Category Archives: Delaware

Kerri Evelyn Harris For United States Senate

Tom Carper has long since abandoned even the pretense that he legislates on behalf of the average Delawarean. Time after time, issue after issue, when faced with a choice between Delaware voters and the Special Interests who have bankrolled his career, he has consistently voted for filling his corporate coffers at the expense of the average Delawarean. This, my friends, is a FACT.

Some facts behind THE FACT:

Carper screws working families on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce.

Carper screwed those in danger of losing everything on behalf of MBNA.  Many more facts here.

Carper screws everybody struggling with high health care costs on behalf of Big Pharma and the Insurance Lobby.

Carper screws our air and water quality on behalf of Big Oil and Big Chem.  Allow me to add another fact to these facts. When Carper became Governor, he had the choice of retaining Castle holdover Toby Clark, who was willing to stay as DNREC secretary.  Clark, IMHO, was far and away the best DNREC secretary Delaware had.  Instead, Carper chose the Washington-connected husband of an oil industry lobbyist, Christophe Tolou. A clearer signal of where Carper’s environmental priorities lay could not have been sent.

Carper even screws his fellow military vets on behalf of the Big Banks and…who else?  I still can’t let this one go:

Have I mentioned how Tom Carper always calls attention to his military service?:

Durbin Amdt. No. 16, As Modified.; To protect service members and veterans from means testing in bankruptcy, to disallow certain claims by lenders charging usurious interest rates to servicemembers, and to allow servicemembers to exempt property based on the law of the State of their premilitary residence.REJECTED

You read that one right. The amendment was a Democratic request to protect servicemen and women from bankruptcies by predatory lenders charging usurious interest rates, and to allow them the protections of their own state laws in potentially keeping their properties.

All Republican Senators voted against. Democrats Baucus, Biden, Byrd, Carper, Johnson and Nelson joined them.

It would seem that in a choice between supporting the troops, and supporting lenders, the decision wasn’t very hard at all.

Is there anybody out there, anybody, willing to challenge the facts about Tom Carper? He and his Senate seat are bought and paid for by the people who dump thousands upon thousands of dollars into his campaign coffers. Who are often the same people who dump toxins into our air and water.  I defy any of you to find even a vote on an amendment where Carper voted the interests of the average Delaware voter over those of his corporate enablers. And he’s the guy who’s gonna stand up to Trump?

Enter Kerri Evelyn Harris. She is everything that Tom Carper is not. She is authentic. She’s lived a real life, full of challenges. She, too, served in the military, but, unlike the self-glorifying flyboy, understands the challenges that the normal military veteran faces. Her biography is inspiring.  And, as you can see, her commitment to serving others runs throughout her story.

She has pledged not to accept corporate contributions, and she has stuck to that pledge. Sure it’d be great to have a war chest like Carper’s, but Harris has made clear that it will not be at the expense of those who she seeks to serve in D. C.   We know who she’ll represent. Just check out how she has volunteered to help those in need:

Following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, I volunteered with Habitat for Humanity rebuilding houses along the Gulf Coast. I was an airman by day and a volunteer construction worker by night. It was one of the most meaningful times in my life.

I returned to civilian life in the depths of the Great Recession, and like millions of Americans I struggled to make ends meet. I worked odd jobs—from cutting grass to frying chicken at a chain gas station—and by the grace of God, we were able to keep ourselves housed, clothed, and fed. By day I worked on cars in an auto body shop, but when time allowed, I volunteered with the local Red Cross, at homeless shelters, and coached my daughter’s soccer team. My parents taught us to always be of service to others, even in the midst of our own struggles, and those lessons kept me moving forward even in times of hardship.

Most recently, I’ve answered the call to service within my Delaware community. As the Program Director for Achievement Matters, I lead a team working with youth to close the educational achievement gap. Through the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League, I teach young people how to fight for social change. I also work with the Center for Popular Democracy on solutions to the opioid crisis, healthcare, immigration, and taxes, and as the Kent County Coordinator for Network Delaware, I’m organizing to increase engagement throughout Delaware.

