Generally speaking, election season has been underway for quite some time now, when you talk about the presidential election.
But as of yesterday morning, Sussex County election season kicked into high gear, as the majority bloc on the county council announced that none of them will be seeking re-election. Additionally, councilman Finley Jones (D-Greenwood) dispelled rumors that he would be making a run at Ben Ewing’s 35th District seat, and they have been replaced with a whole new set of rumors that may be fact by press time.
In the Millsboro area, both John Akins – freshly Democratic, no less – and Barbara Lifflander – his perennial challenger – are back in the mix, running against incumbent first-term Republican Greg Hastings.
Jud Bennett will again challenge for the Third Councilmanic District seat, and has been joined by Citizens for a Better Sussex founder Joan Deaver, both outspoken in their support for a stricter land-use policy. Without Rogers in that race now, it will become a battle of who wants to save coastal Sussex more.
And as the deadline to file approaches (it’s this Friday), the general election picture will become crystal-clear very soon. So let’s set a few ground rules.
As has been our policy for some time now, we will not be running any more miscellaneous “grip-and-grin” photos of candidates at various non-election-related functions. We are all about fairness, and giving one candidate exposure over another is not our business. Longtime incumbents have press secretaries, media relations professionals and are general PR machines, and it’s our position that every candidate should have an equal opportunity to get his or her message out.
Additionally, we will stop running political letters to the editor approximately two weeks prior to the general election, as well as primaries. As poll data trickles in and candidates (and their supporters/detractors) jockey for position, we’d rather let the candidates articulate their positions for themselves, rather than chase the rumors and potshots that crop up in many last-minute letters to the editor.
If you have any questions, please call the Countian office at 856-0026.
