NEWS

Fiery debate features attacks on Gordon's record

Karl Baker

The News Journal

Bickering, jeering, stone-faced scolding and biting critiques were all voiced by candidates and the audience alike at the New Castle County executive debate in Hockessin on Tuesday evening.

It was a mixture of political theater and deep-diving analysis about jobs, open-space preservation and crime – and how the issues sometimes interlock.

While the three challengers vying to unseat Thomas P. Gordon exhibited differences of opinions on the topics, they often came together with sharp attacks on the longtime incumbent, saying Gordon’s administration – and consequently county operations – have been bogged down by ethically questionable acrimony.

Gordon responded by pointing to the county’s creation of libraries and parks during his tenure, as well as county investment in a planned stock exchange in downtown Wilmington and future plans for new port facilities.

Democratic County Executive candidate Matt Meyer speaks as he sits on stage with Republican candidate Mark Blake (left), County Executive Tom Gordon (second left), and Republican candidate Barry Nahe (right) during the New Castle County Executive Debate at the Hockessin Memorial Hall on Tuesday night.

He also deflected accusations that his administration has a track record of hiring political friends.

“I brought great things that improved the quality of life in New Castle County,” Gordon said. “I don’t know where all my relatives are; I never hired any.”

The debate, hosted by The News Journal, was held at the Hockessin Memorial Hall on Yorklyn Road.

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Wilmington attorney Matt Meyer, who is challenging Gordon in the Sept. 13 Democratic primary, said he will run a more transparent government if elected. Also, he charged, voters should not count on Gordon’s promise of jobs at a planned port south of the Delaware Memorial Bridge until private investment dollars have been committed.

“It’s all kinds of tomfoolery, guys, until we see the money,” Meyer said. “We need new energy with our government. We need new ideas.”

Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1 in New Castle County, and both Gordon and Meyer brought large contingents of supporters who at times interrupted the debate.

For the GOP primary, also on Sept. 13, Mark Blake will face Barry Nahe, chief of county Building Operations and Maintenance. Blake lost to Gordon in the 2012 general election.

Both Republicans also directed sharp critiques at the current county executive. Nahe used the most fiery language.

“We have many [county] positions that are filled by political hacks that don’t have any business running departments, especially when it comes to construction,” Nahe said.

Blake pointed to problems of transparency and good governance in the current administration and said he would create an independent office in county government with the autonomy to investigate malfeasance.

“It would have the authority with subpoena power to investigate anything and everything; you would have a toll-free [number] that you could call to bring something up,” Blake said.

The county executive is one of the key influential political figures in the state and oversees a $300 million annual budget that operates the county's sewer infrastructure, roads, parks, libraries, land development, housing and social programs, as well as the Police Department and other emergency response infrastructure.

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As the challengers launched charges at Gordon, over and over he responded by saying the county needs more and better jobs. Delaware has been a victim of international trade agreements, he said, grasping a popular political trope gaining steam on the national stage.

“These trade agreements [have] stripped us from most of the corporations that have left,” he said.

Although all the candidates pointed to a need for more jobs, New Castle County’s unemployment rate has recovered since the end of the Great Recession, sitting at 3.9 percent in May, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The county’s workforce totaled 293,000 people at the end of 2015, accounting for approximately 2 of out of 3 Delaware workers.

In Wilmington, however, the unemployment rate stood at 6 percent in January, according to the state Department of Labor. Candidates said the success of Delaware’s struggling, largest city is tied to that of the broader county. When asked about whether the government should give grants to companies that locate in Wilmington or the county, Blake said it is necessary in our economic system.

"Those are wise things to do in the times that we're in. We cannot afford to lose these large corporations," he said.

Nahe ended the night, characterized by assails on Gordon's three-term record, by denouncing the political system, in general.

"What you witness every four years is nothing more than a political pornography," he said.

Contact Karl Baker at kbaker@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2329. Follow him on Twitter @kbaker6.