Vote For John Kowalko In The 25th Rep District On Election Day!

No one stood up for parents more than Delaware State Rep. John Kowalko in the 148th General Assembly.  As the prime House sponsor on House Bill 50, the opt out bill, Rep. Kowalko fought for months to ensure that a parent’s fundamental rights to opt their child out of the state assessment was honored.  Furthermore, it would have stopped schools or the state from punishing a child for having a parent opt them out.  Ultimately, the bill overwhelmingly passed the House and Senate but Governor Markell vetoed the bill.  An attempt to override the veto failed when the legislators came back in 2016.

John Kowalko is the rake at the gates of hell when it comes to standing up to Jack Markell on education.  He is not afraid to go against the establishment when he knows in his heart those choices are not good for kids.  He has always been about looking out for the little guy.  He will not vote yes on the state budget if it means those with the highest needs will do without.  I respect that immensely.  Because of his stances and how he makes noise, he runs into opposition constantly in the General Assembly.  We need more legislators who can be vocal and won’t bow down to leadership.

Kowalko’s opponent has failed to give me any reason to support him.  If anything, he sounds a lot like John Kowalko but much less experienced.  I have never subscribed to this Delaware Way theory of “getting along to go along.”  I compare it to being a part of the race without realizing you are being dragged by the horse on the way to the finish line.  We don’t need more of that in Dover.  We need more like Kowalko!  Some will call me crazy and believe that John Kowalko is unable to get along with his peers.  I think it is the other way around.  Too many are unwilling to get along with Kowalko because they know he is right and that if they allied themselves with him it wouldn’t be the best for their own personal agendas.  The will of the people in Delaware should be the biggest priority of our General Assembly.  But private interests and political power rule the day.  Until we get more John Kowalkos in the General Assembly, we will continue to play this status quo game.  And that is NOT good for Delaware.

At the end of the day, Kowalko is about doing what is right. Yes, he utilizes the press every chance he can to get his message out to the people. It is not self-serving. It is so enough people can hear what he is saying to help the people. I endorse John Kowalko for the 25th Rep. District in Newark. I urge citizens in this district to re-elect John Kowalko so we have another voice of reason in the Delaware 149th General Assembly.

 

Who Is Mike Nagorski (Molaski)?

Delaware State Representative John Kowalko has a challenger in the 25th District.  Mike Nagorski did not file in the early July deadline, but he was nominated by the Delaware Republican party last week.  But who is Michael Nagorski?

Information on Nagorski is hard to find.  According to the Newark Post, Nagorski graduated from Charter School of Wilmington in 2004.  According to his Facebook account, he graduated from University of Delaware in 2008.  He is married with a child and one more on the way later this year (congratulations).  But in May of 2014, he won a legal name change, from Molaski to Nagorski.  I’m not sure of the reason for this name change, but it is perfectly legal.  His wife is a registered Democrat.  Which is okay, my wife and I don’t agree on everything.  He lives in the heart of the Newark Charter School populace along with Kowalko.  He has a Master’s Degree from the University of Delaware, and he very recently obtained employment as a Senior Consultant at MHI Global.  The biggest thing I see mentioned of Nagorski (then Molaski) is an article from the News Journal two years ago about his weight loss and a get healthy initiative.  While this is certainly admirable, meeting the Governor at a gym doesn’t make one a State Representative.

In terms of his politics and what he stands for, that is difficult to find online.  In response to the Newark Post article, he wrote on his Support Michael Nagorski Facebook page: “Delaware has tremendous opportunity.  Now is the time to listen and act, not criticize and oppose.”  What does that even mean?  No one should question anything?  I’m pretty sure that both Democrats AND Republicans criticize and oppose.  Does this mean, if elected, Nagorski would never question anything?  I would venture to say John Kowalko was elected five times because of his ability to not only listen and act, but also to criticize and oppose.  It’s called politics!  I think every candidate running for public office in Delaware will agree that Delaware needs to get more employers in the state to increase revenue.  That isn’t a sea change in Delaware politics.  He seems to be against state incentives to attract employers, which I would assume would be corporate tax cuts.  That is something Kowalko has said for years.  He said in the Newark Post article his three main reasons for running are “healthy living, improving education and growing the economy,” but the article did not give any of his ideas in any of these areas.

In another Facebook post where someone called him “the second coming of Reagan“, Nagorski responded that “if I had to choose someone I’m closest to, it’s Castle” While Mike Castle served a long and distinguished career in Delaware and national politics from 1966 to 2010, I don’t see a lot coming out of Nagorski that would give me that impression.  In fact, I don’t see anything coming out of Nagorski that shows anything about why he is running.  No website, no stances on any subject.  Not to be too critical of Nagorski, but trashing your opponent in a newspaper article while not giving any substance or meat to why you are running, aside from an alternate voice and things every Delaware politician says, isn’t going to have me running to push your button on Election Day.

The Newark Post wrote:

“What people see is someone who’s certainly passionate and an advocate,” Nagorski said. “But what they don’t see is someone who is listening to everyone. He’s putting himself out there and not necessarily listening to everyone else.”

I would say being the State Representative for ten years would qualify Kowalko as someone who listens to a great deal of people.

I will fully admit the following things: I support many of Kowalko’s sponsored legislation, I worked with Kowalko on House Bill 50 (the opt out bill), and I have enjoyed many conversations with him about Delaware education.  Is Kowalko boisterous and speaks from the cuff?  Yes he is.  Has he said things with an angry tone in the past?  Yes he has.  Does that disqualify him as a worthy Delaware State Representative?  No, it does not.  In fact, I would go so far as to say this should be a requirement for all Delaware politicians.  We’ve had far too much of the “Delaware Way”.  Far too many closed door meetings deciding the fate of the many with little to no transparency.  If I were sitting in the 29th Representative seat at Legislative Hall, you better believe I would be very vocal about things.

I am sure as time goes on, we will learn more about Mike Nagorski.  But until then, I see someone running just to run.  I would urge all in the 25th District to vote the same as you have since 2006, for John Kowalko.  As someone who is a fervent supporter of transparency, limiting corporate windfalls, stands up for parental rights, is against discrimination of any sort, and doesn’t sell out to the Delaware Way, Kowalko is one of the best State Representatives in the Delaware General Assembly.  Perhaps if we had more John Kowalkos, we wouldn’t see Delaware’s education system in shambles and our fast reducing revenue getting lower by the year.

I would assume, based on his attendance at the Charter School of Wilmington, Nagorski supports school choice.  But does he support the very controversial enrollment practices at both CSW and Newark Charter School?  How does he feel about the Christina School District?  School vouchers?  The Smarter Balanced Assessment?  Opt Out?  Common Core?  Teachers?  Does he think the University of Delaware should be more transparent?  Does he support choice in all political matters?  I know where John Kowalko stands on those issues.  I’ve been to several of the key education conversations in Delaware the past couple of years.  I’ve seen John Kowalko at many of those events.  I don’t recall seeing Mike Nagorski at any of them.