Last Monday, for the second time in a month, more than a dozen candidates for state, county and local office gathered in a Milford-area church to present their views to the public.
This time, the church was Christian Tabernacle, in Lincoln, with over 100 area residents in the pews, and the focus was on Sussex races. Particularly the 35th district in the state house, which covers Greenwood, Bridgeville, parts of Lincoln and areas west of Georgetown.
It was also the seat that got the evening’s only questions from the audience, when two former state troopers, Barbara and Larry Comley, pressed candidate L. Aaron Chaffinch about the lawsuits and reported misconduct that led to his five-month paid suspension, followed by retirement as superintendent of the Delaware State Police in 2006.
He argued that lawsuits against state police heads are routine, and noted that the most-publicized case that he lost, over sexual misconduct, was overturned in federal court.
“Every superintendent I served was sued,” he said.
Later, Barbara pressured him on a lawsuit brought during his tenure by state troopers over unsafe conditions at a firing range.
“What assurances can you give the people of the 35th that you will put their safety first?” she said.
He said the firing range was built before his tenure as superintendent, and said he agreed it had serious problems.
Each candidate got three minutes to speak on whatever topic he or she wanted, beginning with state-level offices and working down to the county council races.
Karen Harley-Nagle, challenging Mike Castle for Delaware’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, was the first to speak. She touted her experiences as a teacher and “child advocate” in Washington, D.C., as well as her support for wind energy “before it was popular.”
“All three counties are important…we need someone in Congress who is going to advocate for that,” she said.
Gary Simpson, the incumbent 8th district state senator running for re-election against Gary Downes, spoke twice – once on his own behalf, and once for Charlie Copeland, the upstate senator running for lieutenant governor.
“Sometimes small communities feel neglected. I want you to know that you’re not neglected, as long as this legislator is in Dover,” he said, noting that most of the crowd lived outside his district.
He also saluted the community for its role in stopping a planned bypass for U.S. Route 113 that would have gone through Lincoln, and said wasteful spending by government departments, including the department of transportation, is fueling the state’s budget problems.
“We’ve just got to get government spending under control – eliminate wasteful programs,” he said. He pushed his own record and Copeland’s in that respect, noting that they both voted against the last two state budgets.
Chaffinch touted his experience managing the Delaware State Police, which included lobbying the General Assembly.
“My duties as superintendent took me to Legislative Hall on many occasions,” he said. “I will make the legislature a full-time position for me, and I will serve my constituents on a full-time basis,” he said.
His opponent, Dave Wilson, said the General Assembly needs to get more control over state administrative agencies, especially DelDOT and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
“We need to hold DelDOT accountable. The Milford bypass, blunders, overpasses, the Indian River Bridge – just keep naming them; they’re out there,” he said. “We need to rein in DNREC as well.”
He pointed to his experience as registrar of wills and as owner of Wilson’s Auction Sales as qualifications for the job.
“I am the only person running for the office who has to make a payroll every week,” he said.
Candidates from the second and third districts of Sussex County Council spoke last.
Mike Wyatt highlighted his 12 years in local government, including terms as a Georgetown councilman and as mayor of the town, as well as time as president of the Sussex County Association of Towns and as a member of the Clean Water Advisory Council.
“We need to control the growth that will come – we need smart growth,” he said.
As he explained it, “smart growth” focuses mainly on improved design standards, particularly buffering between existing homes and new development.
“We must cut the county budget…I’ve learned good, common-sense problem solving that can help,” he added.
His opponent, Samuel Wilson, is a lifelong farmer who is running on self-described “barnyard sense.” He railed against the number of permits and fees local government requires for new construction.
“I’m not planning on government running me out through taxes, and more taxes, and more taxes, and permits. Are we against our children?” he said.
“What do we really want? We want property rights and lower taxes.”
Joan Deaver, founder of Citizens For A Better Sussex, was the first third-district candidate to speak. She focused on her experience as part of a group that fought a planned “western parkway” that would have gone through the Georgetown area.
“We did just what you did. We stopped it,” she said.
She said the council’s first order of business should be to balance the budget.
“There is no reason for a deficit,” she said.
She added that development needs to be managed better at the county level.
“We need to link development with resources – with infrastructure,” she said.
Her opponent, Mark Baker, pushed for the county to protect quality of life by taking as much responsibility for local issues as it can, as opposed to allowing the state government to handle them.
“The government that is closes to you is the one you can influence best,” he said.
Like Deaver, he said the county’s budget deficit has to be brought under control.
“Spending has grown at an astronomical rate – I believe in limited government and low taxes,” he said.
There’s no race at all for the congressional district that covers most of the area, the 33rd. V. George Carey is running unopposed for that seat, but he showed up anyway, to thank his constituents for their support.
LINCOLN, DEL. —
