BREAKING: State GOP Chair John Sigler Resigns

Filed in Delaware by on May 29, 2013

…. for personal reasons. The News Journal alert I just received described the decision as being abrupt. From the First State Politics blog over at the NJ, Sigler resigned via a letter to party leaders this morning, saying:

“It is with deep regret and a profound disappointment that I must inform you that, due to newly emergent and totally unexpected circumstances that are completely beyond my control, I am unable to continue to serve you as the Chairman of the Republican State Committee of Delaware,” said Sigler, a former National Rifle Association president who took over the party after the devastating 2010 elections.

Sigler said he could not comment further “due to the nature and origin of these unforeseen circumstances.”

Nelly Jordan, the Vice Chair that was just elected last month as a tea party grass roots champion to shake up the RINO establishment, now takes over as Acting Chairman, and a special convention will be held in 60 days to elect a new chairman. Pass the popcorn. Because I suspect if Jordan is not elected or is challenged, the Sussex Theocrats may not be pleased.

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  1. Theory #1: He came out to find his SUV covered in pigeon poop, and had a sudden catharsis.

  2. Theory #2: Del-Tech offered him a position, and there are federal funds involved. Thus making him the ONLY Del-Tech employee not knee-deep in partisan political shenanigans.

  3. Old Sussex County Native says:

    If I had somehow found myself in his shoes, one look at how shattered and divided, and bickering the current R party is, I’d resign abruptly too. Every time I read over at DP.com I shake my head in disbelief at how strange it has gotten. Funny thing is, I used to be an R, a long, long time ago. It’s going to take more than all the kings horses and all the kings men to put Humpty together again…

  4. cassandra_m says:

    Wonder if he resigned because he knew that Lincoln Chaffee was joining the Democratic party today? He might just be one of the many in DE abandoning the GOP ship, right?

  5. ql says:

    I don’t want disaffected Republicans joining the Democratic Party. We have enough Blue Dogs as is. However, after reading Pat Fish’s latest screed over DP.com, I can kind of understand why normal people would consider leaving the Republican Party. Do they really think that posting that kind of non-stop hatred for anyone and everything she doesn’t approve is going attract more voters. I’d hightail it of town too!

  6. Old Sussex County Native says:

    You have to understand that years ago, the Republican Party in DE was much more moderate, and D’s in Sussex were ultra conservative. That’s hard to believe in today’s Sussex County, but check out the old guard guys like Curt Steen and Thurman Adams — very conservative! I doubt many disaffected R’s of today are coming to the D side, mostly going independent, or unaffiliated. I myself am unaffiliated, but hardly ever, ever ever vote R. There’s always an explosion of D’s on my vote card. Can’t take the mean spirited, ultra conservative, intolerant faction of the R side. I am way more comfortable in a room full of Democrats, and shudder every time I think of the Sussex Sheriff and his posse(did I spell that right?) actually getting some power.

  7. Geezer says:

    Sigler could have saved himself a lot of rumor-mill speculation had he just come up with something a little more — dare I say it? — transparent. Apparently the GOP’s desire for transparency applies only to issues on which they can grandstand.

  8. AOINE says:

    Well complaining because tourists are ” filling our churches with their bathing shuts and sandy feet” just goes a tad bit beyond comservativism
    Not to mention Christianity and common human decency.

    But, they are the purveyors of all thing Christian , so I suppose Jesus disapproves of bathing suits and sand

    Maybe THAT’S why Oklahoma had a killer tornado- who knows anymore….

  9. geezer says:

    In her defense, I don’t think it was intended as a rant, more as a “humorous” crack about the start of tourist season. Maybe you have to live year-round in a tourist destination to understand.

  10. Jason330 says:

    Calling Mike Protack. this is your moment.

  11. fightingbluehen says:

    “I don’t want disaffected Republicans joining the Democratic Party. ”

    I believe they are headed for the IPoD which could be the saving grace for the Delaware GOP.

  12. Delaware Dem says:

    Wait, I think we are confused on who is disaffected here.

