Bill Lee to Host Veterans Forum

DOVER ~ Gubernatorial candidate Bill Lee will host a Veterans Forum in the House Chamber of Legislative Hall, Dover, on Wednesday, August 27, from 6 to 9 p.m.
 
The meeting will be open to all who wish to comment on issues affecting Delaware’s veterans. Those unable to travel to Dover for the forum can e-mail questions or concerns to

Maria@LeeDelaware.com, or call Bill Lee’s campaign headquarters at 302-260-9206.
 
The event has grown out of some of the issues identified in The Delaware Plan and from feedback directly from veterans, according to Bill Lee, a Marine Corps veteran.
 
“Our military veterans, including those who have served in previous and present conflicts, represent a significant, important, and productive segment of our citizenry. The Delaware National Guard and the Reserve have been continuously deployed in combat zones and to natural disasters. We need to hear their concerns and determine how we can best assist them and their families,” said Mr. Lee.
 
The agenda will include property and income tax issues as they affect veterans; state hiring practices; contract set asides for veteran contractors; educational benefits that would extend to family members; the veterans home; best ways to retain highly trained and entrepreneurial retirees in Delaware, and a number of other issues that have been the source of inquiries from veterans. The floor will be open to give and take on all issues during the three-hour, nonpartisan dialogue.   (”Yeah, right!” -dg)
 
“I’ve reviewed the legislative record and Delaware has, for the most part, been veteran friendly, but we need to make certain we do right by these patriots and their families who have been so willing to defend us. Our goal is to hear what veterans have to say and incorporate their priorities into my vision,” said Mr. Lee.

This event needs to be relocated to avoid any further appearance of impropriety.

8:10 am

Caller:  “… Dan, did you see the sign on Southbound Rt. 1 saying the exit for Cape Henlopen State Park is one mile and to Keep Right?”

Uh, Cape Henlopen is to the left.  Did Deldot put the sign on the wrong side of the road?

8:20am

Listener Mike sends us the photgraphic proof

On air we laugh at the State, and joke about the sign.

8:55am

Highway workers take down the sign.

Wow.  I wish we could get the Indian River Bridge fixed this fast!

Candidates have been coming out of the woodwork this week on the Bill Colley Show.  If you missed their appearances - fear not - you can still hear the interviews.

On Wednesday, 41st District candidate for the state House of Representatives, John Atkins joined Bill Colley in the studio.  Atkins, who recently switched political parties, faces a Democratic primary with Barbara Lifflander - the winner will face incumbent Representative Greg Hastings.

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On Thursday, Republican Judson Bennett stopped by the WGMD studios to talk about his candidacy for District 3 on the Sussex County Council.  Just before the filing deadline last week Mark Baker of Lewes filed to run - setting up a GOP primary for District 3 on the County Council.  The winner will face Democrat Joan Deaver.

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Candidate for Governor, Mike Protack, joined Bill Colley in the studio Thursday afternoon to discuss the issues. Protack is a Republican and will be in a three-way primary with Bill Lee and David Graham. (The Democrats also have a primary between Jack Markell and John Carney).

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(Sorry - yes one of the Protack cuts disappeared during editing - and cuts 3 & 4 ended up as the exact same thing)

Christine O’Donnell is running for Joe Biden’s seat on the US Senate. She appeared on the Bill Colley Show on July 24th and if you missed her comments - you’ll find them HERE

(Some of these cuts are long so depending on your connection it could take some time for them to download or play - please be patient)

Christine O’Donnell was on the Bill Colley show on Thursday.  You can listen to the clips from her appearance here -

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And you will find her website at http://www.christineodonnell08.com/

Is voting a right for US citizens? No – it’s not. The idea of “one man, one vote” is a common fallacy. In the US Constitution that refers to the votes by members of Congress, but it has nothing to do with the public vote.

In Delaware it’s no different. Felons who are in jail can’t vote and those who have been released have to first meet a series of requirements.

• The sentence and fines must be satisfied at least 5 years prior to the application date.
• A Felony conviction of the following disqualifies one of the bill’s requirements: murder, sexual crimes, or crimes against the public.

