Atkins Letter
April 16th, 2007 by Dan GaffneyAtkins sent this letter to local papers and to The Dan Gaffney Show. Sure sounds like a campaign letter to me!
Dear Editor,
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           I wish to thank the many supporters and friends in Sussex County who have expressed their support and friendship over the last five years. I am proud of what we accomplished together over the last five years —not as Republicans , Democrats or Independents– but as proud Sussex Countians.    Many of the projects undertaken were achieved because you, regular citizens and community leaders visited or called me, with ideas or pressing needs to make our towns better and safer places to work and live .Getting things done is what being an elected official is all about. I was proud to work with you in getting some of the following accomplished during my service as your State Representative.
           In Millsboro, we funded equipment for the Millsboro Little League and paved the Millsboro Fire Company parking lot. We worked to improve public safety by funding a motorcycle for the Millsboro Police Department. I enjoyed working with Barbara Godwin and the Millsboro Women’s Civic Organization on many civic projects.
           In Dagsboro, we secured over $600,000 dollars from the 21st Century Fund for the town during their water and sewer project. We also paved the Clayton Avenue job and Route 26 and the Townsend development.
In Frankford, when the fire hydrant problem occurred, we worked together with town officials to receive over $200,000 to make sure adequate fire protection was in place in the town limits. We secured over $60,000 for town sidewalks when they were damaged in a snow storm for Selbyville.
In Gumboro, I learned that when I first took office that Gumboro was the only fire company in the state that had never received funding for the thermal imaging cameras used to locate people in the case of a smoke filled room in the event of a fire. I strongly argued that a life in Gumboro was just as important as a life in the city of Wilmington. Needless to say, we now have that thermal imaging camera to save lives. We also worked to fund projects with the Gumboro Community Center.
In Oak Orchard and Long Neck, we secured money for the Boys and Girls Club and cut through a lot of red tape to get the project moving. We worked to pave the roads in William Ritter Manor, Sherwood Forest, and Captains Grant. We are also in the middle of the huge paving job for the American Legion Post 28.
On the legislative front, I am most proud of our battles to support veterans, our farmers, and against state funded needle exchange programs. We worked fiercely to fund and build the State Veterans Home now, instead of the extended timeline Governor Minner had originally proposed. We worked to stand up to DNREC on the contentious deer control issue in support of the hard working, Delaware farmer. Lastly, I fought tooth and nail against spending your tax dollars to give free needles to drug addicts in Wilmington , and demanded safeguards and guarantees be in place to protect innocent children and the schools from this program.
There will always be important battles fought when some in government attempt to take away our rights. I was proud to support those in the Indian River School District defending the right to pray in our local schools. I was consistently endorsed by the NRA because of my deep belief in our fundamental  freedom to bear arms, to hunt and to protect our families. And I was pleased to enact a law that lets every Delaware citizen fly an American flag, regardless of what any zoning or homeowner rule says you can do on your own property.
           It was an honor to serve you for five years in the House of Representatives. I enjoyed working with the good citizens and local leaders to better our communities. Thank you for everything you have done to help me in my service to you.
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Sincerely,
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John C. Atkins
Millsboro
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April 16th, 2007 at 11:04 am
Nothing feels so good as giving yourself a nice pat on your back. This guy is taking lessons from Me I Joe.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:39 am
This is an unbelievable outrage! Notice the “safe, save, safety, protect” usage and how “a life in Gumboro is just as important as a life in Wilmington”. How true…pity he didn’t consider that statement months ago instead of just feeling…and being…lucky.
April 16th, 2007 at 6:47 pm
I think John did a good job on the letter , a good job repesenting us in the 41st and he will do a good job once back in Dover. Thanks John on all you have done for us in the 41st.
April 16th, 2007 at 8:15 pm
John did a good job on the letter yes. Unfortunately, if he goes back to Dover what more good can he do. He obviously has lost the respect of the other legislators. John accomplishes nothing without the support of the other reps.
April 16th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
Hi, I put a comment on the previous thread in response to Burnt Swamp and others, I cant copy it here so I’d ask the readers to track back and take a look:) thanks,
Joe Connor
April 17th, 2007 at 9:05 am
One bad night should not define this mans life…..is there more history? It seems to be implied but we haven’t heard any facts. Does John have a history of drinking and driving, wife beating, and using his elected position to get himself out of trouble? If there is a history…then it’s a new story…..to-date……..All the talk is about one night. Interesting enough…..it seems that everytime someone brings up the responsiblity of the OC police….it’s brushed off. Did the OC police make a mistake that night? Aren’t they accountable for not doing their job that night…why isn’t that part of the story we talk about…and how about the Millsboro police officer who watched John run thru a stop sign that night….where is his accountablity. By holding them responsible….it does not relieve John of his own responsiblity. He in fact started the chain of events……he made a choice to sit in bar and drink and then get behind the wheel of his car and drive. For that he should have been punished….if OC police would have done their job, that is just what would have happened. Then we the voters could have one issue to judge John on……..not the many that have come out of the circus of errors, to which “holier than thous” have decided to use to make a political statement. Not to say that the result would have been any different….we (voters) probably would have wanted him to resign.
