OMG! Electing Kathy McGuiness As State Auditor Would Be Like Putting A TFA Teacher As Secretary Of Education! Don’t Do It!

I just caught part of the Delaware United forum with the candidates for State Auditor and Attorney General.  I heard Kathleen McGuiness babbling about her qualifications.  She is NOT a certified accountant.  She took some crash course in NY last year to be a “fraud investigator”.  She is a pharmacist and a realtor.  This would be like putting a crash-course Teach For America teacher as Secretary of Education.  She is NOWHERE close to being qualified.

I understand the Speaker of the House, Pete Schwartzkopf, wants her.  As well as other legislators who seem to think she would be the best.  They aren’t basing that decision on any amount of qualification for the office but because Pete wants her.  Because they are friends.  It is Delaware politics at its worst!

For this office, we need someone who is qualified.  We could argue whether that would be Kathleen Davies or Dennis Williams.  For my money, I’m going with Davies.  She worked in the Auditor’s office.  She knows exactly what to do and how to do it.  There would not be a “learning curve” that McGuiness would stumble through.  Williams tends to tick off a lot of people.  I agree the Auditor’s office should be independent of political party.  But Williams already has a ton of burnt bridges which would not be helpful in getting things done.

Yes, there is a cloud with Davies.  Why was she put on leave by Tom Wagner?  I still firmly believe that was due to someone wanting her to shut up.  I have never bought the bogus News Journal article from 2016 suggesting she was inappropriately reimbursing herself for travel expenses.  I believe whatever happened was cooked up, kind of like McGuiness’ auditor campaign over the past year.  I believe we will find out in due time what happened and I also believe it will come out that something was cooked up.  Davies for State Auditor by a landslide!

If you really want to learn about Kathy McGuiness, just Google “Kathy McGuiness” and “Delaware Liberal” to get the scoop.  There is plenty of stuff in there to keep you reading for hours!

Polling Stations For School Board Elections! Don’t Forget To Vote Today!!!!

Thank you to Delaware United for getting this out there on Facebook. Polling stations open at 10am and will close at 8pm.  Get out and vote early if you can.  I would love to see a massive increase in voter turnout for our local school board elections.  It is far too important, especially this year!  School board members are overlooked by many but their importance is huge to our communities!

Red Clay: A.I. DuPont H.S., Baltz E.S., Brandywine Springs, Cab Calloway, Conrad, Dickinson H.S., Forest Oak E.S., H.B. DuPont M.S., Highlands E.S., Hilltop Lutheran Community Center, Lewis E.S., Linden Hill E.S., Marbrook E.S., McKean H.S., North Star E.S., Stanton M.S., Warner E.S.

Christina: Bancroft E.S., Bayard M.S., Brookside E.S., Christiana H.S., Downes E.S., Elbert-Palmer E.S., Gallaher E.S., Glasgow E.S., Jones E.S., Keene E.S., Maclary E.S., Marshall E.S., McVey E.S., Newark H.S., Oberle E.S., Quaker Hill Place Apartments, Shue-Medill M.S., Wilson E.S.

Brandywine: Brandywine H.S., Carrcroft E.S., Claymont E.S., Concord H.S., Crestview Apartments, Forwood E.S., Hanby E.S., Lombardy E.S., Maple Lane E.S., Mt. Pleasant H.S., P.S. DuPont M.S., Talley M.S.

Appoquinimink: Alfred G. Waters M.S., Bunker Hill E.S., Everett Meredith M.S., Marion Profitt Training Center, Middletown H.S., Old State E.S., Olive B. Loss E.S., Townsend Early Childhood Center

Smyrna: Kenton Ruritan Club, Smyrna E.S., Smyrna M.S.

Capital: East Dover E.S., Hartly E.S., William Henry M.S.

Caesar Rodney: Allen Frear E.S., W. Reilly Brown E.S., W.B. Simpson E.S.

Lake Forest: Lake Forest East E.S., Lake Forest North E.S., Lake Forest South E.S., Lake Forest H.S.

Milford: Benjamin Banneker E.S., Evelyn Morris Early Childhood Center, Lulu Ross E.S., Milford H.S.

Seaford: Seaford H.S.

Woodbridge: Woodbridge M.S., Woodbridge Early Childhood Education Center

*Note: Colonial and Cape Henlopen have no election due to only one candidate filing.  Laurel and Indian River have no seat up for election this year.

