard Korn by the way. I’m not really sure why a common impression of Korn is “sleazy.” He is very warm and personable in person. I just put it down as something in his personality is off-putting to people but I’m not sure what it is.
I agree with everything Rebecca said. Richard Korn is more than qualified. He would do a tremendous job as auditor and would leave no stone unturned in the audit process. He is a true progressive – he didn’t have to get involved in the heating oil deal for the poor, but he did. I hope everyone listens to what he has already done as a progressive and will continue to do and don’t make unfounded judgments like “sleezy.”
“The other guy? Well, he didn’t bother to put on clean clothes to come to last night’s meeting which could mean he figured it wasn’t worth the effort. Maybe, but it looked pretty disrespectful of a serious process. Just saying.”
This seems a like a bit of a stretch. Matlusky had slacks and a (clean) campaign t-shirt on a day with highs in the 100s, perhaps arriving after some door-knocking or other meetings with voters. I often attend PDD meetings in a golf shirt and jeans. Most progressives that I know value substance over show.
I agree with prior posts that both candidates for Auditor appear committed to actual deliver on the position’s responsibilities, responsibilities which have been woefully under-delivered by Wagner for so many years. Korn is clearly the more accomplished campaigner. Matlusky’s CPA credential and accounting profession are positives to his campaign.
I didn’t see anything wrong with what Matlusky was wearing either. I think he is extremely introverted and perhaps a bit odd but seems fully qualified and capable of holding the Auditor’s office.
With that heat yesterday, the gaffe would be to wear a suit.
Regarding Flower’s qualifications, I’m just looking at his resume. All politicians can talk the talk, so as far as him “selling himself” that he’s qualified, there’s no need for that.
Look, I already made the mistake of looking past qualifications (re: Insurance Commissioner), I’m not going to make the same mistake twice.
If the Insurance Commissioner had earned degrees from UPenn, Georgetown and Harvard, we wouldn’t ever have to write about her incompetence.
Korn rocks.
anon,
They were all wearing suits except Matlusky.
nemski,
I think Flowers has degrees in political science, economics and law. Jones-Potter has an undergrad engineering degree and a graduate finance degree.
College degrees as qualification? Yeah, I’ve been in the work force way too long to buy that.
Flowers owns and runs his own law firm. The largest minority-owned law firm in the state.
both chip’s and velda’s website list their work accomplishments (in addition to their educational accomplishments, and community involvement). they are both uniformly impressive candidates.
http://chipflowers.com/?page_id=2
http://www.votevelda.com/meet-velda/
Okay, I admit the comment about Mr. Matlusky’s attire was petty. So, let me follow up with some less petty observations:
The family Matlusky is Republican, with the exception, the one exception, of Ken. The family Matlusky also includes Ken’s brother John, who is a past vice chairman of the Delaware Republican party, the past National Committeeman to the RNC from Delaware and still serves as an officer of the party. John also held a paid position on Terry Spence’s staff back in the day when the Republicans controlled the Delaware House of Representatives and Spence was the Speaker.
In almost all of my encounters with Ken Matlusky, going back to last October, he has insisted that he is in this to primary Richard Korn. In a letter he sent me last October he said “I will definitely be in the primary guaranteed. That’s a promise.” The fact of primarying Richard has been the cornerstone of his campaign. Whatever else he talks about, he invariably comes back to the Primary promise.
A quick review of Ken Matlusky’s 2009-year-end financial filing with the Department of Elections reveals — ha! not much. The filing is incorrect and it is impossible to tell what he intended. Sloppy work for a CPA.
Last night he talked about always being a Liberal and how his website is the only one out there where a candidate proudly proclaims himself a liberal and supporter of the GLBT community. It could be sincere, or it could be a strategy to drive his opponent to the left during the Primary so that Republicans can use that in the General Election. I don’t know. It is certainly a strategy that has been used in the past.
Ken may very well be a sincere candidate for office, but he sure has my antenae twitching.
PBaumbach, I would agree both candidates are impressive. Impressive and qualified are two very, very different things.
“Flowers owns and runs his own law firm. The largest minority-owned law firm in the state.”
Largest in what sense? Has he ever said how much he bills in any given period? I realize that by asking these questions some people assume I support Velda, which isn’t true. It’s just that I know how she spends her work days. Chip, not so much.