But now Delaware has taken your vote to a new level – or lack of one – if you write-in your vote for a candidate. Senate Bill 164 was signed into law by Governor Ruth Ann Minner on July 9. The bill’s synopsis –

This bill would require that only votes cast for a declared write-in candidate would be counted. A person could declare himself/herself a write-in candidate to the Commissioner of Elections or the appropriate Department of Elections and that write-in votes cast for any other person, etc. would be lumped together and reported as other write-in votes. Persons who declare themselves write-in candidates would be subject to the provisions of Chapter 80 (Campaign Finance). The bill also provides additional guidance on what constitutes a vote for a write-in candidate.

The bill passed in the state Senate by an 11-9-1 vote – only 1 Sussex County senator voted against it – Senator Robert Venables of Laurel. In the state House – it was passed unanimously.

This bill would have never allowed Dr. John Adams to be elected as Mayor of Lewes.

While many people consider a vote for any candidate other than the Democrat or Republican who is running a wasted vote – that’s not to point! You have exercised your ability to vote by voting for the candidate you feel most strongly about – whether it be Barack Obama, John McCain or your next door neighbor, and you want that vote to count. Likely your neighbor won’t win the election – but your vote also says that you had no faith in the other candidates running.

Sure you can still write-in yourself, Pat Paulson, Snoopy or Dan Gaffney as your candidate of choice – but unless they are a declared write-in candidate – your vote WILL NOT COUNT! At least before this bill was enacted – your vote counted towards a “candidate” – now the vote will count – but lumped in with the other undeclared write-in candidates.

So what happens in the event that there’s an overwhelming response for undeclared write-in candidates that comes close to or bests the vote for the Dem or GOP declared candidate?

Delaware lawmakers have deemed local residents too stupid to properly handle sparklers, bottle rockets and firecrackers.  Are those arrested for trying to bring a little bang to holiday,  patriots or pinheads?

Five people have been busted for possession illegal fireworks after State Police and fire officials watched them buy fireworks at Pennsylvania distributors. Then, when the fireworks were brought into Delaware, the five were arrested. All fireworks – even sparklers – are illegal in Delaware. Police say this was just the first of several similar operations planned for the weekend.

Patriots or Pinheads?

On June 18, I predicted Aaron Chaffinch (D)  would step in to fill the seat vacated by Representative Ben Ewing.  Today,  June 25th, WGMD news reports he has just filed to run:

Another hat has been thrown into the 35th District ring. Former State Police Superintendent Aaron Chaffinch is hoping to succeed Representative Ben Ewing for that seat now that Ewing has announced his retirement at the end of his term. Chaffinch is running as a Democrat against Sussex County Register of Wills David Wilson, who is running as a Republican.

I love that old time magic microphone!  Here is another vibe I’m getting:

Chaffinch will win.  So will former Representative and new Democrat John Atkins.  Looking at a few other statewide races and it seems like the Democrats will take over the Delaware House of Representatives in November.  Can you say Majority Leader Pete Schwartzkopf? 

I don’t think there’s really anyone today whose life hasn’t been affected by cancer – whether it’s a family member, friend, acquaintance or you. For some the battle is long – others very short. Some battle it with a vengeance, others not at all.

My introduction to cancer was in junior high. Jeff lived in the neighborhood we had just moved to and he had Leukemia and had been told he wouldn’t live to see 10 – he was a fighter. When I met Jeff – he was 12.

While cancer has also a part of my family, it’s a friend and former co-worker who’s now doing the fighting. Many in the WGMD’s extended family know her either as a friend, co-worker or their former account executive. She’s moved from the area now – but she needs your help.

In the nearly 10 years since I first met Anita I’ve known her to be a kind and caring friend and a determined co-worker. That determination saw her through her first battle with cancer where she beat it into remission. She’s back on the track again – literally running for her life – and others.

California, Here I Come!

The bad news last year was that my lymphoma relapsed, and it took nine rounds of chemo over seven months to get it under control again. There were side effects, and it wasn’t much fun.

But the good news now is that I’m getting stronger every day. To celebrate my recovery, I’ve started training with Team in Training to run the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco. And, as before, I’m raising funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society to help find cures- and better treatments- for these diseases.

Please make a donation to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS’s mission- I know firsthand how important it is. My goal is to reach $5,000 by July 15; I’m counting on your generosity to help me get there!

I’ll keep you updated on my progress. Thanks for your support!

Anita Lawson

Yeah – I know the economy not in great shape and everyone’s cutting back – but I’m asking for your help to get Anita to her goal.

Remember – eight cancer clusters have been found in Delaware, a state with an unusually high rate of cancer. Helping Anita could just help you, a family member or a friend to find a cure. Click on the banner below – that will take you to Anita’s Team in Training site where you can find out more.