Delaware United And “Video Gate”

*Editor’s Note: The Sokola Videos are back up now.  Apparently, Delaware United didn’t announce the videos yet but forgot to put it on private when they uploaded them to Youtube.  And of course the Sneaky Snake Blogger stumbled on them (which is how I find a ton of stuff… shhhhhh!).  I was a bit rough on the rookie political grassroots group.  They are new, and they will make mistakes.  Growing pains of any new organization.  I know I never make mistakes on here (stop laughing).  And I never overreact (seriously, stop laughing).

This morning, I put up a series of videos between Delaware United and Delaware Senator David Sokola.  I found these three videos on Youtube last night.  At the request of one of the parties involved in the videos (not David Sokola), I was asked me to take the post down. I honored the request. I soon found the videos were made private on Youtube.  I felt the interview was excellent and gave voters in the 8th Senate District a good vantage point on David Sokola’s views on education. Many topics were covered: the Charter School vs. Christina School District and the Delaware Dept. of Education lawsuit, the WEIC redistricting plan and what happened in the General Assembly, education funding, Newark Charter School, parent engagement, teacher unions in charter schools, and so on.  But apparently, since Delaware United does not slam candidates, the perception of posting the videos on a blog that is very critical of David Sokola would be seen as the group slamming Sokola.

Delaware United has been around for a few months now. After Bernie Sanders lost to Hillary Clinton in the Presidential Democrat primary, many upper Delaware Bernie supporters created Delaware United. Since their creation, they have reached out to candidates in Delaware at a state and federal level.  While Delaware United claims to not be affiliated with any political party, every single one of their endorsements have been Democrat candidates.  While I agree with some of their choices, I have serious issues with a group that claims to be non-partisan but every single one of their goals and endorsements are Democrat leaning.  The group describes themselves as the following on their Facebook page:

Welcome to Delaware United, a proactive group of Delaware voters and volunteers from various backgrounds, all united to change the course of Delaware local politics.

But what is even odder is their rules for their Facebook page:

Policies and Practices for Delaware United Online Activity

Delaware United·Thursday, September 22, 2016 .

Policies and Practices for Delaware United Online Activity
Updated: September 22, 2016

*All rules are subject to change at the discretion of Delaware United’s Administrators
Rules for Facebook posts for Those Who Like, Visit or Follow Delaware United’s Page

1. No posting on, commenting on, or tagging/hashtagging Delaware United regarding Presidential Politics. This is a locally-organized group, and we need to come together to change Delaware. That will not happen by subdividing on presidential politics, it will happen by getting involved locally and making a difference in Delaware specific issues.
2. No posting on, commenting on, or tagging/hashtagging Delaware United in attack posts about any candidates. We are all adults, and you don’t need to pick on anyone or drag anyone down to prove your point. If you want to lift up a candidate and explain reasonably and maturely voice your opinion about any candidate, you are certainly free to do so. However, we do not attack other candidates, we are nonpartisan, we use positive press because we do not need to further propagate the disrespectful division in our political process. This state belongs to all of us, and we need to work together to make a difference.
3. No attacking each other via posting, commenting, or tagging/hashtagging. When you see something you don’t agree with, there is the option to keep scrolling. Please do not attack other people because they have different opinions on a topic or person. If you can respectfully voice your opposing opinion and wish to open a dialogue GREAT; we encourage that, but please be respectful of each other. Again, we need to work together.
4. No spam posts or comments. If you are repeatedly posting the same long, drawn out comments it will be removed each time, after which you will first receive a warning message or comment, and then you will be banned from commenting and/or blocked. Open a dialogue, talk to each other, voice your opinions, but no one wants to read the same 1200 word post that you have pasted in every comment for the past week, or see that you are using a page with an engaged audience for your own purpose.
5. Please try to post comments relevant to the post. We have all seen someone try to post a completely unrelated article or copy paste a comment in every post on a page, but we have also seen comments stray way off topic, despite whether or not the commenters realize this. An open dialogue is great, and it is encouraged, but this is about creating community, so please if you want to talk to someone about an issue privately message them or friend request them, and chat elsewhere. Build friendships, build dialogues, and community; we need to come together in Delaware, and who knows maybe we can create some in person relationships instead of just cyber ones. We aren’t going to block anyone, or delete comments for straying off topic, but rather we are encouraging you to become a community.
6. Refrain from using certain language to describe our group. Please do not refer to Delaware United directly using all or any part of the following terms: “Democrats”, “Progressive.” “Liberal,” “Watchdog;” We don’t need labels, and not everyone in this group falls under any of these terms, so please be respectful of them. Please keep in mind the nature of our group is one that is all-inclusive, regardless of political party or past voting history, and even those who cannot vote in Delaware are still welcomed and useful volunteers, as long as they believe in our platform.