Oh? How does the Treasurer spend the day, Geezer? Do you know?
I ask because the Treasurer’s website hardly seems like it is a very busy job at the current level of responsibility.
That was me, not Nemski. Once again, I’m attacked for asking questions about this guy, instead of being given answers. That hurts, not helps, the candidate.
And try to understand that the job’s level of responsibility is not going to change, no matter how much power he would like to grab from other offices. So that’s also a red herring.
LG writes I ask because the Treasurer’s website hardly seems like it is a very busy job at the current level of responsibility.
You know that talking point is copyright by Flowers. 😉
And it should be noted that Jack Markell made a great deal of that job without proposing a takeover of the job currently done by DEFAC or taking DEDO out of the governor’s office and putting it under the treasurer. Again, these things have no chance whatsoever of coming to pass, but I find it telling that Flowers can’t tell us what he would do with the office as it’s currently constituted. Why sell pie when you can sell pie in the sky?
Geez – yeah, caught that, but apparently not fast enough.
Perhaps, but no more a red herring than what Chip Flowers, currently a private citizen, does with his day to earn his designation as largest minority owned business in Delaware (I don’t know that that designation is true, but it seems plausible).
Geezer, thanks for bringing Markell into the equation. When the Governor was looking for a replacement for his position as State Treasurer, I’m assuming he was looking for a qualified and impressive candidate, not just an impressive one.
I just wish the people who have all these questions for the candidates would show up at candidate forums and ask them.
UI, I feel that was directed at me. Anywho, the only question I asked was how Flowers is qualified for the job compared to Jones-Potter. And, it is more of a rhetorical question than anything else, because I just don’t see it.
Nemski – or perhaps the Governor was looking for someone who wasn’t going to run. Or even someone that was going to be beholden to him. I don’t have any knowledge of the thought process involved, and neither do you.
But it is interesting that you are happy to guess about Velda’s superiority based on your projected assumption about Jack Markell, but doubt the competence implied by degrees conferred by ivy-league schools.
Keep in mind, that I agree that Velda is a great candidate and extremely competent. I just would like to see some real analysis, rather than fuzzy, uneven implications.
Ha, and you still haven’t answered how Flowers is qualified.
nemski–you appear to approve of the use of impressive to describe flowers but not qualified. both terms are subjective. what do you seek to justify a label of qualified to run for state treasurer? you could just as validly ask for an answer for how flowers (or jones-potter) is impressive, and complain that no satisfactory answer is shared.
presumably ‘qualified’ includes academic credentials coupled with relevant or transferable work experience. In some cases a position is something that a candidate is unlikely to have relevant work experience (such as when Jack Markell ran for governor or when Barack Obama (or Hillary Clinton) ran for POTUS–Jack had no relevant work experience as a governor for another state, for instance, or even managing a staff anywhere near as large as he currently manages).
I suggest that your question is answered by the included links to each candidate’s sites where their qualifications are listed. However, as the term is subjective, you certainly have the right to reject that material as sufficient to justify the qualified label.
Your line of raising unanswered (and perhaps unanswerable) questions carries with it a risk of giving an unfair/unintended advantage to an incumbent. Taken to an extreme, this line of argument would argue that we should all rally around Tom Wagner for auditor, as the only qualified candidate for that office.
Agreed that the term is quite subjective. However, I think your examples are red herrings for what is worth.
But let’s go back to your statement, “coupled with relevant or transferable work experience”. Even without her current job, hands down, Jones-Potter have vastly more relevant or transferable work experience than Flowers. But Flowers is a skilled politician and he has a plan.
Yeah, good point Nemski. Doing law work for mergers and acquisitions probably never involves financing. I guess I stand corrected.
You didn’t ask which candidate was more qualified for the role (only one can meet this criteria), but whether each were qualified. I agree 100% that Jones-Potter has more relevant or transferable work experience for the office of state treasurer than Flowers. I feel that the question for voters in September is whether Flowers has enough/sufficient relevant or transferable work experience (is this a check-box, or a scale where more is always superior).
Mike Castle is more qualified (has more relevant and/or transferable work experience) than Chris Coons to serve in the US Senate. However I feel that both are qualified, and for many other reasons I feel that Coons is far better for Delaware to serve as our US Senator.
