In Which We Find That Legislators Can’t Read Contracts — The Sallies Contract vs. Charles Potter

27 Comments
So this deal is still dead and I think that the expectation is that if it gets revived it will be because the new Mayor will work at reviving it. No idea if it is even possible at this point, but that is where we are. In the meantime, we have Rep. Charles Potter putting out a piece of propaganda that specifically misrepresents the terms of this dead deal -- I guess so that he can make himself look like a hero or something for standing up to the big bad Sallies and their desire to make Bayard Stadium into a working home field for everybody. He counts, of course, on the fact that no one will spend any time on that document and just get fired up because he says to. I did look at that contract and here is the response to the propaganda with references to the page numbers where I found this info. The items in BOLD are the ones listed on the "Highlights of the major points of the contract with Sallies" that he has posted to Facebook. My responses and references follow.

I Get Email

22 Comments
Specifically, email from a Delaware State Representative campaigning to an email list for his wife, running for Wilmington City Treasurer. This is supposed to be a Big No No, right? And I would expect that if he is emailing this Wilmington-based list, there are probably others he is emailing as well. As I understand it, public officials are not supposed to campaign or conduct campaigns via their state-provided emails. And yet, here we find Representative Charles Potter campaigning via his taxpayer-provided email for the election of his wife. Velda Potter was running for Wilmington City Treasurer and was fired from the Williams Administration for apparent misuse of city resources for her son's Foxtail concert. Certainly, there were no formal charges over this, but even Dennis Williams was embarrassed enough over it to let her go.
Election 2014: Delaware’s Most Vulnerable Incumbents

Election 2014: Delaware’s Most Vulnerable Incumbents

53 Comments
I'm El Somnambulo, and I'm a listaholic. Admit it: So are you. Bearing in mind that incumbents need viable challengers in order to be vulnerable, here is a list of those with at least reason to be worried: State Auditor Tom Wagner: A do-nothing R in an increasingly D state. Here's the problem. If a do-nothing R is replaced by a do-nothing D, does it really make any difference? No doubt it does to Tom Wagner. But not to Patrick Harker or Lonnie George. Which is my point. And the problem. State Treasurer Chip Flowers: While the R's talk hopefully, and, IMHO, delusionally, about defeating him, I suspect that any real challenge would come from the Democrats. We'll likely know in 6 months or so whether there will be a party-backed challenger. We might as well get used to Flowers being a polarizing figure by choice. Which would be fine if it was principle, not ego, driving that train. State Senator Greg Lavelle (4th SD): Got 50.8% against Michael Katz. Probably less vulnerable this time, but he's got two more years of anti-gay and pro-gun votes on his record. Will a credible challenger emerge? I know that people expect me to have Ernesto Lopez on this list, but I don't see him as particularly vulnerable. Feel free to make a case. More inside....