The 62 Project: #’s 26 and 36

#26: Rep. Bryon Short (D-7th RD)

The District: Until Short’s election in 2007, the 7th RD had long been an R bastion in Brandywine Hundred. Short’s immediate predecessor, Wayne Smith (Delaware’s Newt Gingrich) served in contrast to previous R legislators like Gwynne Smith (no relation) in that he brought conservative talking points to a district that had previously elected moderate good-government R’s. While a polarizing figure, he did his constituent work, and was generally reelected by comfortable margins. The district had an R plurality, and was home to lots of DuPont employees. The district retained a Republican plurality until right before the 2008 general election, when the D’s edged ahead. Why? R’s switching to D to vote for Markell in the primary. As right-wing R’s moved into ascendancy statewide, the D plurality in the 7th grew. The 2012 redistricting added a huge chunk of the Claymont area to the district, while more traditional R areas west of Foulk Road were excised. It is now a solid D district:  7793D; 4779R; 4065 I.  Here’s the map (PDF).

Almost immediately after being sworn in for a new term in January of 2007, Wayne Smith announced that he would leave office to become the chief lobbyist for Christiana Health Systems. Why not? He’d been lobbying for their interests during his terms in office. But was only remunerated through campaign contributions. He designated his next-door-neighbor and political flunky Jim Bowers to ‘succeed’ him, something that did not necessarily sit well with other ambitious R’s in the district. On the other hand, the D’s had an open process (I briefly tossed my own sombrero into the ring), and held a candidate’s forum at Lancashire School. Former State Rep. Dave Brady and serial loser Carl Colantuono joined me and Bryon Short in addressing the group.  After hearing Bryon speak, it became clear to me that he had a much better chance to win than I did.  Sincere, not a fire-breather (I am), and the only one who had not been defeated in the past. Both Dave Brady and I dropped out. I endorsed Bryon. The committee narrowly selected him to be the D standard-bearer. He proved to be a great shoe leather candidate. His wife, Kristin, was his campaign manager and is/was one of the best. At the time the Democratic Party especially benefited from the Howard Dean 50-state strategy.  They had a great grassroots team in place, and Short won a very tight victory.

In 2008, Bowers challenged Short in a rematch. I had the dubious pleasure of spending a couple of hours at the polls with Bowers’ wife. During that time, I think the only things she said (over and over again) were ‘Notre Dame’ and ‘ACORN’.  Needless to say, we didn’t have the best chemistry.  Short trounced Bowers by about 1800 votes. And the D’s won control of the Delaware House of Representatives.

Short combines some of the best and some of the most disappointing elements that I look for in a D legislator in a safe district. He is not just good, but great, on social issues. Not just a reliable supporter of equal rights for all, but a prime House sponsor on legislation ensuring rights for the transgender community.  He has successfully sponsored legislation extending health benefits to dependent children.  He is also a strong supporter of gun control, is someone who pays attention to his district, basically someone who you’d like as your rep. He’s even successfully pushed legislation on behalf of animal rights. How can you not like someone who will protect your puppies?

The problem, and it’s a big one, is that he is in thrall to the Carper/Carney wing of the Party. And business interests uber alles. He chairs a large and monolithic committee known as the Economic Development/Banking/Insurance/Commerce Committee. I call it the Business Lapdog Committee, which is at least equally accurate. This committee was actually several committees under the R’s. This consolidation of business clout into one huge entity has ill-served progressive goals. Short rolled over when called upon to exercise legislative leadership by slowing down the freight train of the Hallmark/BCBS merger, even saying that there was ‘nothing he could do’. There was, of course, something he could have done. He could have tried to bury that consolidation in committee, just like he has the minimum wage bill. He’ll rise no higher on this list until he agrees to release that bill from committee.  He and Andria Bennett, in particular, have parroted the Chamber of Commerce line in keeping this bill bottled up. No coincidence that the Delaware State Chamber maxes out to Short every time out now. Both he and his wife run small businesses, but one would think that being a small businessman might make him less, um, uncritical when it comes to huge corporations dominating state policy. It hasn’t.

Perhaps the large, new-to-the-district, Claymont addition will convince him to better reflect the economic needs of those voters, as opposed to rubber-stamping the insatiable lust for greater riches that the corporations who come before his committee seek, and usually get. Here’s hoping that his thinking evolves. He’s capable of it.

#36: Rep. Dan Short (R-39th RD)

The District:  This Seaford area district has long been an R stronghold, with Dan Short having succeeded Tina Fallon. Fallon may or may not have been 120 years old when she died, but she served in Dover a lo-o-o-ng time(1978-2006, to be exact).  Here’s the map (PDF).   While this Sussex County district has a nominal D registration edge, 5624 D; 5317 R; and 3214 I, it has been a strong R-performing district for decades, and appears unlikely to change anytime soon.

Rep. Danny Short is the House Minority Leader, the highest-ranking R in the House. Also a former mayor of Seaford and an insurance agent. I admit that I’ve always liked the guy. Yes, he’s conservative, but he has a touch of a populist streak in him, and he’s also something of a problem-solver.  Here are some bills of his that I’ve liked: HB 27 from this year, which goes after property tax cheats; HB 56 from this term, which, um, puts the brakes on the ability of auto insurers to sell your records to others; HB 69 from the 146th, which would have addressed a pet peeve of mine; the notion that only cost should be considered in the development of legislative fiscal notes as opposed to revenue projections; this bill was unanimously passed in the House, then got buried in the Senate Finance Committee. And check out HB 216 from the 146th, a bill that would have ‘…require(d) an insurer who denies coverage for a procedure or test as medically unnecessary to reimburse an insured for all expenses, including out-of-pocket expenses, if the insured pays for the procedure or test and the procedure or test is proven to be medically necessary.’ That’s a good bill. Unfortunately, it got assigned to the wrong committee, and died. At one point, Short sponsored the bill that would have clarified that the sheriff was not a police officer, but he got cold feet when he saw his political career pass before his eyes.

My point being that this guy is a legislator, not a bomb-thrower. Yes, he’ll never stake out progressive positions on equal rights, gun control, death penalty, stuff like that. But he’s by far (I know I’m damning with faint praise) the best Sussex County R House member.  His colleagues can work with this guy. A good legislator.

And that’s about the Short and Short of it for today.