Tag Archives: Jack Markell

Speaker Pete Burying Port Bill?

Signs point to yes.

On Wednesday, January 16, the Senate passed Senate Bills 1, 2, and 3:

http://legis.delaware.gov/LIS/LAH147.NSF/65d260a8f0fbce13852572360055cafe/f4c55b7e0e893ce785257af600176dee?OpenDocument

Senate Bill 1, which pertains to the Bank Franchise tax, was assigned to the House Business Uber Alles Committee, will be considered in committee on Wednesday, and likely voted on by Thursday.

Senate Bill 2, which is a tax break for a Dover theatre, was assigned to the House Housing and Community Affairs Committee, will be considered in committee on Wednesday, and likely voted on by Thursday.

Senate Bill 3, which would require legislative input for any deal concerning the Port of Wilmington…was not assigned to any committee. It was not ‘Laid on the Speaker’s Table’, which would permit a vote under rules suspension. (BTW, is it true that the term ‘laid on the table’ was officially banned from the Senate lexicon during the DeLuca years?)  SB 3 is officially sitting in limbo:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olkS6KdF0Mw[/youtube]

Would it be too great a stretch to point out how enabling Kinder Morgan to take over the Port might make it easier for their pipelines to navigate ‘many rivers to cross’? Thought so.

Did I point out that Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf alone determines the status of bills introduced in the House? He decides on committee assignments, he decides whether to bypass committees altogether on occasion, and he determines the timeline on committee consideration of bills by determining when to assign the bill. By delaying an assignment for SB 3, and, believe me, he did it on purpose, he makes it impossible for the bill to be considered in committee this week unless he also waives House rules requiring adequate public notice. He made sure that SB 1 and SB 2 could be considered with proper notice, and he made sure that SB 3 couldn’t.

If the Speaker is working with the Governor to bypass legislative consideration of this huge transaction, he is, in effect, conspiring against the concept of the General Assembly as a co-equal branch of government.

I think that’s exactly what he’s doing, and I thought that you should know as well. You know the drill, contact your state representative, and demand that they do their job even if the Speaker won’t. And, if you live in the City, you should probably contact Reps. Charles Potter, Stephanie Bolden, Gerald Brady, and J. J. Johnson, and ask them why they voted for a Speaker who is selling out their constituents.

Delaware General Assembly Pre-Session Show: Tuesday, January 8, 2012

2013 has all the makings of the most momentous year in recent legislative memory.

The House and Senate have both undergone major institutional and leadership changes.

More progressives now serve in Dover than before.

A pro-business governor with aspirations for higher office must decide both what’s best for the state and what’s best for his political future.

A host of important issues await, including, of course, Delaware’s economic condition.

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY FOR NEWBIES

The Delaware State Senate has 21 members,  currently 13 D’s and 8 R’s. The President Pro-Tempore leads the Senate, although the Lieutenant Governor often, but not always, presides over the senate sessions as a non-voting member. Here is a list of the Senate members.

The House of Representatives has 41 members, currently 27 D’s, 14 R’s. The Speaker of the House presides over the body. You can find the House membership here.

The General Assembly is in session from the second Tuesday in January through June 30 each year. Three days a week–Tuesday through Thursday. The Senate often returns for a special session in the fall to consider nominations.

The General Assembly breaks for six weeks at the end of January for Joint Finance Committee (budget) hearings and meetings. There is another 2-week break around Easter, and an additional week’s break around Memorial Day.  The Memorial Day break often enables the ‘money’ committees to finish work on marking up the budget.The typical General Assembly meets in session about 50 days a year.

The House always holds committee meetings on Wednesdays until the last week or two of session, and does not generally conduct any substantive business on Wednesdays. Senate committees also generally meet on Wednesdays, but the Senate can and does run an occasional agenda on committee days.

