Delaware Political Weekly: March 23-29, 2018
1. Outten Retires, 2 Candidates File in 30th RD. Nature and politics abhor a vacuum. Within 24 hours of Rep. Bobby Outten‘s retirement announcement, two candidates flied to run for his 30th RD seat. D Charles Groce and R Shannon Morris. Groce is a, stop me if you’ve heard this before, retired state trooper. For this district, his positions are pretty reasonable. He ran against Outten in 2016 and got just over 29% of the vote. It’s, um, not a D district, to put it mildly. The first R in the race (there may be more) resides on Mud Mill Road and won the 2016 Delaware ‘Dancing With the Stars’ competition. Oh, he’s also Kent County’s Chief Enforcement Officer. And, based on that picture, he is the chosen white male R for the position.
2. Zitofsky Seeks Skin In The Game, Files Against Q. Johnson To Be A Man Of The Pimple People. I’m not a religious man, but, when someone named Zitofsky files to run for office in Delaware, during Holy Week no less, all I can say is “Thank you, Jesus!”. R Daniel Zitofsky filed to challenge Quin Johnson for Johnson’s Middletown-based RD 8. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Zitofsky is a retired policeman. NYC, to be specific. I’m still trying to determine if his assignment was to keep blackheads off the street. (Hey, when God hands you a Zitofsky, you just have to pop that sucker.) OK, enough juvenilia. Well, not quite enough. I defy you to read the copy on his website. Jee-zus. To quote Wolcott Gibbs, “Backwards ran sentences until reeled the mind.” Admit it, if you were assigned to edit that copy, you’d throw your hands up in despair. Seriously, if you don’t give two shits about how you initially present yourself, then why should we take you seriously? Until further notice, I consider Zitofsky an unwanted blemish on the body politic.
3. R Candidate Files For Miro’s Seat. One Katherine Beard. That’s all I’ve got so far. Is she related to Sam Beard? I don’t know. Who can help me fill in the blanks? D’s Guillermina Gonzalez and Renee Taschner have also filed.
4. School Financial Officer Challenges Rep. Lyndon Yearick. I’m only gonna try to spell this once. Adewunmi Kuforiji, the Chief Financial Officer of the Lake Forest School District, has filed for Yearick’s 34th RD seat. This could be a sleeper race. Registration figures are 7107 D; 5967 R; and 4869 I. Prior to Yearick, the district was represented by moderate R Don Blakey, who, like Ade, is African-American. A race to watch.
5. Rep. Kim Williams Gets Primary Opponent. And she seems like a real down-to-earth person. Here is Meghan O’Donnell’s story in her own words. A worthy candidate. Wonder why she’s challenging Williams in this solidly D district. Any insights?
6. Ray Seigfried Files In 7th RD, Will Primary Joe Daigle. Seigfried filed this week after announcing his candidacy at this week’s Arden Town Assembly. Seigfried is a senior VP at Christiana Health Care and previously served as chair of the Wilmington Charter School board. He currently chairs the Arden Community Planning Committee. Joe Daigle has also filed in the D primary to succeed retiring Rep. Bryon Short.
That’s it for this week. What’d I forget, and whaddayathink?
#4: He is a CFO in the Capital School District, not Lake Forest.
This link says Lake Forest. That’s what I went by:
https://www.lf.k12.de.us/?p=2090
From Meghan O’Donnell’s story. ” I know what it’s like to survive gun violence and feel passionate about change, while also respecting the 2nd Amendment and believing that there are many, many more responsible gun owners than not. Let’s work on common sense laws- like background checks, like limiting the purchase of firearms by those with mental illness, like ensuring that, similar to driving a car, you need to pass a test to show you understand the importance of the item you’re about to take control over”. ——-This is lifted almost verbatim from the NRA playbook. I do not see a real Democrat in this challenger. Kim Williams is an honest, informed, compassionate actual Democrat who deserves the support of all of us.
Representative John Kowalko
Kowalko for Governor.
Exactly! We’ve have been pushing John to run for Governor for a long time. He is the ONLY one with the nuts and guts to stand up and work for the people.
The Kim Williams primary challenge smells like an establishment attempt to fill the seat with a less progressive Democrat. A call for an assault weapons ban is conspicuously absent.