When a supposed non-partisan group begins telling people HOW TO VOTE, I have serious issues with that.  Any citizen’s right to vote is their choice.  How a person formulates who they want to vote for and why is their own business.  It gives a vibe of “if you don’t agree with us then you can’t be a part of our group.”  By telling people we welcome everyone as long as you believe in our platform, that sends a very mixed message.  But this October 15th post on their Facebook page really pissed me off:

Hey everybody, I just want to share this message of caution when it comes to some of the rhetoric that’s affecting the hardest working candidates in this election cycle.

One thing I have to say, that I forgot to mention in the video, is that we have people fighting for some of the most forward thinking policies in our nation, right here in Delaware, and they need your help to get re-elected to continue fighting that fight. Please consider volunteering and help us help Delaware. We need people to remain in the house and senate that have fought for living wage policies, public option health care, pay equity, campaign finance reform, and all the other issues we care about most. This clean out the house, and burn it down in the process rhetoric is not only dangerous, but it is also detrimental to our goals across the country.

You have to consider what the other option is in the general election, would we be going from a person with one policy position you don’t agree with, to a person with even worse positions? Is that a trade you really want to make? Additionally, please be aware that you can not just vote based on positions on one issue, that is dangerous and short sighted. If you agree with 90% of the candidates policies, but 10% you disagree with, on one side of the ticket, but on the other you disagree with 90% but agree with 10%, is that a trade you really want to make as well? Please vote, but please vote educated.

What percentage of a person’s issues that factor into how they vote is their own business.  There is no formula to this.  It is all an individual decision.  This is just one of the many reasons I can’t wait until this damn election is over.

I never participated in any of Delaware United’s events.  I did share their video series with Sokola’s Republican opponent, Meredith Chapman.  I just realized while linking to that article, the 2nd out of the three videos no longer exists.  For a group that promotes transparency, I am having a very difficult time with their back and forth on what can be said, what views a person is supposed to have, what percentage of their mind should vote for a candidate, deleting of public posts, their very biased endorsements based on their overarching goal of the group, and the very bizarre handling of the Sokola/Chapman contest.  What does it even mean when you post videos with one candidate in a contest but not the other candidate?  I think this group has bitten off more than they can chew.  I have no doubt Delaware Democrats love them to death.  But this is not Delaware United.  This is Delaware Democrats United.  If you want to claim to be a non-partisan group, then stick with the original title.  But their actions suggest something altogether different.  I deplore any type of censorship.  Their very strict rules in regards to what people can or can’t say goes against the most basic foundations of a democracy.  If this is “Delaware United”, then count me out.

I will attempt to recollect to the best of my ability the highlights of the Sokola interviews.  The first video was about Delaware education.  The first question dealt with the charter school lawsuit against the Christina School District and the Delaware Dept. of Education.  Sokola said there were inconsistencies with the formula but he laid the blame on the Delaware DOE for what happened.  When asked if he would pick a side in the battle: charters or school districts, Sokola flat-out said his side is “the money follows the kid”.  He made it look like the General Assembly will still attempt to bring all the sides together on this issue and hopes to have many parents attend.  But he said “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink” in regards to getting parents involved.  One question dealt with Newark Charter School and the lack of an organized PTA or PTO.  As well, the question also touched on teacher unions in charter schools.  Sokola said he will not write legislation forcing union membership as he believes that is a choice for each teacher to make in filling out a union card and collectively creating a union.  He said the idea of charter schools creating innovative schools was written into the original charter law (which he wrote and took full credit for), but he claimed it is a two-way street and both sides need to come together to collaborate.  He cited Kuumba Charter School having a Singapore Math program and how Brandywine reached out to them and came together.  One Delaware United member said she asked NCS Head of School Greg Meece about this issue to which Meece said something to the effect of throwing out an olive branch and no one took him up on it.  In regards to WEIC, Sokola said it came down to funding.  When told the funding could have been made available, Sokola replied with a nonchalant answer about the original WEAC plan giving certain recommendations but when the WEIC redistricting plan came out it became much more with no clear way of knowing if those recommendations would work in the long run for students.  A suggestion was made to Sokola that if legislation comes up in the Senate Education Committee where parents come to support an issue, that legislation should happen first on the agenda so parents can get back to their families.