With the help of a generous Court of Common Pleas judge and a good attorney, 38 year old former Sussex Central High School principal, Dana Goodman, is free on bail.  Judge Rosemary Beauregard reduced Goodman’s bond from $331,000 to $125,000 dollars, which he was able to post Thursday. 

 He has been ordered to have no contact with the 17 year old victim,  the Indian River School District or its employees and no contact - direct or indirect - with any children under the age of 18.  Goodman is charged with 30 counts of 4th degree rape and continual sexual abuse of a child and endangering the welfare of a child.  All are felony offenses.

On Goodman’s release the school district has this comment:

Statement concerning the posting of bond by Sussex Central High School Principal Dana Goodman: 

“Mr. Goodman continues to be prohibited from having any contact with Indian River School District students or staff while his case is being adjudicated. The Indian River Board of Education has directed administrative staff to advertise the position of principal of Sussex Central High School, identify qualified applicants to be interviewed by the board and conduct background checks on all such applicants consistent with IRSD procedures.”                                               

                                Susan Bunting, SuperintendentMay 9, 2008

Earlier this week the Indian River School District appointed former IR and Woodbridge School District teacher and administrator, Robert Powell, as the interim principal at Sussex Central High School for the remainder of the school year.  Also Assistant IR Superintendent Gary Brittingham has been assigned to the school for the rest of the school year. 

The school district has now announced a special meeting for parents and members of the community regarding Sussex Central High School: 

From Jim Lanard, Director of Strategic Planning and Communications for Bluewater Wind:

Bluewater Wind’s offshore wind park is an investment in Delaware’s future by improving Delaware’s environment, providing much needed electric generation reliability and creating hundreds of “green collar” jobs for Delawareans.  While it may be that the out-of-state wind bids Delmarva Power has solicited cost less, they will not provide these same benefits for Delaware.  Replacing Bluewater Wind’s instate wind park with wind generated in Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, western Pennsylvania and Maryland will not create jobs for Delaware, will not enhance reliability and will not have the same environmental benefits for Delaware.

For months now, Delmarva Power has promised to reveal out-of-state wind bids by the end of March, but they now say the new release date won’t be before June 1st.  Delmarva has used the ever-lengthening release date as an effective way to prevent a decision from being made. Bluewater Wind offers the following facts to put Delmarva Power’s apples to oranges comparison into proper perspective.

Delmarva Power’s out-of-state wind energy plan will result in: 

• Lost Jobs.  Bluewater Wind’s instate wind park will generate 400 – 500 construction jobs and 80 – 100 operations and maintenance jobs for the life of the 25 year contract.  Delmarva Power’s plan will not generate any jobs for Delaware.

• Lost Economic Hub.  Bluewater Wind will establish Delaware as the economic hub to support the construction of offshore wind parks in the region, if Delaware becomes the first state to approve an offshore wind park.  This economic hub will position Delaware as a national leader in the new clean energy economy attracting other “green collar” jobs — purchasing wind energy from out-of-state will not.
• Lost Teaching and Training Facility.  Bluewater Wind has committed to supporting a teaching and training program in Delaware, to be launched with a $150,000 grant, so that Delaware can be the training center for workers learning how to build, operate and maintain wind parks.
• Lost Environmental Benefits.  Bluewater Wind’s offshore wind park will reduce polluting fossil fuel emissions in the Delmarva Peninsula; out-of-state wind won’t.  The National Renewable Energy Labs reports that, “according to the chief operating officer of the PJM  Regional Transmission Organization, wind energy displaced coal-fired generation about 70% of the time in this power market in 2006.”  In addition, offshore turbine foundations become artificial reefs and will benefit coastal aquatic life.
• Lost reliability.  According to experts hired by the State, the offshore wind park, coupled with the proposed backup facility, will enhance electric reliability in Delaware.  This will help avoid future “brownouts” of the type Delaware endured a few summers ago. Purchasing out-of-state wind energy will not enhance reliability.
• Hidden costs.  Delmarva Power’s out-of-state wind bid allows bidders to enter the PJM grid at any point on the system, which will likely expose ratepayers to transmission risks and higher costs than advertised due to inefficiency.  In addition, the contract Bluewater Wind negotiated with Delmarva Power guarantees liquidated damages and termination fees if Bluewater Wind does not perform its contractual obligations; the RFP for the out-of-state wind bidders does not require these protections.