    Ql is talking about moderate Republicans like Chateau Country Republicans and supporters of Mike Castle being the disaffected Republicans who are joining the Dems because of the takeover of the state GOP by Christine O’Donnell, Don Ayotte and the like.

    FightingBlueHen is talking about the Don Ayottes and the Doug Beattys leaving the GOP for IPOD.

    I think both are happening.

  13. old sussex county native says:

    Delaware Dem said: ” I think both are happening” — which translates into the GOP collectively crying out like the witch in Oz “I’m melting!!!!!”

  14. Dave says:

    I agree with DD. Both are happening. The whack jobs are leaving because of the moderates. The moderates are leaving because of the whack jobs. Seems to me that they should coordinated their moves a bit better. The remaining question is, who’s left? I mean what are they? plain old conservatives? Do they have a name (or rather a label)?

  15. xstryker says:

    They should form separate parties with names drawn from the political history of America. The Mike Castle money-minded moderates can be the Whig party, and the xenophobic posse-powered people can be the Know-Nothing Party. And if the gay-hating theocrats want their own getup, they can be the Prohibition Party (to prohibit gay marriage, gay anything, sex education, non-creationist education, abortion, contraception, and the general enjoyment of sex in any possible way).

  16. cassandra_m says:

    The NJ covers this story today and this jumped out at me:

    Sigler is general counsel for Chestertown, Md.-based Psychotherapeutic Services, a mental health services firm that has offices next door to state Republican offices in Dover and performs contract work for the state. Sigler also represents the company as a lobbyist before the General Assembly.

    Really? Sigler is out and about screaming about (and fundraising off of) the usual Big Government Bullshit and he works for a company that is a beneficiary of said Big Government? Seriously? Ridiculous.

  17. Dave says:

    No, not ridiculous. Hypocritical. Public prayer – private debauchery, public conservative principles – private sucking at the public trough, public anti entitlements and big government, private successful business made possible by government programs, do as we say, not as we do. That single word “hypocrisy” speaks volumes and explains nearly everything about them.

    I’m not progressive. Maybe not even liberal, but I respect liberals and progressives, not because of their management expertise and accumen, but simply because they walk the talk. They are what they claim to be, even when I don’t agree with their solutions. The pervasive and blatant hypocrisy of the right is to the point where “jumped the shark” cannot even apply. A new term is needed to identify that dominant characteristic of theirs.

  18. Yep. Psychotherapeutic Services also gets $$’s from the Feds. Block grants and the like.

    Maybe they’re being hurt by the sequester?

  19. Check out their site: http://www.psychotherapeuticservices.com/de.htm

    Click under ‘programs’, and you’ll see that Sigler’s firm does business in four states: Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, and Florida.

    I could be wrong, but I believe that, in every single case, these are government-funded programs primarily in social services, mental health, drug rehab and the like. You can click on each individual program (contract) to see for yourself.

    The irony of Rethuglican State HQ standing right next to a building that churns out RFP’s for precisely the kinds of programs that R’s rail against could not be more ironic, considering the same guy represents, or, should I say, represented, both.

  20. Mark Blake says:

    Dave & El Sommambulo, just to provide some clarity, the building in which Mr. Sigler’s employer resides in was next door to the Kent County Republican HQ, not the State GOP HQ. By way of information, the Kent County Republican HQ closed that office after the November 2012 elections were over and their lease was up. Kent is looking to either build a new building elsewhere or rent a different space in Kent County.

  21. Thanks, Mark. So, it was a ‘pop-up’ office? Parties do that during election cycles.

  22. Mark Blake says:

    El Somnambulo, actually, it had been the Kent County (KC) GOP Region’s office for the past several years. They also shared their space, a rather large, 2 story “duplex style” office building, with the KC Young Republicans and the KC Women’s GOP group, etc. I think the KC GOP folks decided they no longer needed such a large space going forward, especially with the “off election year(s)” ahead. Now I’m off to see what’s new in the GOP Chairman situation!