Challengers hit NCCo Executive Gordon on Grimaldi feud

• County Executive Thomas P. Gordon dismissed his top aide David Grimaldi in October.
• Gordon's daughter this week said she is behind a series of anonymous posts about Grimaldi's character.
• Gordon's political opponents on Wednesday said the situation highlights why new leadership is needed.

New Castle County Executive Thomas P. Gordon's political opponents on Wednesday said the latest revelation in the executive's ongoing feud with a fired aide is another sign local government needs fresh faces after this fall's elections.  

"We need safe streets, not mean tweets. This is nonsense," said Matt Meyer, a Wilmington attorney campaigning for support in Democrat-dominated New Castle County ahead of his September primary against fellow Democrat Gordon.

Meyer's comments come a day after Jennifer Gordon, the executive's 29-year-old daughter, took credit for posting comments alleged to be defamation in a lawsuit filed earlier this year by former New Castle County Chief Administrative Officer David Grimaldi.

Thomas Gordon and Grimaldi both declined to comment for this story. 

Grimaldi was the executive's top aide until his high-profile firing in October, resulting in a separate wrongful termination lawsuit. That sparked a social media war in which anonymous, online profiles advocating for either side lobbed insults.

STORY: Gordon's daughter admits to posts cited in defamation suit

STORY: Grimaldi case tests protections for online commenters 

That led Grimaldi to ask a judge to unmask online profiles that posted comments that he says amount to defamation. He's asked the judge to award damages for harm to his reputation once all that are responsible for the comments are outed. The two lawsuits are part of an ongoing drama that has seen Grimaldi produce secretly recorded conversations in an effort to discredit his former boss, Gordon. 

Barry Nahe, the county's chief of Building Operations and Maintenance and the only Republican currently running for executive, said the issue has to be a distraction from Thomas Gordon's duties. He said the flap is unbecoming of the county's top official.

"When you have your kids and everyone else involved in this, you are not focusing on what really your job is," Nahe said. "You are the county executive. In my view, you are supposed to represent the best of the best, and you should be an example to the constituents."

Both Nahe and Meyer said the feud is a waste of county resources. 

"These junior high school games are wasting millions in taxpayer dollars," said Meyer, whose campaign materials have cited media reports in the Gordon-Grimaldi feud. 

Neither the county nor the executive is named in Grimaldi's defamation lawsuit. A cadre of top county lawyers and administrators joined a prominent outside attorney at a hearing on Grimaldi's wrongful termination lawsuit, which names the executive and the county and defendants and asks the judge to award more than $20,000 in back pay. 

"This is absolutely taking away from the county resources," Nahe said. "This is exactly what they do. All these people, who are county employees, go there on county time to protect their boss."

It is unclear exactly how much time county employees or the outside attorney have spent on the lawsuit. Officials in the Gordon administration declined to comment for this story.

Meyer said the issues are a distraction from "real problems." 

The county executive has touted crime reduction in the unincorporated areas of New Castle County as he seeks an unprecedented fourth term as county executive. The campaigns have been largely quiet so far. Last week, Thomas Gordon picked up an endorsement from the New Castle County Democratic Party Executive Committee.

Councilman Penrose Hollins said Jennifer Gordon's actions are unlikely to figure into the race. Hollins is running for County Council president and has campaigned at public events with the executive. Hollins faces fellow Democrats David Roberts and Karen Hartley-Nagle in the race. 

"I don't see personally how it impacts on him and his campaign," Hollins said.

He said the executive can't be judged by his daughter's actions. 

"That your child or children may engage in activity you are not necessarily proud of is not a reflection of the parents' character," Hollins said. 

Current Council President Christopher Bullock, who is not seeking another term, said Thomas Gordon's aspirations are unlikely to be thwarted by the ongoing drama.

STORY: Conflicting laws complicate Grimaldi case 

STORY: Online posts subject of new David Grimaldi lawsuit 

"It is soap-opera drama and political satire playing out in New Castle County politics," Bullock said. "Right now there is no indication this could have an impact [on Thomas Gordon's campaign]. I think he is in a position of strength, but you can't take anything for granted."

Whatever its effect might be, the executive's Grimaldi problem is unlikely to go away soon. A judge is weighing a motion to dismiss the wrongful termination lawsuit. Despite Jennifer Gordon taking credit for the posts, David Finger, Grimaldi's attorney, said a legal effort to have internet service providers hand over identifying information about online profiles will continue. He said he is unsure if Jennifer Gordon is the only one behind the comments cited in the lawsuit.

Grimaldi has previously speculated that county employees might be involved with the posts. Jennifer Gordon insisted she acted alone.

Meyer said the situation sniffs of Thomas Gordon's previous legal troubles that saw the executive indicted in 2004 on federal racketeering and fraud charges. Felony charges were dropped and he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failing to have accurate tax information for county employees caught doing campaign work on county time. Meyer couldn't draw direct connections between the two situations.

"This is the same Tom Gordon that was brought up on federal charges for misusing his office before," Meyer said. "It looks to me like the same behavior we have always seen from Tom Gordon."

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter.