This was but one hilarious moment, at the most recent Sussex County GOP meeting. I recently wrote a post titled,” A Monthly GOP Meeting Like I Have Never Seen“, in which I spoke of the Kent County GOP meeting. If it could be described as a party, then the Sussex Committee can only be called a circus.
There was the per-functionary acts of voting to accept the minutes from the previous meeting, which followed the prayer and pledge of allegiance.
Then Chairman Carroll introduced candidate Jim Starzman, for the 19th Representative District. For those who may not know, Mr. Starzman is a close friend of “gubernatorial candidate for governor” Lacey Lafferty, who was also in attendance.
This led to a funny exchange, when someone asked Chairman Carroll who the incumbent Democrat was. When Mr. Starzman answered for the Chairman, Chairman Carroll responded, he didn’t know there was anyone named Kim Williams in the General assembly.
Really? The Sussex County Chairman of the GOP, is not familiar with every member of the GA? Well let me help out the Chairman.
Chairman Carroll, this is Rep. Williams, just in case you bump into her when you are working the corridors of Leg. Hall.
The next big thing following more meandering, through the minutia of the thing known as, the Sussex GOP meeting, the announcement of a candidate to run against Democrat Speaker of the House, Pete Shwartzkopf.
James DeMartino, a Maryland attorney who lives in Lewes, announced his candidacy to run against long time Representative and Speaker of the House Pete Shwartzkopf. Born in New York City, moved to New Jersey, worked in a fish market, did college, the military, well JAG, was a defense contractor, attorney.
He actually said, I’m an attorney in Maryland, so don’t ask me to “represent” you in Delaware. Really? I thought he was asking to be allowed to represent the people of the 14th District? Let this be a lesson to all candidates, think before you speak.
I spoke with Tony Matero, GOP Chairman of the 14th Representative District, and asked if Mr. Demartino was his find as a candidate, Tony said he had been working it for two years. Well it is nice to have a GOP candidate to run in the 14th, though admittedly, it will be a tall order.
Then it was time for the primary challenger, for the Republican held seat in the 35th Representative District, the Greenwood MOB supported candidate, Bob Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell has actually taken on the Herculean task of convincing the people of the 35th, Rep. Dave Wilson is a liberal. Yeah okay.
More importantly, once again Chairman Carroll showed his lack of knowledge by announcing the candidate for the 35th, “Kevin Burdette”. Problem is, Kevin Burdette is the candidate for the 3rd councilmatic district, which leads one to believe, Chairman Carroll doesn’t know either man.
Now I would be lax if I did not ask the question, is it right or proper to have a primary challenger, for a Republican incumbent seat, speak at a GOP meeting which is not an official forum?
The next guest speaker was Sen. Collin Bonini, who is also a Republican gubernatorial candidate. He gave an inspiring speech about the future of the state of Delaware. It was a positive message, so it was received with mixed feeling from the home of the angry Republicans.
Then came Lacey Lafferty’s turn. I thought, I would post her speech in total, so that my readers could get a real feel for the depth of her knowledge and qualifications for public office.
This is a link to everything Lacey has to say, every time she speaks.
It was interesting that during the ramblings, she at one point spoke of her daughter attending public schools, as if, this was a badge of honor, yet later on, she said the public school system “SUCKS”. She spoke of having removed her daughter from private school, and placing her in the public school system, which sucks, to show her daughter the things which are “going on out there”.
So let me see if I follow, you as a parent, remove your child from a quality private school, and place them in a system which you say sucks, as what? A life lesson? Okay. But since Ms. Lafferty seems to be almost exclusively self funded, it begs the question, was she forced to removed her daughter from private school because she couldn’t afford both?
Now back to official business. Secretary Linda Creasy informed the Executive Committee, the rules committee was still working on the rules revisions which they have been working on for eighteen weeks, eighteen weeks, that’s nearly five months. WOW! Come on, how long does it take to write the rule to keep people out of the committee?
We then were told, for the second month in a row, there would be no official Treasurer’s report, neither written, or even verbal. With the resignation of the previous Treasurer, Chairman Carroll was required to take on the duties of Treasurer. And for two months he has simply said, that he was writing checks to pay the bills. But excuse me, how are the Committee members, and the people, to know just what is coming in, and what is going out with no report? We know that some filing fees have come in, but how much?
This brings us to another hilarious moment. The election of a new Treasurer. And as is the norm for the Sussex GOP Committee, it could not go off without some sort of controversy.
It seems there were two people, who were willing to stand in front of the wall. Problem was, the one person missed the cut off for registering by hours. So, for there to be an election between two candidates, it would require suspension of the rules to allow the second person to be eligible. Well ED Nelly Jordan spoke against suspending the rules, she said it was shameful to suspend the rules.
Well Ms. Jordan, this Committee has a long history of suspending the rules to remove people from the Committee, so why not to allow someone in? But the motion to suspend failed, most likely because it was getting late and the members didn’t want to have to stay late to hold an election. So by default Bill Gordon became the newest Treasurer. After the meeting I gave him congratulations, and my deepest sympathy.
So, in the matter of four days, I attended a meeting that was fun, and informative, to attending one which was long, drawn-out, convoluted, contentious, and about two and a half hours too long, by the way, it lasted about two and a half hours.
Glad to know the 14th RD chair has been “working” getting Maryland attorney James DeMartino to run against Speaker Schwartzkopf “for two years”. Wonder if he worked across state lines since Mr. DeMartino first voted in the district in the 2014 Primary. Not saying he didn’t vote in the 2012 Presidential. He didn’t register in the 14th until March 26, 2014. Welcome to the district! BTW.
Is the term “carpetbagger” still in vogue? Lol. Just kidding. It’s actually refreshing to see some quality new blood. Although, it will take some convincing for me not to pull the lever for Pete. Now if DeMartino was a lifeguard in Rehoboth it could be a competition. In the 14th it’s all about who you know and Pete kinda knows everybody and vice versa.
Nobody cares when he first voted in the district. Does he have a pulse?
Sussex Countians were already foolish enough to vote out senator Venables just because he was a democrat. Venables was chair of the bond bill committee which I guess means nothing to people who vote by party or single sexual issues but to people with some knowledge the loss and it’s implications for Sussex county is tragic. Same with Schwartzkoph, he’s the speaker of the house.
Bob Venables was not voted out “just because he was a democrat”. He lost because he did little campaigning, refused help from the state coordinated campaign, raised little money and made no real attempt to get out the vote. The turnout of registered Democrats in his senate district was lower than any other in the county, if not the state. If his turnout had been the same percentage of the 6th Senate District race in eastern Sussex, he would have been re-elected.
It was a great loss to those who want to see tax dollars spent down here and not mostly upstate. Keeping Pete Schwartzkopf as the 14th RD rep and as Speaker is the only way for Sussex to get its fair share and a fair shake.
First time visiting delawareright. Glad to see it’s not more of the same. Sussex GOP is messing up the Delaware GOP. I’ve been rereading Orwell’s 1984. The Party slogan in 1984 is Ignorance Is Strength. Makes ya wonder what’s up in the GOP these days.
My general philosophy is that when the far right and the far left both don’t like you, then you are doing something right. And that’s why Pete is still in office. Well that and the Rehoboth Beach lifeguard secret society.
The GOP used to be thoughtful and deliberate, with big ideas and achievements (think Eisenhower’s National Interstate and Defense Highways Act). Now petty, mean, xenophobic, and not single achievement that they or the nation can be proud of in so many years. People were proud to be a Republican, now they chase people away, call them names. Where oh where are the grownups?
Sussex GOP is messing up the Delaware GOP. I’ve been rereading Orwell’s 1984. The Party slogan in 1984 is Ignorance Is Strength. Makes ya wonder what’s up in the GOP these days.
Perhaps you have it ass-backwards. The GOP dominates in Sussex. How’s your “Delaware GOP” been doi
….been doing in Stuck-on-Stupid New Castle County?
Rick, I know things are great for the GOP in Sussex, my concern is the whole State. I live in NCC. In my opinion, Delaware GOP would be much better off if Mike Castle was elected to the Senate. Somewhere along the line Sussex got away from being a team played, kind of seceded from the union of Delaware Republicans. One reason is that crazy talk radio 92.7. I hear them talking about communists running NCC, POTUS being a traitor with a fake birth certificate, all that crazy stuff. Sussex is more like a Talk Radio Party than part of the GOP.
@William
If 92.7 is crazy (and generally it is), it is simply a reflection of its listeners. The station is what they want it to be and what they are.
I agree, extremist radio delivers what a lot of listeners like. That does not absolve them of their responsibility to be good corporate citizens. They’re polluting politics. Used to be entertaining fun. Now with the rise of Trump it’s serious. Talk radio corporations need to get their act together.
Frank,
Thank you so much for publishing Rep Williams picture for your readers. Her district is in the center of the disenfranchised middle class here in Delaware. Chronic unemployment, violent crime, failed school systems with one of the highest drop out rates in the country, and absentee politicians are hallmarks of this once proud working class district.
In the last election cycle a mere 20% of the registered voters bothered to vote for the democrat candidates across the board in the district. It is a forgotten district whose concerns are given lip service and platitudes but no real solutions to their long term problems.
The auto plant was closed by our current administration. The closing of that plant was the last gasp in a long line of failed policies. But in this cycle it is my hope that our Party will be able to energize the economically disadvantaged and express positive solutions for this district.
It should be noted that the electorate here in Sussex County participates at a much higher rate. In the last cycle the 20th district Representative, Steve Smyk, garnered twice as many votes as the entire turnout in Kim Williams’ 19th district. Indeed, the losing candidate in the 20th district received a significantly higher number of votes than Kim Williams received in her winning campaign.
I know this, no one can be happy with a system that disenfranchises 80% of the electorate. So while I have never met Ms. Williams in person, I know that our constituents throughout the County have many opportunities to meet our Republican office holders.
Extreme right wing radio is enjoyed by more than the extreme right wing. Many more listen for the unintentional comedy.
… my concern is the whole State. I live in NCC.
Then maybe it’s time to change your tactics of appeasement in NCC. People who keep making the same mistake over-and-over, fall within a measurable distance of insanity.
One reason is that crazy talk radio 92.7. I hear them talking about communists running NCC, POTUS being a traitor with a fake birth certificate, all that crazy stuff. Sussex is more like a Talk Radio Party than part of the GOP.
Yes, and you have WDEL. But we have Republicans actually serving in office in Sussex. Lots of them. How many do you have in SOSNCC?
Holt, worry about your own back yard. It’s a mess.
Extreme right wing radio is enjoyed by more than the extreme right wing. Many more listen for the unintentional comedy.
You know what was really funny? Air America’s ratings. RIP
Chairman Carroll, nice to see you can study up after the fact.
92.7 is the greatest show on earth in the afternoons. Comedy Central at it’s best. As the host says at least 10 times during his show. “THER’S ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT ABOUT IT”. Joan from New York is a comedy show by herself and then through in Don from Wicomico County who made prediction after prediction when President Obama was running for a second term and was wrong on virtually all of them. 9Especially that he world never get elected again). His political assessments are worthless. Yes, 92.7 is a reflection of it’s listeners. Should be called the Trump network!
The GOP in Delaware often meant a moderate environmentalist with sound fiscal policy
Moderate environmentalist with sound fiscal policy is now known as a leftist in the new GOP.
In today’s GOP, Reagan would have been called a communist.