January generally follows a particular pattern. The first day this year will be ceremonial in nature, with swearing-in ceremonies. Although the Senate officially was sworn in during a November Special Session to consider nominations, there will be family and friends galore in Legislative Hall today to participate in the ceremonies. The House will elect its leadership and, although there were and are some hard feeling arising out of the Democratic Caucus votes, do not look for a challenge to Speaker-Designate Pete Schwartzkopf.  Governor Markell delivers his State of the State Address this week, and his legislative agenda will be spelled out in that speech. By the end of January, the Governor will also submit his proposed budget to the General Assembly.

While some ’emergency’ legislation passes in January, it’s usually a slow month. I would love, however, for legislators to lay down some markers this month. In particular, I would like to see Sen. Bob Marshall get his minimum wage increase legislation through the Senate in January. He passed a two-step minimum wage increase through the Senate last session, only to see it buried in the House with the approval of the Governor. While gun control and gay marriage will be on the political front-burner, I hope that progressives push for meaningful reforms for workers this session. The most meaningful reform that could be enacted quickly is a minimum wage increase.

MY INITIAL OBSERVATIONS

President Pro-Tempore Patti Blevins earns early high marks from me. Not just for the committee assignments, which I applaud. I’ve also been impressed with her comments, which suggest to me that a lot of thought has gone into what she’s done. Plus, she has done something the Senate should have done at least two decades ago. She has named a Chief-of-Staff, and she’s chosen wisely. Val McCartan is Blevins’ long-time administrative aide. So, yes, she’s the obvious choice. But she’s an excellent choice, and I think, perfect for the job. She’s liked and respected, and she has just enough steel to lay down the law when needed. I don’t think that Sen. Blevins could have done this with all the old institutional memory (read ‘resistance to professionalism’) still around. But this is a smart move, especially considering that this body of 21 will have six new members this year.

Speaker of the House Pete Schwartzkopf has some work to do if he is to reestablish the institutional comity that was the hallmark of the House for the past 30 years or so. That is, if Pete really wants to establish said institutional comity. Granted, the leadership battle was a bruising one. A leader can either choose to help the healing process, or to exacerbate tensions that arose from the battle. So far, the Speaker has opted for the latter. It is, however, still early.

Governor Markell fully intends to push legalization of gay marriage this session. And I admit ambivalence. I support gay marriage. I strongly support gay marriage. My ambivalence stems from this nagging concern that Markell also intends to use this issue to burn up all the progressive oxygen that could otherwise go to challenge the most wrongheaded of his pro-business/pro-1% positions. For example, let’s just see how much ‘shared sacrifice’ Markell demands of the Top 1% should our finances require sacrifice. Let’s just see whether Markell supports a minimum wage increase this year. Let’s just see if Markell demands economic justice for low-income retail and restaurant workers while their corporate masters rip off both them and the State of Delaware. Let’s just see if Markell demands real lobbying reform this year, not the phony ‘reform’ he used to help prop up Tiny Tony DeLuca last session.

Here’s my point on Markell. He has aspirations for higher office. While he legitimately supports gay marriage, he also seeks to burnish his progressive cred by pushing it. However, he has so far aligned himself with the Carper DINO economic wing of the Democratic Party (what’s good for business is good for Delaware). If he doesn’t change, I intend to call him on it. If he does, then he won’t have a stronger supporter than me.

MY HOPES

We probably have more progressives than we ever have in the Delaware General Assembly. We also have a lot of real Democrats, not primarily ‘business-first’ D’s, although there are still some of them around. I hope that these Democratic legislators pursue Democratic and progressive policies, including first and foremost, fairness for workers. Increased wages; decent working conditions; protection from businesses engaged in ‘deadbeat capitalism’ (shifting expenses from the companies onto the state), businesses like Walmart and the glop shop chain restaurants and national pizza places.

I hope to see a lot of progressive proposals this year. Gun control, empirical review of state giveaways to businesses, reining in Delmarva Power, an end to legislative double-dipping, serious consideration of single-payer, and lots more.

