Delaware Political Weekly: March 10-16, 2012, feat. BREAKING NEWS!
1. BREAKING NEWS!: Rich Krett Withdraws from NCC Executive Race; Dirty Tricks By Paul Clark the Cause?
This stinks big-time. Let me first post Krett’s withdrawal announcement:
MIDDLETOWN – Today I am reluctantly withdrawing from the race for New Castle County Executive. I have made my decision solely on what I believe to be in the best interests of the citizens of New Castle County and their county government based upon the following events.
On Wednesday, March 7th, I was informed by Greg Wilson, Paul Clark’s Acting Chief Administrative Officer, that my name was included as one of two alternate contacts on a federal grant application submitted by the New Castle County Department of Public Safety. This grant is earmarked to purchase a driving simulator for the Department of Public Safety to be used in the training of emergency responders throughout New Castle County. Based on the inclusion of my name in the grant application, which was done without my knowledge, Mr. Wilson informed me my candidacy may violate the Hatch Act.
After being notified of this potential issue, I immediately took steps to have my name removed from the grant application and sought the advice of the United States Office of Special Counsel.
I value my employment with New Castle County and I have worked hard for positive change in the New Castle County paramedic service for over two and a half decades. As many people know, I sought election to the office of New Castle County Executive on the promise that I would address the many serious issues confronting our county government and would do so in a manner that instills confidence in the citizens that their county government can run efficiently and honestly.
In this vein, I believe the issue created over the grant application by the Paul Clark administration would be a distraction, albeit a “politics as usual” type distraction, and detract from the serious issues this election should be about.
I will remain committed to New Castle County and its citizens. I will continue to serve honorably in my role as Assistant Chief of the New Castle County Paramedics and I remain dedicated to ensuring that we continue to provide the best service possible. Finally, I plan to remain an active voice in the community and a champion of ethical and responsible government.
This smacks of pure evil on the part of Paul Clark. Put the guy’s name on a Federal grant application w/o his knowledge, and then threaten him with a Hatch Act violation. I wish Krett would stand and fight, but people simply can’t afford to throw away their livelihoods, and I understand why he feels he can’t.
Nevertheless, Krett has performed an invaluable public service. If there was any lingering doubt, he has smoked out Paul Clark as the conscienceless lowlife that he is. I wish Rich Krett all the best, and hope that he will consider running for public office in the future.
2. Sen. George Bunting Retires; Seat Likely to go Republican
One of the reasons why this is big news is because it’s such a rarity when Senate seats are vacated by retirement. Death, yes. Being carted out of Leg Hall feet first, yes. Being defeated, exceedingly rare, but, as Nancy Cook found out, not unprecedented. This retirement is also big news b/c once this district flips, it’s not likely to flip back any time soon. If Rep. Gerald Hocker runs, it’s his, for all intents and purposes. This is not merely, or even primarily, a matter of registration and voter preferences. It’s also due to a longstanding failure of Sussex County Democratic leadership and a failure of the Senate Democratic Caucus to give even two shits about candidate recruitment/candidate training. Polly Mervine, anybody? That, in fact, is a classic example of how insular the vision of what passes for the Party in Sussex has been. If it wasn’t for Pete Schwartzkopf, who truly understands the necessity of candidate recruitment and training, and who really works at it, we’d be staring at an even vaster wasteland for D prospects in Sussex. A complete wasteland, in fact. And, when President Pro-Tempore Tony DeLuca views principled opponents like Bunting as tumors to be excised, and wields the redistricting pen like a scalpel, the surgery invariably leads to fewer D’s in the Senate.
3. A Good Week for Mitch Crane
As reported earlier this week, Vincent White withdrew from the Insurance Commissioner race and endorsed fellow Democrat Mitch Crane. For those concerned about a splintered primary leading to a KES renomination, this was good news for two reasons: (1) White outlined the foolhardiness of such an approach, and delivered an attack on Karen Weldin Stewart that laid out her stunning incompetence very effectively; and (2) this may have been somewhat overlooked, but this endorsement was engineered by the Crane campaign, who actually sent out the press release, and demonstrated real competence on the part of Crane’s campaign team. Needless to say, that bodes well for September if you are a Crane supporter. Crane also took part in a live interview with Delaware Liberal. Just watch it, and ask yourself whether you’d rather have Crane or Karen Weldin Stewart as IC. If you plan to vote in the primary, you really owe it to yourself. We are attempting to arrange for an interview with Paul Gallagher. Always better to hear directly from the candidates as opposed to merely their surrogates.