When I first heard about Delaware United, a citizen approached me about it.  This person said they were concerned about how the group was forming.  I checked them out.  I liked their Facebook page.  But I made it very clear to this group I would not support all of their endorsements and I felt their censorship regarding certain things flew against what they stood for.  Apparently that advice wasn’t taken seriously.  I am putting up the Sokola interview article again.  I am now seeing the 2nd Sokola video is still up.  Read from that what you will.  This blog will no longer play Ping-Pong over another group’s internal strife.

 

Senator David Sokola On The Charter/Christina Lawsuit, WEIC, Newark Charter School, and Education Funding

Delaware Senator David Sokola is up for re-election. But this isn’t just any normal re-election. He is up for the fight of his life! After a very contentious 148th General Assembly and education issues coming up left and right, Sokola is faced with a very determined opponent. Meredith Chapman is running on the GOP side of the 8th Senate District ticket. Delaware United interviewed Sokola in a three-part interview. One of the interviewees is Elizabeth Paige. While she is not interviewing Sokola in her role as the President of the Christina Board of Education, there is definitely some tension there! These videos, especially the first one, are a must-watch! Thanks to Delaware United for interviewing Sokola!

Delaware United Video Interviews With Senate Candidate Meredith Chapman On Delaware Education

Delaware United interviewed Meredith Chapman, the Republican candidate for the 8th Senate District in Delaware. Chapman is running against David Sokola, the incumbent Democrat Senator with 26 years under his belt at Legislative Hall. As any reader of this blog is aware, I think Sokola has long outlived his purposed in Dover. So I am endorsing Chapman the 8th District in the Senate. I’m not endorsing her just because she isn’t David Sokola. I’m endorsing her because she is a young and fresh face. We need new ideas. I believe Chapman will provide many new ideas that aren’t part of the “establishment” in Dover.  I see the “newer” crowd in Dover as the future of the General Assembly.  I have a lot of respect and admiration for House Dems Kim Williams, Sean Matthews, and Sean Lynn.  As well, for House Republican Jeff Spiegelman and Senator Brian Pettyjohn.  They aren’t afraid to mix things up just enough to tweak something one way or another.  It doesn’t always succeed, and I don’t always agree with them, but I respect that trait in all of them.  I believe Chapman can bring that to Legislative Hall as well.

We also need more balance in Dover. For far too long one side has been in control in Delaware, and that is not good for the state. I don’t agree with every single thing Republicans and Democrats believe in.  But when one party is in absolute control for so long, it breeds corruption and an aura of invincibility which is not good for any state government.  I would personally love to see other parties or Independents get into the House and Senate.  That would really mix things up!

In watching these interviews with Meredith Chapman, I do want to hear more from her on Delaware education, especially on some key issues that are near and dear to me!

For many folks in New Castle County, Delaware United has been very busy this political season.  They are a new group of political activists.  The group originated as Bernie Sanders supporters who are united to carry many of the same messages Bernie had.  They tend to lean towards the progressive side of things based on their endorsements for the primary.  But many of the contests right now are Democrats.  We will see how they stand on candidates for the General Election very soon.  On their Facebook page, Delaware United describes themselves as:

We are a group of united voters and volunteers, from all walks of Delaware, that has the goal of pushing forward on a path to change our state and point it in the right direction. We are a group that is run on the basis of a well-founded democracy and listens to its members with full transparency from the top down. I would like to thank the people in this group, and ask anyone here to add members, at their discretion, to help grow our group and spread our message. There is no requirement to be a member, no party affiliation guidelines, and no exclusion based solely on the offered support to any one candidate in the past. (a current example: if you have supported Clinton, or Sanders, you are not to be judged solely on that decision, and should not be excluded from the groups proceedings) We all need to come together now more than ever to make sure that our government in Delaware represents the people of Delaware; there are far too many factions of similar groups all trying to do different things to achieve the same goal. We need to win elections to change Delaware to what we, in this group, collectively thinks it should be and to do that we need to work together. Not as Democrats, “Berniecrats”, Independents, or even Republicans, but as a united group of like-minded people who want to be involved with the candidates and local politics. We need to step up, step out, and get involved to change our local politics and make Delaware the state it can, and must become. Not through one-man activism with a megaphone (not discouraging this), but through organized political action and group founded strategies and being the feet on the ground to help make sure that the best people in our state make up our representation in Dover.