Delaware elections 2016 – Delaware Liberal

Delaware Political Weekly: May 20-26, 2016 (Delayed By the Holidays Edition).

By El Somnambulo May 31, 201617 Comments

Just stop and think about what the Mayor's absence from last week's Public Safety debate says. It says that the entire raison d'etre for his mayoralty ('You won't recognize this city in six months') has been an utter disaster. Shooting worse than ever, the Mayor turning up his nose at professional assistance and cash from the General Assembly. His legacy so disastrous that he dare not even show up at a debate that can only serve to spotlight his abject hubris and failure as mayor. Nevertheless, the Mayor chose the week that he chose not to defend his public safety record in public to file for reelection. Somehow, that suits him. For you completists out there, Maria Cabrera has still not filed for Mayor. Nor will she.

Delaware Political Weekly: March 18-24, 2016

By El Somnambulo March 25, 20166 Comments

Realtor Jim Startzman startz anew. Doesn't even look like his webpage has been updated. Here's why he says he's running:

You’re probably wondering why I’ve decided to run for State Representative and what it is that makes me more qualified than the incumbent. During the last 6+ years I have become more and more aware of the negative effect of our state government towards the citizens of Delaware.

Ho-kay. Anyway, Williams defeated him in 2014 by a 3128-1788 margin. She is one of Delaware's best legislators and best progressives. She's part of the solution. My theory as to why Startzman's running? Real estate business must be slow.

Delaware Political Weekly: March 11-17, 2016.

By El Somnambulo March 18, 201612 Comments

The more I think about it, the more I'm impressed with the kickoff to Matt Meyer's campaign for County Executive. It's as if the campaign emerged fully-formed out of nowhere. I'm sure a lot of people worked on preparing this, but I hadn't heard even a hint about his candidacy until yesterday. Perhaps, as an attorney, he didn't want to give Gordon the chance to threaten his employer until he was already in. The ad is brilliant, effectively lays out his message. My favorite bit: "Your search found 1 result". And his bio is compelling. Especially the stuff about Ecosandals:

Matt chose to move to Nairobi, Kenya, where he taught himself Swahili and started Ecosandals, a footwear business he created that has sold environmentally-friendly footwear to customers on 17 countries in 5 continents for over two decades. Numerous groups and organizations have recognized Ecosandals’ work in creating innovative job opportunities in neighborhoods facing extreme poverty. Those groups include CNN, the United Nations, the World Bank, BBC, Al Jazeera and Current TV, which on national TV called Matt an all-around super human. Ecosandals continues to create employment opportunities in neighborhoods of Nairobi, Kenya where residents are desperate for meaningful work.

Think about it: Tom Gordon or Matt Meyer...gotta ask my wife if we can send Matt a few bucks. Besides, Friends grad and a math teacher? Hey, that's my daughter's bio! BTW, Tom Gordon filed yesterday, so the game is on.

Delaware Political Weekly: Feb. 19-25, 2016

By El Somnambulo February 26, 20169 Comments

City Treasurer Henry Supinski has announced his retirement after 26 years in the post. I don't remember a single scandal during that time that was attributed to any problems in the Treasurer's Office. And, when you read the linked bio, pretty much all I can conclude is that this is/was a dedicated and effective public servant. Politics abhors a vacuum, so a politician has rushed in to fill this one. City Councilman Darius Brown has announced that he will not seek reelection to City Council, and instead will pursue the City Treasurer position. From the News-Journal article:

Brown, 34, said he will establish Open Checkbook, a program to show accountability for city expenditures; Money Matters, a program to provide financial literacy for constituents; and Economic Index to disseminate economic and financial data about Wilmington publicly each quarter to highlight the city's progress compared to economic activity in the region, state and nation.

Delaware Political (More Or Less) Weekly: January (More Or Less) 22-28, 2016

By El Somnambulo January 29, 201613 Comments

Kathleen McGuiness is for real. Except for that whole residency thingy. BTW, turns out she moved out to Park Slope b/c a couple of her kids are competitive snowboarders. Yes, she raised a lot of money. What really surprised me is that almost all of the money comes from Delaware. Pretty much every D in Sussex County with money has ponied up. Guess there are more D's with money in Sussex County than I thought. Bethany Hall-Long has raised a lot of $$'s as well. Ciro Poppiti has enough money to be competitive. Sherry Dorsey Walker, Greg Fuller, and Brad Eaby don't. Trinidad Navarro better get his ass in gear. Those who deal with the insurance commissioner's office have apparently resigned themselves to, or more likely, fallen in love with the idea of, Incompetent Karen Weldin Stewart serving as Insurance Commissioner. He's only raised $11K? Vs. $83K?