4. Counihan Files the Paperwork, Will Take on Cloutier
Chris Counihan may be the underdog, but his challenge to incumbent State Sen. Cathy Cloutier (R-Heatherbrooke) in the 5th District is indeed a winnable race. Especially since Cloutier has made so much over her support of gay rights only to be absent when supporters of equality needed her the most. Some of her most ardent supporters are now well aware of her (in)actions, and this could help Counihan build on his already competitive (mid-40’s %) strength from last time and win the seat. Once held, this seat is likely to remain a Democratic district, based on registration. And, D’s take note, this could be the seat that determines the balance of power in the State Senate.
Filings, We Have Filings
In addition to Chris Counihan, the following candidates filed for office this week: State Sen. Dave Sokola (D-8th District); State Senator Bruce Ennis (D-14th District); NCC Councilman David Tackett (11th District); and Wilmington Councilman Eric Robinson (3rd District).
That’s it for this week. What’d I miss, and whaddayathink?
Wow. Paul Clark and/or Lady MacBeth Clark are now in the big leagues of scumbaggery.
Next step for Clark is to figure a way to take out Shahan. Maybe his office could use a federal grant too.
If anyone is looking for info on Counihan, this interview with Chris Counihan currently falls below Charlie Copeland’s histrionic nonsense about Counihan wanting to raise TAXES !!! OMGZ!!!
A word of warning about Copeland’s blog. Just reading it for two minutes made me feel dirty. The guy is such a lying sleazeball, it is as if Charlie has simply thrown in the towel on being a human being.
This news about Krett is a shocker.
I am fully supporting Shahan and hope DL takes the opportunity to meet with him soon.
If Shahan can’t catch Clark in September, the GOP candidate, Mark Blake is a friend of mine and a really solid choice as well for November.
you can ask Paul Clark about this at noon. He is expected to be at the open house today for the Stepping Stone Community Credit Union–press release at http://www.dcrac.org/pdfs/3-9-12%20Stepping%20Stones%20Grand%20Opening.pdf
Somehow, I doubt that Clark will be in an answering mood at yet another politicos’ photo op. If you’re there, wouldn’t hurt to ask him, though…
It sounds like they will be milling around a bit after the ribbon cutting. If someone brings a camera, please also ask Tom Carper what it feels like to have the worst democratic voting record in the congress.
“…one follow up Sir… Do you plan on supporting President Obama’s re-election? Your shitty voting record gives cause to doubt it.”
There is a bill in the US House that would modify the Hatch Act so that it wouldn’t apply to state and local government employees and allow them to run for partisan office.
Pete S. recruited John Atkins, and thats working out well for us, no?
Just sayin
Even the good ones sometimes compromise their principles.
It’s why I gave him a ‘favorable’ instead of a ‘strongly favorable’.
Other than Pete, it’s a bleeping vacuum down there.
Well ES rather than concede the 38/20th to Junior and Senior Hocker put a a little creative energy into the effort to flip/keep the seats. If I can get along with MJ to do that you can pass along some of your vast wisdom. There are good candidates surfacing and there is a solid chance of a minimum of one out of 2.
JP – I contacted the person you sent along. Hopefully I can arrange a meeting. Thanks.
Funny, I didn’t get the message. Try again MJ.
As of 11:00 today, I have formally filed to run for New Castle County Council President.
I look forward to campaigning and talking to people about how I plan to carry out my responsibility as Council President and defending our communities and Quality of Life!
http://www.BillDunn.us
Go Bill!!
Run Bill Run!
Let us know when we can sit down and interview you, ok?
Congratulations, Bill, and good luck!!
I have always appreciated the passion that you bring to New Castle County matters, and your citizens-first perspective.
Good luck, Bill.
Bob Frederick has filed against Andy Staton??????
Well according to the Cape Gazette, he announced but hasn’t formally filed yet. He thinks there should be a primary because it’s an open seat. Not a terribly convincing argument.
He can afford the fee. Mmmmmm but the rationale…….