My life story echoes millions of others who feel called to service to improve our communities for the next generation. Together we are able to make a difference because we are guided by a common belief that we are all sisters and brothers, and we need to lift each other up so that all of our communities can thrive.

Contrast that overwhelming need to make a difference to the senator who merely wants to set records for longevity (he still goes to the gym!) with the aid of his corporate underwriters.  Then contrast that Senator’s votes with Kerri Harris’ platform, including the following:

* A $15 minimum wage vs. Carper’s $9 minimum wage ceiling

* Medicare-For All and the importation of lower-priced prescription drugs from Canada vs. Carper’s consistent opposition to both

*Ending the criminalization of private debt vs. Carper’s gutting of protections for debtors, be they veterans, senior citizens, or the mentally- or physically-challenged

Please just click on each of the ‘continue reading’ buttons on the link I provided to Kerri’s platform.  Her platform is that of a true Democrat and stands in marked contrast to the priorities of Tom Carper.

On merit, there is no contest.

Kerri Evelyn Harris is the Democrat who we need now in the United States Senate.

We at Delaware Liberal are proud to support her, and we encourage you to vote for the change that only she can bring from Delaware to D. C. this year.

 

Chris Johnson For Attorney General

“I will seek justice for those who our legal system leaves behind.”

That statement from Chris Johnson appears on every lit piece that the Johnson campaign distributes.

Three other words are equally prominent on that same lit piece:

“…never a prosecutor.”

We endorse Chris Johnson because he is the only candidate for Attorney General who is committed to reforming Delaware’s criminal justice system, and capable of doing so.

He is running for the position as someone who has seen, and keenly understands, the inequities in the way that ‘justice’ is meted out in Delaware. From mass incarceration for non-violent offenses, to people awaiting trial being held b/c they can’t afford bail, to police seizing people’s property (civil forfeiture) and then partnering with the AG’s office to divvy up the spoils amongst police agencies. He has seen the massive expenditures for a failed corrections system that does nothing to ‘correct’, and understands how that money can be better spent on education and health care and drug treatment and all sorts of initiatives that provide benefits to our state.

What you may not know is that he has been consulting with progressive AG’s throughout the country on how to best implement reforms that prevent non-violent offenders from being locked up needlessly, and how to hold police agencies more accountable than they have been held in Delaware (virtually completely unaccountable and exempt from laws that apply to all other Delawareans).  In other words, not only is he running for office to reform Delaware’s criminal justice reform, he is preparing to implement these reforms upon taking office. 

Contrast that with the other three candidates for Attorney General.  Kathleen Jennings has enabled the inequities that permeate the current system to flourish for decades, using the ‘look the other way when it comes to the police’ tradition to her advantage; Tim Mullaney literally represents the Fraternal Order of Police; and Lakresha Roberts wants to do nice things for children (‘The Attorney General For Families’) and families, but has not presented any comprehensive platform.

Make no mistake. This is a strong field, and the other candidates have served the state admirably.  But only Chris Johnson has committed to reforming Delaware’s criminal justice system.  He proposes to end mass incarceration and to reduce Delaware’s high rate of recidivism; stand up to the gun lobby and attack gun violence as a public health crisis; not use the death penalty as AG; stop incarcerating those merely suffering from addiction; ending cash bail (a subject that Kathy Jennings has just miraculously discovered in time to make a TV commercial); ending civil forfeiture, and many more.  You can find out more here. 

Now, let me tell you about Chris Johnson. He has walked the walk. He was a dedicated Voter Protection Attorney for the Obama For America Legal Protection Team; a litigation attorney for the City of Wilmington, where he worked to stem the flow of deadly weapons into the city; legal counsel and criminal justice policy advisor to Gov. Carney; a long-time board member for the Delaware Center for Justice; and a member of the Multicultural Judges and Lawyers section of the State Bar Association. Oh, and he has represented indigent families in legal proceedings as a defense attorney.