John, if you do in fact have a history of drinking and beating your wife, you need help. You are the only one that can look yourself in the mirror and make that call. I also hope that your family and friends close to you will encourage you to get help, because they most certainly know if you need it. I hope that your wife Heather will also be the first to look you in the face and say enough, after all it’s her responibilty to her children to take care of their mother 1st and then the relationship of the marriage…where violence has no place. John, If you need help get it! Be ACCOUNTABLE!
Sandi Minard
Milton
April 17th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Atkins was charged by the Millsboro Police for “offensive touching.”
April 17th, 2007 at 4:28 pm
Who in the 41st dizzy district wrote this testimonal for the village idiot?
Did he forget he drove drunk, was stopped, continued on to the next bar, drove home after promising the DE friend or trooper would, ran the stop sign in Millsboro and did not get arrested again that night, not to mention the domestic violence, several hours later appear on Dan Gaffney WGMD radio show to lie to him and his audience, continue to lie to the House Ethics Committee, and the beat went on and on, his only problem was the truth unravled and exposed, who cares what he did in the legislature, GO AWAY and get help. The idiots of the 41st just might write him in again!
April 18th, 2007 at 5:10 am
But as the caller said the other morning. “if the Millsboro Police had just kept their trap shut” John would not have lost his seat.
Stupid knows no bounds.
April 18th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
“The idiots of the 41st just might write him in again!”
Must we resort to name calling?
I don’t consider myself a idiot or will you ever see me lower myself
in childish name calling….I myself will write in John Atkins.
Every action has a reaction and that night was just one after another.
But will I slam a man for it or will I be forgiving and try
to be hopeful to better things to come from this young man.
This was hopefully a learning experience for him. I know he will continue to do a good job for us..God Bless
April 19th, 2007 at 7:36 am
Thank you, Voter41st. That’s why I don’t waste my keystrokes anymore on the issue. People here know what I feel on the subject and why I feel that way, and I’ve been told to get my head examined, that I need help, etc., for my opinion.
If I lived in the 41st (or, for that matter, in Delaware), I’d do the same thing. And if that makes me an idiot (which it shouldn’t, as I do respect the opinion of every other person who posts here, agree or not), then I guess it is what it is.
April 20th, 2007 at 7:37 am
As a 41st district voter I also took this as a campaign letter and was quite annoyed with its timing. I know there are many who feel that John did a good job while in Dover. And while that may be true, I honestly believe that who ever is elected will also have the ability to do these things w/o all the controversy and craziness attached. John resigned and there are three viable candidates for this position. John is supposedly not running and lending his support to Hastings. If that is so let us respect the three candidates and give one of them our votes. If John decides to officially run again in 2008 then that is the time to give him your vote, not now.
We need someone who can work in Dover and not be mired down in this whole drama again. And if he is elected by the fallacy of this district, Dover has already promised it will start all over again. let us not do that to ourselves. Please think hard before writing him in.
April 23rd, 2007 at 7:45 pm
voter41st,
I’ll bet you also still think Bush is doing a good job!
April 27th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
I support the Commander and Chief 100%, I think he is doing a wonderful job. Don’t you agree? Have we been attacked here again? I don’t agree with the immagration issue but then again I won’t agree with everything everybody does anyway. Take John for instance..do I agree with all he did the latter part of last year..NO, but will I support him? YES. Just like the President..WOW IDEA JOHN ATKINS FOR PRESIDENT!!!!! You have to admit he is better than the circus we have running for that office now. As for the special election.. John Burton is trying to get the long neckers support with his sob story about the cost of rent…who is his campaign manager..Barbara Lifflander? I am a republican and I don’t agree with the negative campaign ad they are running about Lynn Bullock…I received a flier from the Hastings campaign and whos picture is on the back third of it..RUTH ANN MINNER… along with a saying LYNN BULLOCK : “Joining the Liberal Tax & Spending Team in Dover”. Come on, a quick election and already throwing trash.. But Question…Is it true?..should we chance it? We know what John can do in Dover..Veterans he has stood by you and People living in home owners Controlled developments.( Fly your FLAG proudly!). Farmers..John has always been in your corner..Send John back up to Dover. Well thats all for now. Dinner time..Later..