Last week, the News Journal reported Kathleen Davies won her Merit Employee Review Board appeal hearing. She will be reinstated at the Auditor of Accounts office after a two and a half-year ordeal. She ran for State Auditor but lost to opponent Kathy McGuiness in the September 6th Primary. McGuiness won the General Election so the two women will soon be working in the same building.
Eric Morrison wrote a guest piece on this saga and what it means for Delaware:
Finally! All the talk can stop about who is better. After tomorrow we will know. I felt obligated to give my endorsements for all the races. Some will care, some won’t. Some may shock you while some will be all “duh, didn’t see that one coming!” Just do one thing tomorrow- VOTE! It’s one of the strongest ways you can make your voice heard in your state and country!
Here are my “official” endorsements:
The Delaware General Election is in five days. As citizens of The First State cast our votes, we think of many issues that affect how we decide. It could be education or taxes or environmental issues. Many of us vote just for the political party we belong to. But there is one thing that no Delaware elected official or candidate will even whisper because of the firestorm that will be unleashed upon them if they do.
I’ve known Trey for years. He helped my family out with some education issues before I began blogging in 2014. I have continued to go to him about issues that affected the 29th district. While most of those have been education issues, I see how he has drafted legislation that will help all Delawareans. I was definitely impressed with the cemetery bill he wrote. This helped clean up some of the cemeteries in the Dover area that were offending loved ones of the deceased. I don’t agree with every single vote he casts, but for the most part I feel he has done a good job when he held the District 29 State Representative seat. He doesn’t play dirty campaign tricks and he is always personable when I see him.
His opponent, Justin King, has been littering my mailbox with very twisted and slanted campaign attacks against Paradee. I got three of them today. They take up too much room in my trashcan. I don’t always vote with the party but more the person. King’s unjustified attacks against Paradee turned me off in a big way. Trey was going to get my vote anyway, but King decided to use his campaign funds to attack his opponent more than say what he will do. King doesn’t have what it takes in the General Assembly. He claims he will do what he wants when he wants. I’ve met folks like that. They either don’t get elected or don’t get anything done cause they can’t work with anyone. I don’t mind rogue legislators but this guy seems too angry for my tastes.
King claims Paradee (singlehandedly) raised taxes on everyone. He forgets how many of his fellow Republicans passed those budgets as well. He forgets that hard choices were made by everyone in the 2017 budget crisis. He forgets how his fellow Republicans in the House staged a walkout in late June that made themselves look weak. For someone who claims Paradee didn’t show up for Delaware taxpayers, where was King when he failed to show up at forums?
I’ve endorsed Trey in every race since 2014. The Senate will be a better place with him there.
Did Kathy McGuiness and another powerful Delaware figure work behind the scenes to get someone from the Auditor of Accounts office a new job following the News Journal smear campaign against Kathleen Davies?
In eight days, Delaware will elect a new State Auditor. It is between Kathy McGuiness (Democrat) and James Spadola (Republican). While McGuiness’ has vowed the office would be completely independent, as has Spadola, the lingering plotline of the destruction of Kathleen Davies still has questions. One of those questions surrounds the destination of one of the architects of Davies’ ouster at the Auditor of Accounts office (AOA).
The League of Women Voters forum at Delaware State University this evening was the perfect showcase for anyone who might be on the fence about the State Auditor position. Kathy McGuiness scowled and complained her way to absurdity tonight.
A citizen in the 9th State Representative district caught Monique Johns or someone from her campaign stealing a Kevin Hensley flyer from their door. This is a very bad optic for the Democrat opponent of incumbent Republican Kevin Hensley.
The citizen has video cameras on their porch. In the first video, from today, it clearly shows Hensley inserting a flyer into the door. In the second video, also from today but later in the day based on shadows and the sun moving to a different position, an African-American woman wearing a red jacket and a white baseball cap comes to the door. She takes the Hensley flyer from the door. She looks on a list of some sort and then puts her own flyer in the door. I have never met Johns so I can’t tell if it is her or not. The shadows make it difficult to find out.
The citizen wrote this as a forward to the two videos and picture of the Johns flyer:
Nice Sunday for our local candidates to make house calls. In the first video is Kevin Hensley dropping by the house and putting his flyer in the door. A little later in the afternoon we got a second visitor. Monique Johns who in the video clearly steals Kevin’s pamphlet out of our door and replaces it with her own. Enjoy
The explosive Facebook video can be found here. It has been viewed on Facebook over 4,300 times today and I have no doubt it will continue to rise. Johns lost against Hensley in 2016. After this, I can’t imagine any citizen wanting to vote for her. Some may say it was an honest mistake but it looks pretty damn blatant to me! What say you Delaware Election Commissioner Elaine Manlove?
I warned them. Many times. Sit at the table and you will be on the table. The Delaware State Education Association was swallowed whole. By who?
James Spadola, you should have said no. Today, Delaware State Auditor Tom Wagner appointed James Spadola, who is the Republican candidate for State Auditor, to be his Deputy in the Auditor of Accounts Office. Spadola faces Democrat candidate Kathy McGuiness in the November 6th election.
It’s that time of year when legislators get requests from organizations and media to do surveys. One organization sent out a survey to all the Delaware State Representatives recently. What was interesting was how this organization managed to offend many of them before the introductory paragraph! As well, the actual survey is EXACTLY what I would expect from this organization.