He also has one of the most incisive minds I’ve ever come across in a public official.  He understands how all these issues intersect, and has distinct plans on how to proceed as Delaware’s next Attorney General.

I daresay that there has never before been such a credible progressive candidate for Attorney General in Delaware.  He should win and he can win.

We proudly endorse Chris Johnson for Attorney General, and we encourage you to reward him with your vote on Thursday, September 6, 2018.

Delaware Liberal Primary Endorsements

We at Delaware Liberal proudly and unanimously endorse the following candidates for public office in the Sept. 6 Primary elections:

United States Senate: KERRI EVELYN HARRIS

Attorney General:  CHRIS JOHNSON

State Auditor: KATHLEEN DAVIES

Senate District 3:  ELIZABETH LOCKMAN

Rep. District 1:  NNAMDI CHUKWUOCHA

Rep. District 31: SEAN LYNN

NCC District 1: JORDYN PUSEY

NCC District 6: DAVID CARTER

Over the course of the next few days, we will write endorsement pieces for each of these candidates, and lay out our rationale for supporting them.

Please feel free to agree, disagree, argue on behalf of other candidates, etc. Suffice it to say, we believe that, should this slate of superb candidates be elected, the cause of progressive reform would be greatly enhanced in our state.

 

Rethugs Get An AG Candidate, And He’s…A Democrat

An African-American Democrat at that.  One Bernard Pepukayi, who has worked for both Ruth Ann Minner and, wait for it, Tom Gordon. Here’s the News-Journal article:

https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/2018/08/20/bernard-pepukayi-election-delaware-attorney-general-republican/1040132002/

My favorite quote?:

“Something has been brewing and I believe I have something that has been calling me,” he says in the video. “I want to make a statement that someone who has been through the system is going to achieve the highest office of law enforcement in the state.”

Ho-kay. His career has essentially been a series of patronage jobs.  Why not build on that? It’s the Delaware Way.  Let the record show that not a single Republican ran for Attorney General in 2018. Not even the candidate.

Delaware GOP No Longer Has An AG Candidate

Not surprising since I doubt that anyone can remember they had an AG candidate. For the record, her name is/was Peggy Marshall Thomas. In announcing that she was dropping out,  she asked “the media to ‘respect her privacy’.”  No problem, Peggy.

The R’s have until Sept. 4 to name someone to replace her on the ballot, assuming that she officially withdraws.  Doesn’t matter, though. Whoever wins the D primary will win the general election.

Tom Carper In His Own Words: Why He Should No Longer Be Senator

When Tom Carper ran against Bill Roth in 2000, he made age the issue while claiming that age was not the issue. Of course, age wasn’t the issue, said Carper. Energy was.  Don’t believe me?

Read this piece on that race from 2000. Won’t take you long to find the money quote.

Here’s how Tom ‘Let Me Drop Down And Give You 10. Pushups That Is’ Carper described why he should be Senator:

“Whether a person is 59 or 69 or 79 is not so important, the important thing is the energy they have and the ability to function effectively for the next six years,” Carper has said. “I’ve got a lot of energy. I go real hard day and night.”

And he did. But now, he’s Shufflin’ Tom.  His appearances are carefully stage-managed by his staff. Selective and limited. Often holding a giant prop check. Rarely engaging in a substantive policy conversation. He is now running against a multi-tasker like Kerri Harris, who has faced and understands challenges that Tom the former Golden Boy never had to face.  If this race is about energy, Tom Carper has run out of gas somewhere and is fumbling with his cellphone.

Let’s be honest. If Tom Carper is to be held to the standard that Carper himself has laid out which, if you’ve forgotten is “…the important thing is the energy they have and the ability to function effectively for the next six years”, then Tom Carper has successfully argued that Tom Carper should not be our Senator going forward. Kerri Harris should.

Thank, you, Tom, for making such a strong case for your successor. Time to take your multiple pensions and shuffle off into the sunset.