Furthermore, qualified (which I consider a binary factor, for which both of these candidates earn a YES) is one factor of many (including management style, communication style, approach for identifying and incorporating new ideas (such as seeking out best practices adopted by other state treasurers offices), and many, many more).
When Jack Markell presented to the Civic League in 2007, he passed around a report – Delaware Facing Forward – that was published by the Delaware State Treasurer’s Office and “produced in partnership with Public works LLC http://www.GoodIdeas.us“. The report is subtitled “A Look at Delaware’s Demographic Future” and if I recall correctly, it cost 70K to produce and print which he said was offset by non-tax payer funds.
I was reading through this report yesterday and thought to offer to give it to Chip Flowers so he could use it as an example of the range of activity and vision that Jack Markell himself had thought was appropriate while Treasurer. It was a bold proactive document:
…”a look at Delaware’s future through the lens of shifting demographics over the next 25 years and their effect on our state’s financial future.
Facing Forward analyzed a looming fiscal challenge for State Government. Delaware has the potential of being squeezed on one side by increasing costs of state government and on the other side by potential risks to the revenue base.”
I remember his presentation vividly because he was reflecting on the projections created for the state planning office through the various county and municipal comprehensive plan updates that I had participated in through 2005 – 2006. The basic message of Facing Forward was that the state was getting older with more in-migrating retirees and fewer workers. The population would be more racially and ethnically diverse and would shift to new (mostly rural) areas in Kent and Sussex requiring more infrastructure etc. (This was, of course, a year before the housing bubble burst and the economy collapsed…)
Now, some may cynically say that it was just Jack’s way of using the material trappings of the Treasurers Office to springboard some substantive campaign material into a run for governor (which he did in fact do – the DE Facing Forward report is absolutely the outline for the Blueprint book he carried through the campaign). But it was also an important document and gives a great deal of weight to the fact that the Treasurer could definately comfortably be a visionary who is carefully crafting a dialogue with state agencies etc. to ensure a sound financial future for Delawareans.
When Flowers was on WDEL with Al Mascitti, there was a discussion that the Treasurer did in fact have a great deal more responsibility at one time but that because of a perceived inept individual who had been elected to the post, the legislature removed most of those responsibilities. Maybe someone who remembers that far back into Delaware history could enlighten further.
Not surprised about the drama with the Sherriff’s race at all. I saw the two of them go at it a couple of months ago and it was not pretty. I think Navarro poked at Walsh, got him riled up with some comments and Walsh is still pissed. In the meantime, Navarro has taken to playing it cool and not trying to respond to Walsh’s anger. Well played – Navarro has the incumbent looking like a crazy old man with a short shelf life.
Something about Korn bothers me, he comes off a bit on the sleazy side. I get sick everytime he talks about his pregnant wife at home unable to attend a forum/debate. He has dirty-old-man written all over him.
As for the Treasurer’s race…the qualified argument is overrated. As someone pointed out earlier, Potter has specific experience for the office because she has spent the last [x] months in the position. No one is really qualified for a position until they work in such position, in my opinion. Both candidates look good on paper, and as long as Potter doesn’t screw up, one can argue that she is qualified. I just don’t think you can count Flowers out, he is a successful business owner, which includes running the financial side of the business (i.e., writing checks, balancing a budget and managing employees). Interestingly enough, he also needs to keep the company in good financial standing…sounds like maintaining a “AAA” bond rating to me….
Korn is a good guy. Hi accent does him no favors in some parts of the state and in some social circles. He has been working on his ground game and is doing a hell of a job. Calling him a dirty old man is low.
I don’t think that he is going to have much trouble with Matlusky, who is nice enough, but doesn’t project the strength that he should. He may not be capable of the kind of aggressiveness that a campaign sometimes requires.
LG, that’s my opinion. It wasn’t a “low” comment, just my opinion based on observation…something with Korn just doesn’t sit right with me.
I do agree with you on the other front though, Matlusky does lack the aggressiveness required in the game of politics. Sad thing is he probably would be very efficient at the job.
I’m always suspicious of people who make a good first impression. I wonder what they’re up to.
liberalgeek – from experience i have witnessed the office of the treasurer is to get elected to governor and then claim ignorance to various financial aspects of the state.
as for trinidad from my professional dealings with him – nice guy but as the old saying goes, those who can do, those who can’t teach.