One additional thing worth noting this week was that a potential 4th dem candidate for auditor stepped out on Facebook and appeared to fire a shot directly at Park City (If I interpreted his comments correctly). No worries though, Mitch immediately came to her defense.
@Tony: Got a link?
Not sure how to send links. Sorry in advance if this doesn’t work.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2025040911049590&id=1531413667078986&__tn__=%2As%2As-R
I’m told Mitch used to have good politics.
He’s liberal on social issues fwiw.
Mitch has changed, no question bout that. I agree with Puck the dem establishment want Kim out, just like they would love to get Kowalko out.. Kowalko for Gov, and Kim for Lt. Gov..lets clean up this corporate owned state.
And hedge fund managers officiate same sex weddings. Michael Bloomberg is pro-choice. &c. &c. …
So it ain’t worth much.
El Som, regarding Mr. Kuforiji, that is an old link. If you hit the arrows to the left or right of it, it gives you press releases from the district circa 2015. He came to Capital to replace Sean Sokolowski who went to NCC Vo-Tech to be their CFO last summer. Mr. Kuforiji was my contact at Capital when I did my recent FOIA series on administrator salaries.
http://www.capital.k12.de.us/page/2841/1691
Not sure what part of her statement is pulled from the NRA?
There is no there, there! 13 supporters, no platform, huh?
Calling for “common sense laws” on guns is an NRA talking point, especially in the absence of a call for a ban on assault weapons. At this point we really can’t say if the omission was deliberate, or simply a rookie error.
O’Donnell also tells us she is a mass shooting survivor, but does not mention the event (Las Vegas festival), where she was shot at by a dozen or so assault weapons.
Here’s some info on Kathy Beard. She’s an electrical engineer, and her family lives in Hockessin. She’s also a Trekkie, which my wife considers a plus:
https://www.facebook.com/pg/kathyfordistrict22/about/?ref=page_internal
To be fair, she just filed. Give it at least a LITTLE time…
She also has an amateur radio license, so she’s officially a nerd.
Hello John Kowalko,
Both sides need to stop viewing themselves as left and right but as a community where openness and willingness to grow together is paramount over following the dividing retoric we see daily. I hope in the future John you will not post such a snap judgement comment in the same fashion as President Trump. We are better as a collective people and individuals
Rep. Kowalko correctly and appropriately identified the NRA talking points – thank you.
@Gary McNally, please don’t condone that divisive and misleading NRA rhetoric in a Democratic primary. If you speak for the candidate, please clarify on assault weapons as soon as possible.
I don’t speak for any candidate, when I read quick judgment comments it reminds me of the quick tweets and uninformed statements that we see from the president. All I’m asking is we stop falling into their ways and lead by example.
Gary McNally,
I’ve spent the last couple weeks fielding emails, (sometimes very nasty, sometimes threatening, always uninformed and never based in any reality or honest reflection of the crisis we are facing) from every Tom, Dick, Harry and Mary that sent a dollar or two to the NRA or their affiliates. The words that are used on Ms. O’Donnell’s site are repeated often enough in almost all of those emails (in between nasty references about communist, constitution violating scum such as myself wanting to take their guns, bazookas and/or flamethrowers) that I can recite them by rote. Don’t bother trying to lecture me or enlighten me about left or right or sides. I am on one side and that is the side willing, at any cost, to stop the slaughter of men, women, children, church-goers, movie theater customers, night club visitors, 5year olds, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, sixteen year olds and every breathing and living soul whose lives I value much more than the Greg Gutfelds, Laura Ingrahams, Sean Hannity’s,NRA leaders and every politician who sits on their fat behinds or plays golf while Rome burns do. Spare me your criticism and suggest to Ms O’Donnell that she stake out a position and fight for it. If I thought it would stop this insanity I’d dig up the corpse of Charlie Heston and pry that gun from his cold, dead and decaying fingers and put it where it should’ve been placed.
Regards
Representative John Kowalko
I didn’t see any NRA stalkinghorse points in O’ Donnell’s post. I like Kim Williams, I think she’s one of the better legislators in Dover. But I don’t understand the need to dismiss O’Donnell based on her personal statement. I DO want to know more about the impetus for her challenge of Williams, though.