 

 

Aug. 7 Open Thread: For Midterm Voters, Any Democrat Will Do

Many liberals are too accustomed to the malfeasance of the Democratic Party to appreciate that midterm voters don’t care whether Democrats are neo-liberals or progressives. Viewed in horse-race terms, all signs point to a wave that will swamp Republicans in the House. Remember the lesson of the current Congress: A party’s internal conflicts are easy paper over when it’s out of power. It’s when they gain power that those conflicts break into the open.

The wave is building because Trump’s endless string of vicious policies and outright fuckups are starting to penetrate the real-world lives of people who live in the Fox News Cone of Silence in a way travel bans and immigration crackdowns don’t. For example, he can brag about his tariffs all he wants, it’s not going to convince people like those who are losing their jobs at a South Carolina TV manufacturer that’s closing because of the steel and aluminum tariffs. Along with widespread opposition to the Helsinki Humiliation and the border kidnapping crisis, Trump’s polling numbers among his weaker supporters are heading south at the wrong time.

The belated move by Big Tech to take away Alex Jones’ soapboxes might backfire, this writer argues, because now he has a true complaint about censorship. Thanks for the warning, Debbie Downer, but I prefer The Onion’s take: “Alex Jones Returns To Humble Roots Of Screaming Conspiracy Theories Through Megaphone At People In Park.”

Other than asshole outbursts by the judge — more evidence of why life terms for federal judges must go — the Paul Manafort trial seems about as exciting as spitting on your arm and watching it dry. The reporters sentenced to cover it tried to make a big deal out of Rick Gates’ testimony admitting he broke laws at Manafort’s behest — and that he also stole from Manafort by padding his expense accounts.

David Graham of The Atlantic is one of the few pundits who seems to realize the game-changing nature of Trump’s Sunday admission about the infamous Trump Tower meeting. Sure, his core doesn’t care, but his argument has gone from “I could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue” to “I shot at someone on Fifth Avenue, but I missed, so no harm done.”

Finally, here’s the end result of the University of Delaware admitting more out-of-state students than Delawareans: It finally achieved the incredible honor of being named the nation’s No. 1 party school. Maybe in-state students are better off funneled into DelTech instead.

Most Intriguing Delaware Primaries: RD 5

This is the district that was specifically drawn for Melanie George, now Melanie George Smith.  The 2012 version retains most of the barbell-ian characteristics of the original 2002 incarnation and stretches from Bear to New Castle.  It was part of a deal that D leadership, specifically Bob Gilligan, cut with the R’s who controlled the General Assembly at that time.  Gilligan got Lonnie’s daughter an overwhelmingly D district, while D representatives Dave Brady and Rick DiLiberto got…the shaft.  Go over here, click on ‘District 5’, and ask yourselves whether this district could, or should, withstand a challenge based on gerrymandering.

The district is overwhelmingly, obscenely, D for a non-city district. Check out these numbers:  10,832 D; 2059 R; 3210 I.  You read ’em right. Well over a majority of the registered voters are D. Hey, when you’re the daughter of the former Speaker, and that Speaker controlled loads of patronage jobs at Del-Tech, this is what they’ll do for you.

You all know the story by now. Smith purchased a house outside of the district. And, after much back and forth, she decided that she wouldn’t come up with some sort of creative living arrangement to maintain official residency in the 5th. She is retiring. At least for now, without the judgeship she so assiduously sought. She’s hanging her shingle at Richards, Layton & Finger, the Rethuggiest of Rethuglican law firms. Also the white shoe-iest.

There is a three-way primary to succeed her. Might as do it alphabetically. By last name, still the only correct way to do it, the internets notwithstanding.

Aja Ajavon describes herself as:

…an activist who spearheads several ventures to empower communities and to provide sound solutions to social issues. She worked for Delaware Family Court as a mediation and arbitration officer and for New Jersey Superior Court Family Division as a hearing officer and mediator. Most recently, Aja taught job readiness skills to adults re-entering the job market at Career Time. Currently, she teaches at Wilmington University in the College of Social and Behavioral Science and is a volunteer mediator at Delaware Center for Justice.

