State Rep. Smyk Removes Patrick Miller As His Campaign Treasurer

Last weekend I reported State Representative Stephen Smyk had Patrick Miller as his Campaign Treasurer according to campaign finance reports from 2013 until January of 2018.  Earlier this week, Smyk removed Miller from this function.

Like I said in the article the other day, it is one thing to have him listed from 2013-2015.  But to keep him after the allegations against him stemming from the Indian River Audit investigation and the district putting him on leave (until he retired and was able to collect a state pension) is another thing.

It looks like Smyk wised up and saw the light.  Miller continues to serve as the Board President of the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company.  Smyk has family members that are a part of that organization.

State Rep. Steve Smyk Has Patrick Miller As His Campaign Treasurer

As recently as January 20th of this year, Patrick Miller has signed the campaign finance reports for State Rep. Steve Smyk.  Miller is listed as the Treasurer for “Friends of Steve Smyk”.

Miller, the controversial figure who loomed large in two audit investigations for school districts, Brandywine in 1999 and Indian River in 2016, now serves as the President of the Indian River Volunteer Fire Company.  Smyk has family members in the fire company.  Smyk made light of allegations against Miller on WGMD the other day and actually suggested it wasn’t criminal actions but unethical moves.

I would think, given the MANY allegations against Patrick Miller, the last thing any political candidate would want is to have Miller anywhere near a political campaign.  But I guess when your family is at the fire company Miller presides over it is worth it.  Sadly, Smyk’s father is on the financial oversight committee of the fire company.  But that oversight has triggered the Auditor of Accounts office and the Delaware Department of Justice to look into the same fire company.

I could understand if Miller was your campaign treasurer BEFORE the Indian River audit investigation came out.  But AFTER?  That is political suicide in my opinion.

How deep does the Miller well go?  Very deep.  Miller has been doing taxes for members of the fire company for many years.  But he won’t put his name on it.  This is the same Patrick Miller who put non-members on a state list to get tax credits they didn’t qualify for.  That, my friends, is tax fraud.  Ah, Rep. Smyk.  This does not look good for you, not at all…

Miller wasn’t the only campaign treasurer for a Sussex County politician.  Turns out he was the campaign treasurer for the recently convicted former Delaware State Representative John Atkins as well.  While Miller’s name doesn’t appear on the 2017 annual campaign finance report for Atkins, it is worth noting that NO ONE signed that filing.  But Miller is clearly listed on Atkins’ 2015 annual filing.  Atkins, a former Republican who switched to a Democrat, lost in 2014 to Republican Rich Collins.  Miller is a registered Republican.

Smyk, the incumbent Republican State Representative for the 20th State Rep. District faces Democrat John Bucchioni in the Delaware General Election in November.

Patrick Miller is toxic to anyone associated with him.  Why Smyk would continue this association is beyond me.

The below video, from “The Shawshank Redemption”, does have a few curse words.  Fair warning!

Why Is Rep. Smyk Sticking Up For The Poster Child For Delaware Fraud, Patrick Miller?

When you have family in the same fire company as Patrick Miller, the fraud/theft king of Delaware, your perspective might be a bit off.  For State Representative Stephen Smyk, he might as well give up his seat in the House chamber to Patrick Miller after what he said on the radio this morning!

Patrick Miller’s Hat Trick & The Bunting Letter Sent To Indian River Staff After Patrick Miller “Resigned”

Brandywine School District.  Indian River School District.  Indian River Volunteer Fire Company.  What do all three of these have in common?  Patrick Miller.  A man accused of financial fraud in the two districts who is not behind bars.  High crimes and misdemeanors indeed!  But he is a free man.  How is that even possible?

Chaos At Legislative Hall In Dover

Legislative Hall was a very odd place this afternoon around 4pm.  Usually the place is bustling on a Wednesday afternoon, but since yesterday’s announcement by party leadership that no “controversial” bills would be heard until the budget is passed, it was eerily quiet.  Of course the lobbyists were milling around, but the tone was very subdued.

The Delaware Joint Finance Committee met today and added $51 million in cuts to education and healthcare for a total of $88 million cuts.  Rumors were swirling that Democrats in the House were turning on their own because they won’t vote for the budget if it includes House Bill 240, State Rep. Val Longhurst’s very weak revenue bill.  Turns out the Democrat leadership sent those legislators to the Principal’s office (aka Governor Carney) over the past couple of days.  Way to turn on your own!  And they even got a few of the Delaware labor organizations (including DSEA) to rattle those legislators cages.

The Republicans introduced a resolution to extend state services for 30 days during July if the budget doesn’t pass.  I saw Mike Jackson who runs the Office of Management and Budget briefly and asked if we had a budget.  His response…  “For now.”  Which doesn’t mean much given no one has voted on it yet.  But the epilogue language is being written.  Grant-in-aid got slashed from $51 million to $8 million so good luck to those non-profits!

Meanwhile, the House voted on House Joint Resolution #6, directing the DOE to come up with regulations surrounding gender identity issues in Delaware schools.  Reps. Dukes and Smyk asked questions about it which basically meant they were opposed to the bills.  As one observer put it, there was definitely some “transhomophobia” in the House chamber.  The bill passed the House.  Expect similar resistance in the Senate.

Two Senators were there today who hadn’t been in the latter part of last week.  Senator Bryan Townsend’s wife had a baby boy last week.  Meanwhile Senator Brian Pettyjohn had some other stuff to straighten out.

I had some good chats with some folks.  Asked some pointed questions to a few so I am hoping to find out some answers on those in the next few days.  One of them has to do with the series of articles I’ve been writing about Smyrna.  It’s kind of putting a delay on Part 6.  I am hoping the answer is positive.

Some of us talking were in agreement the State Board of Education isn’t going anywhere.  The Delaware Dept. of Education will pick up the $213,000 tab for them.  Today the Senate confirmed former Delaware Senator Liane Sorenson as an at-large member of the State Board of Education.  I met her briefly and enjoyed our conversation.  She did confirm she reads Exceptional Delaware so that is always a plus in my book!

The next two days are going to be absolutely crazy down there.  If I’m not there tomorrow, I definitely will be on Friday.  That is an education blogger MUST!  I am hoping to get more of the Smyrna series up tomorrow.  But it depends on that one answer on how I move forward with this.

Oh yeah, the Blockchain legislation, House Bill #226, passed the Delaware Senate.  I anticipate Governor Carney will sign that faster than the Flash.  And so it begins…

I can’t for the life of me figure out why they aren’t moving forward with State Rep. John Kowalko’s franchise tax for companies incorporated in Delaware.  It would raise the fee from $300 to $325.00 and would raise $43 million in revenue.  Sounds like a no-brainer, right?  The last time that happened, there were 500,000 companies incorporated in Delaware when they raised it from $275 to $300.  Opponents feared it would cause companies to leave Delaware.  Now we have around 800,000 companies incorporated in Delaware.  Bills that make common sense should sail through, but we aren’t dealing with common sense in leadership at Legislative Hall these days, so once again, I digress…

It is late June in Dover, Delaware.  62 elected officials will attempt to decide how our state is run.  I trust a handful of them.  Pray for us, rest of the United States of America.  We need your prayers more than ever!

Updated with essential article from Delaware Public Media: http://delawarepublic.org/post/jfc-eliminates-grants-nonprofits-fire-companies-senior-centers-balance-budget

Updated again, 3:29pm, 6/29/2017: This article has been corrected to reflect that there were zero no votes for Liane Sorenson’s confirmation on the State Board of Education.