Cris Barrish just tweeted that he’ll have a story in tomorrow’s News-Journal about ‘conflicting accounts’ of the tire-burning episode involving John Atkins.
To put it mildly, that sounds like fun reading.
Wonder if the story gains traction….the rubber meets the road… will there be a reTIREment……?
Vincent White’s statement upon his commendable withdrawal from the IC race doesn’t as much demonstrate the stunning incompetence of Karen Weldin Stewart as it shows her allegiance to the insurance companies she’s charged with regulating but in whose pockets she’s been since before her 2008 election. They put her in office with clandestine and essentially illegal indirect campaign donations, and she’s served their interests ever since then to the detriment and exclusion of Delaware consumers.
Stewart’s recent dishonest efforts to represent herself as a supposed “consumer advocate” in response to Mitch Crane’s challenge are as tedious and redundant as the whoppers she told about her non-existent educational and professional background in the 2008 campaign. She’s still lying in her bio on the DOI website that was recently and very professionally revamped at taxpayers’ expense to serve as her quasi-campaign site. She was never a Vice President at RSI, then a subsidiary of Cigna, and there was no department of “regulatory matters”, nor was her supposed consultancy “The Weldin Group” ever anything other than a paper incorporation. Any regulatory work for RSI was done by Cigna’s legal staff. Stewart was fired only months after she was hired because RSI discovered she is a high school dropout and that her resume was totally fictitious.
Without all her lies, Stewart would have lost in 2008 just as she did in 2000 and 2004. Her dishonesty, corruption, and incompetence will cause her to lose in the 2012 primary.
anontoo, you are the lady who Karen befriended years ago and who has long ago left the state of Delaware. While many of your comments can hold water, most come off as if desparate lies from a woman scorned. Your hate is personal and offensive. Just sayin’.
The votes in the DEM primary will hopefully stand on merits based in fact. Your ridiculous ranting has been met ad nauseum with “so prove it or STFU” from DL admin. AMEN.
The Atkins story in the News Journal is GREAT NEWS FOR TRANSPARENCY in our state. Chris Barrish has unearthed explosive scuttlebutt of corruption in the good old boys of Sussex.
If Atkins goes down, he is looking to take as many as he can down with him. Pete S. needs to move away from Atkins far and fast.
Nancy: I’m actually a guy but you probably don’t know the difference between one or the other. No one was “scorned” here.
If as you say the primary will be won on merit, your girl is dead meat because she doesn’t have any, and that’s something you DO know.
“If Atkins goes down, he is looking to take as many as he can down with him”
If Atkins has something on you, let that be a lesson to others not to get involved with Atkins at any level where he knows your business.
This time it looks like Atkins’ belief that laws don’t apply to him has sullied the so-called third rail of Delaware politics, the volunteer fire system.
I suppose it’s possible to make yourself believe that the fire chief “misspoke” when he said he was on the scene, and it’s possible to make yourself believe that six tractor tires — those are some big bubbas in that cell phone photo, aren’t they? Kinda hard to miss? — just disappeared every time John Atkins looked at the fire. I suppose it’s possible to make yourself believe that when the 911 dispatcher told the chief, “Do you know what I”m saying?” he meant something completely innocent.
And it’s also possible to believe that, exactly three weeks from today, a rabbit will hide candy eggs all over the country for children to find. In other words, all that is believable — if you’re a child of 6 or younger. I’m pretty sure most 7-year-olds could figure out this case.
I wonder if the Georgetown fire chief is ready to throw himself on the pyre, so to speak, to protect John Atkins.
So Nancy, which parts of what anontoo said are lies?
What a disappointment of losing Rich Krett as a candidate. I find a candidate who preaches integrity and transparency, and he is sunk before he gets started. This guy has been a manager of a critical service in this county, AND hold a PhD in Education as an instructor at Wilmington University. Instead of a sensible alternative, I guess we’ll have to just settle for what we get again!
Geez, do you at least believe in the tooth fairy????
It’s unfortunate that Clark outmaneuvered one viable challenger, but Bill Shahan remains in the race. I understand that Krett and Shahan do respect each other, and if Krett encourages his backers to get behind Shahan, this could become an interesting two-way race. Clark does not realize how much he is disliked.