She was born in Liberia and moved to the United States when she was 10.  I can find very little on her positions on issues in any of her online media.  Perhaps supporters of the campaign can provide a link to them. 

Kendra Johnson:

…has dedicated her entire career to serving individuals living with disadvantages and life challenges. Kendra earned a master’s degree in Human Services from Lincoln University and is currently the Executive Director at Elwyn, one of the nation’s oldest nonprofit organizations, and leads a staff of 200.  Kendra has extensive experience with managing and budgeting multimillion dollar contracts and is currently responsible for oversight of 21 programs in Delaware and Pennsylvania, serving over 1,100 individuals.

You can look at her priorities and positions here. Basic boilerplate.  There is, however, one element of her profile that I like very much.  I usually cringe when I click on ‘Endorsements’ b/c it’s often a laundry list of the usual suspects. Not so with Johnson.  They’re all either people she’s helped, or people she’s worked with.  And those comments all sound like they’re from the heart. People who I respect have said a lot of good things about her. 

The third candidate, William Resto, filed just under the wire. He is a bail bondsman, so, if you’re looking for an end to cash bail, he’s probably not the candidate for you. His campaign has not been as visible as those of the other two candidates. Having said that, he has an admirable record of community service. From his linkedin page:

…Resto currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Wilmington Police Athlete League (P.A.L.) and the Nuestra Raices of Delaware: this organization coordinates the annual Wilmington Hispanic Festival and the Miss Hispanic Delaware Pageant. Prior to becoming an entrepreneur, Resto was a Delaware state employee and shop-steward for Local 640. He is currently the founder and owner of A Bail Bond by Resto & Company and co-founder of the Livingston Resto Project (LRP): a non-profit organization that advocates for the homeless in Delaware. He is a leader at Faith City Family Church: Pastor Steve Hare and the proud sponsor of the 3-Time Champions “Aquila’s” of the Roberto Clemente Little League.

OTOH, he misspells both ‘Delaware’ and ‘District’ on the same linkedin page.

Any of the three would likely be infinitely preferable to any of the candidates in, say, SD 2.  (Hmmm, I wonder if any of them live in Nicole Poore’s district, gotta check… answer is no, but virtually the entire RD is in Dave McBride’s district. Woo-hoo! )

Melanie George was a good representative for years, although her focus was less on the communities in the district, and more on some of the more macro issues in the General Assembly. She was a strong advocate for criminal justice reform up until the last few years. She also embraced the budget austerity pushed by DINO’s Markell and Carney, and flipped from a yes to a no on abolishing the death penalty.  Accordingly, this primary looks like a no-lose situation for the voters in RD 5.  Johnson, in particular, looks like she has the potential to have a real impact in Dover.

If you live in this district, what do you think, what have you seen, and what have you heard?

 

Aug. 2 Open Thread: Liberals Are Not Popular, But Liberal Ideas Are

When people say, “I worry that voters will be scared of a leftist agenda,” they’re really saying, “I’m scared of a leftist agenda.” Polling demonstrates this over and over again — people label themselves conservative but approve of all sorts of programs that are unabashedly liberal. Here’s another one that shows surprising strength even for a federal jobs guarantee.

When people hear “Democratic socialism” they only hear “socialism.” That’s why Fox News keeps trying to demonize Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with segments that could double as campaign ads for the DS movement. Some people think DS is just updated FDR liberalism, but Jacobin magazine writer Meagan Day explains the goal isn’t to reform capitalism but to move beyond it.

What’s wrong with late-stage capitalism? Consider the media’s love of the media portrays as feel-good storiesfeel-good stories, like those about GoFundMe campaigns to raise money for medical care, or people donating vacation days to co-workers to cover for lack of maternity leave. Such stories rarely point out the depravity of a rich society that abandons its citizens to fend for themselves.