Can we get some push on this = https://delawarestatenews.net/government/legislation-to-impose-fee-for-water-cleanup-tabled/
And the Wilmington Bus Hub that Scott Spencer & John Flarethey is fighting like hell to get straightened out? They could use a hand.
Couldn’t agree more with the comments below but for this to happen nut jobs like Kowalko need to go away.
Hello John Kowalko,
Both sides need to stop viewing themselves as left and right but as a community where openness and willingness to grow together is paramount over following the dividing retoric we see daily. I hope in the future John you will not post such a snap judgement comment in the same fashion as President Trump. We are better as a collective people and individuals
Our large adult son is awake already!
TK: Were Cassandra still here, she’d say “Pot, Meet Kettle.” She’s not, so I will. In fact, I just did.
@el som 2:21 a.m.- agree. What is O’Donnell’s impetus for challenging Williams? Would like to hear from the candidate.
Hi all!
I assure you I’m not “straight from the NRA playbook,” nor am I part of any “establishment.” I’m also not a plant from anyone, promise. What I am, is a person motivated by different priorities. Hence the challenge. Happy to talk futher before you decide if I’m a “real Democrat” or not but would love the chance to do that before you start passing judgment- fair enough?
Contact info is on the site or find me on Facebook! Let’s talk!
Thanks!
Fair enough. I withdraw any premature foregone conclusions I have made. But be aware that Rep. Williams works, efforts and dedication is a steep hill to climb for anyone hoping to be held in that regard. In my 12 years as a sitting representative I hold her in the highest regard and her performance as a true-blue public servant has not been surpassed by anyone I’ve worked with.
Representative John Kowalko
Seems to me Ms. O’Donnell missed a great opportunity to tell us who she is, what she stands for and, more importantly, why she is primarying an effective legislator? A campaign against an incumbent is first and foremost a referendum on that incumbent.
Why should Kim WIlliams not be re-elected and why is her opponent a better choice?
Seriously, Mitch, WTF are you talking about? She just announced. As any good candidate should know, the first thing to do is to introduce yourself to the voters. The compare-and-contrast comes later. She’s even made the offer to any of us to chat with her and find out why she’s running. I don’t know what more she could do at this point.
Between you and Kowalko, we’re getting trolls from the left who don’t seem to want to let the candidate introduce herself.
I stand with Kim. She is progressive, effective and we know where she stands, with us. Of course, we want to hear from the both sides, however I would like to know “why she IS challenging Kim”. Whats the motive and where does she differ on the issues.
I invited her to introduce herself
Thanks for putting me with John Kowalko as a “troll on the left”. Glad I piss people off when I am a “party hack”as well as when I am a leftist
BTW, I am not just a “social liberal”. I support unions, the $15 living wage, and gun control. Where I differ with many progressives is in my belief that you support the most electable progressive candidate not necessarily the most progressive.
Have at it
“you support the most electable progressive candidate not necessarily the most progressive.”
That is what makes you a “party hack,” meaning functionary. For an independent progressive, it would be better to have a Republican representing Rehoboth Beach than a Democrat as conservative as Pete. With Pete, the party caucus is dragged to the right. With a Republican, Democrats could ignore his influence and would be more progressive for it. The single seat wouldn’t matter to the party’s control of the chamber.
My second objection is that your idea of the “most electable” isn’t to be trusted — not from malice, just inexperience with this electorate. I don’t think you know how much you don’t know about your new home state.
Alby. I have been here full time for 17 years. I know more than enough.
See, that’s where you’re wrong. The smarter you are, the more you realize you don’t know. I’ve been here 46 years and I know there are things I’ll never know.
For example, I know when someone’s trying to play me. You apparently don’t.
While withholding judgement I have to say that there is something odd about this.
I get that Trump has stirred a lot of people to action but This is a head scratcher.
Mitch was a very radical person back in the day. That’s what I’m told.
Now he’s a fucking cop.
Here’s an idea Mitch. If you believe as you say you do (or did) then go convince people instead of giving up and saying something stupid like:
“…support the most electable progressive candidate not necessarily the most progressive.”
Your boy isn’t a progressive at all. You know. I know it. We all know it. Saying so is a fucking insult to our intelligence. You sold out and gave up.
Since you can’t convince people on the $15 minimum wage you certainly will never ever convince us you’re not a hack and sell-out repping for a cop.