On September 7th, I filed a Freedom of Information Act complaint against the Delaware Auditor of Accounts office. Even though I did receive the documentation for my original FOIA request regarding a contract that office entered into with Grant Thornton, it came very late. In fact, it came the day after a highly contested primary for the State Auditor position. But my FOIA complaint dealt with what I felt were illegal and unethical issues coming out of AOA.
Voter turnout was up. That is a good thing. I would love to see a massive increase in voter levels for both sides. Let the people speak! Some elections turned out pretty close to how I thought they would. Some were disappointments. At this point, it is what it is and all eyes are on the General Election.
The biggest upset turned out to be Scott Walker. Who would have ever thought the wooden-sign guy would actually win a Primary? Much less, one on the Republican side? Don’t worry, he will get trounced in the General by Lisa Blunt Rochester. No doubt in my mind about that.
Predictions and who I want to win are two different things at times. I will be endorsing for the General Election but I’m still recovering from the Primary. There will be plenty of time for that. Some may surprise you! I do want ALL the candidates to send me their Candidate Message. Some of the ones I received before the Primary are still good since those candidates won their Primary race.
Like I said the night before the Primary for candidates who lost- don’t give up! There will always be winners and losers. Let it be a learning curve for you.
We have some new Senators in our midst here in Delaware. Congrats to Senators Lockman and Brown. As well, congrats to new State Reps. Dorsey-Walker, Johnson, and Vanderwende. I will anxiously await to see all of you in action next January.
The General Election is going to be pivotal to the future of Delaware. The political picture is going to change no matter what. It will be up to voters to decide what shape that picture takes.
The Delaware Primary reduced the number of candidates. We now have a clear understanding of who will face who in the General Election. Some seats in the General Assembly have been determined by the results of yesterday’s primary. The election is November 6th. Start your engines!
Today is the big day you have all been waiting for! You’ve travelled and talked more in the past few months than some of you have ever done in your life. Some of you will win today and some will lose. But I have some advice for the losers- DON’T GIVE UP!
A few months ago I went through all Delaware elections going back to 1970. So many of our legislators and elected officials lost once, sometimes even twice. But they persevered and kept going. This was echoed by many of the legislators that retired this year as they gave their farewell speeches in the General Assembly.
I understand it will be crushing. Some of you might have thought you were going to win but there could be some upsets today. From the top of the ticket to the bottom, the people will vote how they vote. The best thing to do is rest and reformulate for the future. But DON’T GIVE UP!
To the winners- keep going. Most of you have a General Election in November. It isn’t over yet! Keep your campaign clean. Make sure the money you accept from organizations is something you believe in. If not, just send it back! Talk about your qualifications instead of bashing your opponent. Keep your chin up and smile. Talk to the people, not at them. Door-knock as much as you possibly can. Send out mailers if you can. Write letters to the editor. Be approachable and kind.
To ALL the candidates (even you Miss Congeniality), I wish you the best of luck today! I will anxiously await the results along with you this evening. It all changes tomorrow!
DelawareCAN might be the new kid on the block when it comes to Political Action Committees, but they need to follow the rules when it comes to spending money on candidates or issues that aren’t within the legal limits.
Only one candidate in the State Auditor race has the tenacity, patience, grit, resolve, willingness, and heart to perform the role of State Auditor. She has soul and a love for auditing second to none. She has been put through the wringer by those who didn’t want her to do her job. But she has come through that ordeal a stronger and better person. For that reason alone Kathleen Davies deserves your vote.
Two Democrat candidates in the 12th State Rep. District will square off this Thursday in the Delaware Primary. Rachel Blumenfeld will face Krista Griffith. The winner will take on incumbent Deb Hudson in the General Election in November. Blumenfeld, a teacher in the Colonial School District, sent her candidate message to me this evening.
It’s a rule of thumb in elections: You can’t endorse candidates if you work in a state agency. When that candidate is on the school board who hired you and can fire you, that endorsement is clearly a conflict of interest. The 31st State Rep. District primary race has been a popcorn eating event for weeks now.
Enter Ralph Taylor, a Capital School District Board of Education member running for the 31st State Rep. seat against incumbent Sean Lynn for the Democratic ticket. Today, he posted the following on his Facebook page:
While Shelton does not come out and say “I endorse Ralph Taylor” it certainly comes across as an endorsement. Especially since it is two days before the Primary. The fact that the Capital Board of Education has allowed Taylor to use the microphone at board meetings to promote his campaign has not been ignored by attendees in the room. One attendee, who wished to remain anonymous for obvious reasons, said the following: “Taylor shouldn’t be using his seat on the board for political purposes. It gives the impression of vote for me or else.”
I wholeheartedly agree. Shelton’s short of a full endorsement definitely dances on that fine line between a reference letter and an endorsement. Is Shelton aware Taylor is using this as leverage in his campaign? I did ask the Taylor campaign on the Facebook post if this was an endorsement or a reference letter. The campaign responded it was “a note of support”. The campaign also asked if I was being “petty again”.
It is a given that district employees are not allowed to promote campaigns for school boards. The same is true for using state time to promote a candidate in elections. This is just weird.
With two days until the Delaware Primary, things are heating up. For the State Auditor race, some people are getting scared of a Kathleen Davies victory. So much so they are willing to torpedo their professional life so folks don’t vote for Davies. When it comes from the Auditor of Accounts office with someone who reported directly to Davies, that is very bad for that employee. The Merit Employee Review Board has not even finished their hearing but Tammy Smith feels she can say whatever she wants. I think what may shape Smith’s career is her Facebook post, not the outcome of the Primary.
The Season Of Myths 