For now, though, late-stage capitalism rules, and Trump’s trade war is making a lot of late-stage capitalists nervous. It’s also hammering people in the heartland, which could do more than any of Trump’s crimes to turn voters against him.

Trump will brag about anything, so he wants the Nobel Peace Prize again for getting some remains of MIA soldiers back from the North Koreans. Amid all the self-congratulation, is it churlish to point out that last time the country sent remains they arrived in a jumbled mess that included animal bones?

Kirsten Gillibrand is getting snippy about George Soros’ claim that he won’t back her because of her role in banishing Al Franken, framing it as Soros opposing the #metoo movement. This is a favorite move among Republicans and centrist Democrats, framing criticism as a call for extremism. Because, you know, those scary lefties.

Finally, Dover councilman David Anderson found a thrifty way to generate testimonial support: Pay for it, from a former Pussycat Doll no less. That’s capitalism for ya.

Most Intriguing Primaries: RD 22

This one is a political scientist’s dream.  A retiring long-time legislator.  A district which has moved from red to purple.  Primaries in both parties.

The retiring legislator is Joe Miro.  Probably the last of his breed: A moderate R from a northern New Castle County district that is trending more D every month. Current registration is 6927 D;  6683R; and 5466 I. It has only been within the past year that D registration has surpassed R registration. Miro has represented this district since 1998. He had previously served on New Castle County Council. He is the only Hispanic member of the House, a Cuban-American, and he has served as the President of the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators.

The Democratic primary pits Guillermina Gonzalez against Renee Taschner.  Gonzalez is running for office for the first time. While she started her career as an executive with Exxon Mobil, Gonzalez went on to lead ‘Voices Without Borders’ in Delaware, and subsequently served eight years as executive director for the Delaware Arts Alliance.  You can find out more about Gonzalez here. I especially like her position on criminal justice:

I will support criminal justice reforms that both improve public safety and provide opportunities for the incarcerated and formerly incarcerated – including diverting low-level offenders into support programs rather than prison and ending cash bail system. I will also work to build a culture of community service-based policing and transition away from punitive-based zero tolerance policies to restorative-based practices where chances of success are supported.

As you can see, Gonzalez is skilled in both community outreach and grassroots organization.  She is an impressive candidate.

Renee Taschner challenged the Gordon machine and ran against Chris Bullock for County Council President. While she lost that 2012 race by a 56-44 margin, she didn’t hesitate to stand up to the ethical sewer of the Gordon administration.  She is a 21-year veteran of, wait for it, the New Castle County Police force.  Her public safety positions are not the same as those of Gonzalez:

I retired after a 21-year career in public safety. I served as a patrol supervisor, a member of the crisis negotiating team, and a long time detective and supervisor in the Detective Division on the New Castle County Police force. In addition to the role I played in the apprehension of Delaware’s only serial killer, I led the Detective Squad that investigated physical and sexual abuse of children and domestic violence. I understand the importance of having safe communities in which to live, work and raise our families. As your State Representative, I will take my firsthand knowledge and direct experience to Dover and continue the fight to keep our communities safe. 

You can find out more about Taschner here.

The Republican primary features a match-up between Michael Smith and Katherine Beard. Smith previously challenged Miro for the seat back in 2014 and got 43% of the vote. He is a by-the-numbers Chamber R.  Don’t believe me? Check out his website.  His weasel language on education clearly suggests he’s a Charter School Tool:

We need to empower parents and teachers to lead the way to positive change in education. Parents deserve options and accountability for their child’s education. We’re one of the top states in spending and in the bottom one third in results.

I just love the way that Katherine Beard kicks off her bio:

Kathy cares about people. She is NOT a career politician.

Because, of course, the two are mutually exclusive. She also has ‘…demonstrated sincerity and an ability to get things done throughout her career.’  Am I the only one who recognizes that demonstrating sincerity and being sincere are not necessarily the same thing?