In other words, I would like to see the progressive voices introduce legislation that has not come from the Markell Administration, but rather reflects their own particular interests. It’s easy to simply carry the ball for the Executive branch, and there’s nothing wrong with it as long as the proposals merit that support. But the legislative branch can and should be independent of the governor. I want to see more legislative initiative this term.

I can assure legislators that I will help promote those progressive initiatives as best I can, and I know that I’m by no means alone.. We’re learning every day how to effectively harness the power of grassroots movements. Give us proposals we can coalesce around, and we’ll do everything we can to help see them through to fruition.

WATCH THIS SPACE

In the past, I’ve written a post-game wrap-up/pre-game show column for each legislative day. I don’t plan to do so this year, although I  will write a column when I deem it worthwhile. I’ll, of course, write at least one and probably at least two reports each week. I’m only cutting back because, after rereading last year’s legislative posts, there were days that the column reflected sort-of an ‘obligatory’ quality. If I’m bored, the reader will be bored. Bottom line: If there’s enough interesting (to me) material, I’ll post. If not, I’ll hold off until there is.

Let the games begin!

Giving Thanks for Delaware’s Politicans

People are thankful for many different things by the time Thanksgiving rolls around. Some are thankful for their health. Others are happy they have close friends and a loving family.

I’m thankful for politicians.

Seriously, without those do-nothing bureaucrats wasting taxpayer money, I would have to remove the “political” from my political cartoons. Suddenly, what passed as biting satire about the relevant issues of the day would quickly become an illustrated guide to your Facebook feed.

Continue reading at Newsworks.org…

Marriage Equality in Delaware in 2013?

Governor Markell spoke to the Huffington Post and tells them that he thinks that marriage equality in Delaware might be as close as 2013, when he expects the legislature to take it up. That is a surprise and it is good news.

Markell, a Democrat, supports legalizing same-sex marriage, and he has said in the past that he believes marriage equality is “inevitable” in his state. He previously predicted the Delaware legislature would take up the issue “probably within the next few years.”

But in an interview at The Huffington Post’s offices on Monday, Markell said he expected the legislature to work on it as soon as the next session.

While the HuffPo notes that recent victories for marriage equality were specifically led by the Governors of those states, Markell says he would be willing to play the same role, but is expecting a great deal of grassroots support to get it done.

Along the same line, four blue states will have marriage equality up on the ballot this year, and all four states have polling that says these measures will pass. Cautious optimism is in order, it is early in the game, and the bigoted and their churches haven’t gotten into the fray yet. But it would be quite the achievement and would help to provide some momentum to any effort in Delaware.

On the Hustings With Bryan Townsend

After spending a couple of hours at the doors (aka trying to keep up) with 11th District State Senate candidate Bryan Townsend last night, I can only say this: The residents of the 11th District would be SO much better off with Bryan Townsend as their Senator that it’s not even a close call. He is the single best first-time candidate I’ve encountered since Dave Sokola. And, yes, when elected, he would immediately join Senators Peterson and Sokola as one of the best senators in Dover.

Arrayed against him is virtually the entire political establishment of Delaware. Yes, virtually the entire political establishment of Delaware has decided to prop up the amoral and unethical incumbent Tony DeLuca. And ‘propping up’ is the appropriate description. Spend any time in the district and one thing becomes clear: Tony DeLuca has no chance to win this district on his own. Without his being propped up by the political establishment, his political carcass would be so dead that you couldn’t even grind it up for sausage unless you paid off the inspectors. Or unless one of Tony’s ‘enforcement’ minions was the inspector.

The Townsend candidacy and campaign are so strong, however, that good has a great chance to triumph over eee-vil.

Fueled by a large group of enthusiastic volunteers, the campaign has been working for months to get out the message and to identify their supporters. The volunteers are largely, but by no means, exclusively, of college age, and I found their enthusiasm and discipline infectious. Grassroots campaigns are always so much fun when they’re well-run like this one, and you owe it to yourselves to volunteer to help. If for no other reason, for your psychic well-being.