But, I digress. Those are just a couple of my political pet peeves. Beard is a ‘global IT services marketing manager’ for a DuPont spin-off.  She is also ‘…a great listener and believes that government’s role is to keep us safe and stay out of our personal lives’. Ho-kay.  Any more, and I’ll start grinding my teeth again. Haven’t done that since I stopped working for the General Assembly. You can find out more about Beard here.

Word on the street is that Beard has been outworking Smith, and is likely the favorite in the R primary. This gives some credence to that word, as in last updated in May. Yes, I’ve tried to find his social media pages w/o success. Hey, it’s not my fault that his name is Mike Smith, and that he doesn’t provide links.

If you are involved in these primaries, and/or live in the 22nd, what are you hearing and seeing up there?  If this seat flips into the D column this cycle, it will likely remain there. If an R wins, it could well stay that way for awhile. A fascinating race all around.

 

Why Isn’t John Atkins In Jail?

After allegedly strangling a woman earlier this month, Atkins was arrested again this week for harassing the same victim and for breaching the conditions of his release:

www.wdel.com/news/ex-state-lawmaker-atkins-charged-with-harassing-victim

His punishment?:

He’s free on his own recognizance.

This man is a serial abuser of women.  He is not wired right. While many people accused of non-violent offenses languish in jail due to their inability to afford bail,  this demonstrated threat to society is permitted to roam free? To continue his dangerous course? In the interest of justice and, most especially, the safety of his victims past, present and future, he needs to be locked up. Now. Before a tragedy inevitably occurs.

Most Intriguing Primaries: New Castle County Council Districts 1, 4 & 6

We have two insurgent candidacies challenging back-benchers, and we have an outlier.  

Let’s start with the outlier. Perpetual candidate and realtor Vincent White is challenging Penrose Hollins in Council District 4.  If elected, White would join fellow family members Charles Potter and Velda Jones Potter in feeding off the taxpayers. Not to mention the unwillingly-retired Dennis P. Williams, who is likely collecting three taxpayer-funded pensions. What a family business.  The primaries in that portion of north Wilmington are shaping up as a referendum on the performance of the ethically-bankrupt Potter dynasty.  Penrose Hollins, for all his faults as a countywide candidate, has always been a good government proponent and has served with honor on County Council.  He’s not going to lose this race. 

In fact, I think that the major impact of White’s candidacy will ironically hurt Charles Potter’s reelection chances. Hollins has a loyal following who are now more apt to come out to vote than they would have been if he had been left alone without a primary. There is quite a bit of overlap between Potter’s House district and Hollins’ councilmanic district. A White victory would clearly be a downgrade on Council, and I don’t expect it to happen. But I welcome his candidacy as just one more way to bring out the anti-Potter vote.

The other two races pit impressive first-time candidates against back-benchers. Well, I suppose you can’t be a back-bencher in a legislative body with only twelve members and one looney-tune Council President. But, I define back-bencher as someone who basically shows up and votes, and otherwise leaves no imprint on a legislative body. Back-bencher is not necessarily a pejorative, as long as the back-bencher doesn’t serve as a proxy for amoral leadership. For example, someone who kissed Gordon’s butt w/o question.  Back-benchers are OK…until somebody better comes along.

Two somebodies-better have come along. Much better.  Jordyn Pusey in NCC District 1, and Dave Carter in NCC District 6.

In District 1, Ken Woods inherited the seat previously held by his back-bencher dad, Robert Woods. After Robert Woods died, Tom Gordon appointed Joe Reda to the seat. When Reda died, Woods won a special election to complete the remainder of Reda’s term. Because of Gordon’s appointment of Reda, Council changed the law to require a special election rather than enabling the County Executive to make the appointment. In a Special Election, the candidates are chosen by the Party leadership, not through a primary. Meaning, this is the first time that Woods is facing a Democratic electorate. Woods is a Business Agent for Sheet Metal Workers Local 19.  He also hands out giant checks (although it’s always Bob Weiner hogging the spotlight).  Here is his website. BTW, Ken? You might want to check out the spelling of the word ‘Red’.

Woods’ opponent, Jordyn Pusey, is simply a superior candidate and would almost certainly be a a major upgrade on Council. She has been the President of the Civic League for NCC since 2016, and has been President of her civic association, Brack-Ex/Roselle, since 2009.  She is a deeply-involved community activist.  You can find out more about her here.  If Matt Meyer is to eliminate the stench of the Gordon era, he will need council members like Pusey to help in the clean-up.

District 6 is represented by Bill Powers. a farmer who has represented the district since his election in 2006.  Both Powers and his opponent, David Carter, claim that this below-the-canal district has been underserved. In that context, do you want to continue with the council member who has been in office for 12 years of the district being underserved, or would a change be in order?  Carter, IMHO, is uniquely qualified for this job:

Carter said he’d been toying with running for office since he left DNREC as an environmental manager in 2012, but instead he went on to get his doctorate in public policy and administration at the University of Delaware, where he also adjunct teaches. Now, in 2018, he’s launching a grassroots campaign in an effort to unseat longtime incumbent Bill Powers.

“I’m going to take a good shot at it,” he said. “It’s kind of, oddly, maybe the job I’ve been training for and practicing for and preparing for my whole life,” he said, describing his education and governmental and advocacy work.

“I see a certain urgency, I see the window closing of making sure that we can maintain a lot of the wonderful things that we have in this area of the county, and to avoid a lot of the mistakes that we’ve made that have led to traffic problems and inequities north of the canal,” he said.

Carter would also bring a level of professionalism to the position that could enable him to work with Matt Meyer to address the concerns both he and Powers have outlined.

Pusey and Carter offer real upgrades for County Council, and that’s not a jab at the incumbents. The voters will soon decide if that’s what they want.

July 24 Open Thread: Stand Your Ground = License to Kill

The latest Florida outrage — I know, it’s a new one almost every day — involves the cold-blooded slaying of another black man by another white man who apparently will get away scot-free by invoking the NRA’s notorious stand-your-ground law, claiming that the white man felt his life was threatened by the black man, who took a step away from the white man at the sight of the gun. The linked article from Vox looks at the data accumulated since the passage of such laws (be warned –Pennsylvania has one) and finds it doesn’t reduce violence, which was the supposed reason for its existence. BTW, the white guy, Michael Drejka, 47, is the only person of that name to show up in internet searches, which also indicate a person of that name and age lived in Milford, Delaware, until the mid-aughts. Anyone with knowledge of him is invited to drop us a note on the tip line.

Here’s a shocker: Vendors at the Delaware State Fair sell merchandise plastered with the Confederate battle flag. What I didn’t know is that two years ago they were ordered to knock it off, but the News Journal found that, until the paper pointed it out, the practice continued unabated. Look at it this way, disappointed peckerwoods: It leaves you more cash for whatever they’re deep-frying this year.

Everyone in Washington knows that if you want to get a message to Trump, you have to deliver it by Fox & Friends. That’s why you’re seeing a parade of Congressional Republicans on TV trying to steer Trump into their preferred excuse for his Russia love, that he’s afraid it questions the legitimacy of his election. Gee, ya think?

Elena Delle Donne, who recently scored her 30,000th point in the WNBA, the quickest to the mark in the league’s history, gave and interview to Philly.com in which she aired her grievances with the league’s second-class status and called for more and better marketing to correct the situation.

Anything the left can do, the right can do nastier. The SJW practice of digging up old racist/sexist/insensitive tweets has been turned against the left by some of the right’s scummiest partisans. As I explained a few days ago, corporate America pisses its pants at any hint of controversy, so any such accusation leads to quick defenestration. Now some people are fighting back at the vigilante precedent that’s been set (thanks, Kirsten Gillibrand!), as in the case of director James Gunn, whose “Guardians of the Galaxy” cast thinks it’s unfair to can him over something he tweeted out a decade ago. Gee, ya think?