Such an enthusiastic campaign organization would not be possible if the candidate himself was not leading by example. Bryan Townsend is a remarkable candidate and is outstanding at the doors. He engages people, he relates to people, and he listens and understands their concerns. He wins people over. The issue that came up several times last night was education, and specifically, the state of some of the schools serving students in the 11th District. I find it hard to imagine any candidate this side of Dave Sokola with a better grasp of the performance of the individual schools, and the challenges facing students, teachers and parents in some of the under-performing schools. Not altogether surprising, since Townsend is a product of those schools. If elected, he would immediately become a forceful advocate for teachers, parents and students. Has DeLuca ever even attended a school board meeting, PTA meeting, you name it? Townsend has, and continues to do so. Which makes one wonder why Jack Polidori of DSEA didn’t even permit Townsend to interview for the DSEA endorsement. Actually, not really. Polidori and Markell are allies, and Markell is all-in for DeLuca, a stain that can never be removed from his legacy. Teachers: I know that you all think for yourselves, it’s a prerequisite for the job. Spend five minutes with Townsend and you’ll KNOW that he will be a far greater ally for quality education than DeLuca ever has been. Don’t take my word for it. Call him. And parents? DeLuca has spent 14 years in Dover. How much improvement have you seen in your children’s schools during that time? I encourage you to contact Bryan as well.

So, back to the doors. I was amazed at how few people had ever heard of and/or had met DeLuca. We walked in a community that has been part of the 11th since at least back to the old Roger Martin days. I’ve knocked doors on behalf of numerous candidates and on my own behalf in my one bid for public office. So I know. You always get push-back, it’s to be expected. Not only did we get next-to-no pushback last night, but we got several ‘you’ve got my vote’s and offers for signs. Even a couple of great prospective volunteers. Any political observer who spends time with this candidate can only come away with one conclusion: Both he and his campaign are resonating with voters.

Look, we all know that DeLuca will have loads of money. After all, they’re trying to run a campaign without a candidate who they want to be seen in public.  You’re gonna see a lot of mailings, a lot of signs on public right-of-way, a lot of stolen Townsend signs. It’s DeLuca, so invariably the campaign will turn negative. If you don’t believe me, see what you can dig up on the DeLuca-Reed campaigns. About as dirty as campaigns could get.

All of that can be overcome by volunteers and contributions. This campaign can change the course of Delaware politics. It can be a triumph of hope over cynicism. Donate some time, some shoe leather, and some money. It’ll make you feel good. I should know. It made me feel so good that I’m going back. And, I’m writing another check. After payday.

Tipping His Canoe into the Race

It seems as though Jack Markell might have a primary opponent. Magnolia resident Doug Beatty, whose only claim to fame is being the son of actor Ned Beatty, has announced that he is going to challenge Markell in the Democratic primary. That is if he can raise the filing fee.

In what has to be the biggest understatement of the year, Beatty said that he is “an extreme long shot” but thinks he can win if he can get on the ballot. I think he’s watched The Candidate too many times. His run is more like the wet dream Bobby had in Deliverance.

Beatty believes he’s qualified for the office and lists his qualifications as

… never served even in a municipal office and does not hold a bachelor’s degree. But Beatty said he is not uneducated. In the Navy, he was trained in avionics to work on electronic systems for aircrafts, satellites and spacecraft.

Beatty also said he holds an honors certificate from Computer Learning Center in Alexandria, Va. He has studied dealing black jack and roulette, and he worked in Washington, D.C., as a special police officer.

He also once was able to draw the horse that he found on the inside of a matchbook cover.

It seems his main concern in running is that a neighbor was killed in 2006 and he believes the police didn’t investigate the crime fully because of the victim’s and perpetrator’s race.

Beatty said it was a 2006 incident that finally pushed him to try to make a change. Beatty said his next-door neighbor’s house was broken into, and his neighbor, also a friend, was gunned down.

Beatty said because his friend and the killer were both African-American, police did not investigate the shooting. “I deliberately saw evidence not picked up,” Beatty said. “There was a bullet left in my house.”

Beatty said cigarette butts the killer left on the floor of his neighbor’s home were not collected by police. “I’m a stickler for civil rights,” Beatty said. If a person is killed, it should be investigated, regardless of who the person is, he said.

If Beatty does make the ballot, it means that Jack can raise twice limit allowed by law – $1200 for both the primary and general election. This might not be a bad thing – Jack would be able to use his campaign funds to help down ballot races.

Alluding to a possible campaign theme, Beatty is a law abiding citizen.

Beatty said he does not consider himself very partisan, but he knows how to uphold the law. “I’m a damn good security guard if nothing else,” he said.

Beatty said citizens from Occupy Wall Street protesters to Tea Party members and 9-12 Patriots have shown support in his decision to run. “I’ve got a lot of support from friends,” he said. Most of them don’t even seem to mind his preference for wearing kilts, he said.

Can’t wait to see his version of Braveheart.

The Delaware Liberal Tracking Poll

You may have noticed in the center column of the site, we have a poll question regarding the job performance of Governor Markell. Currently, the Governor has a 69% approval rating (27% approve, 42% strongly approve), and a 22% disapproval rating (17% disapprove, 5% strongly). And 9% of you either don’t care, don’t know or are “meh” when it comes to the Governor.

Now, an internet poll is in no way accurate (although, real polls of the Governor’s job performance have similar findings, with approval in the 60’s). We are not dealing with a random sample here. And the sample size is way too small (64 people at last count). Still, I thought it would be fun to have a new tracking poll feature each day that polls the politically motivated and passionate in Delaware. Each day of the week we will poll on a different office holder or candidate.

The schedule will vary week to week, but we will poll most often on the candidates up for election or reelection this year. And all you have to do is register your opinion with your vote. Each day, the poll on a specific official or candidate will be open on the front page for 24 hours, from 7:30 am to 7:30 am, and I will post the results immediately at 8 am after the polls “closed” on a particular candidate. Now, I am sure you are thinking it will be easy to game this poll. Well, not really. Votes are recorded by IP Address, so once you vote on the particular poll, you cannot vote again unless you are using another computer with a different IP Address. And if you do that, well, you’re a loser.

Here is next week’s schedule:

Monday – Insurance Commissioner Karen Weldin Stewart (D)

Tuesday – Lt. Governor Matt Denn (D)

Wednesday – Senator Tom Carper (D)

Thursday – Congressman John Carney (D)

Friday – New Castle County Executive Paul Clark (D)

Governor Markell’s State of the State Address (Updated with video)

[EARLIER TODAY]

This is scheduled to start at 2PM today and the Governor will deliver the address this year from the House. According to the NJ, this year’s themes will be jobs, getting savings from medicaid and education.

If you aren’t headed to Dover to watch this live and in person, you have a few options to hear it or to watch it:

Delaware.gov— They’ll do a live webcast and will give you a choice of audio only or video.

WDEL— It looks like they will broadcast on the radio and carry video on their website.

Use this thread to liveblog the address if you are watching.

Tornoe’s Toon: A Civil Union-y New Year!

Delaware Civil Union Rob Tornoe cartoon

I’ve drawn my fair share of cartoons on why civil unions are a step-forward, but gay marriage is the way to go if you’re looking for true equity.

But as Delaware prepares to become only the 8th state in the country to allow civil unions on January 1, I thought about all the gay couples that will now be able to endorse their relationships equally under state law, and it softened me up a bit for this cartoon.

The fact that it’s not called “marriage” is secondary to the fact that for the first time in their lives, many Delawareans will now be able to share benefits with their partner, perform a joint adoption, care for their partner when they’re ill and many more of the things married couples take for granted.

Continue Reading on Newsworks.org >>>