Why Should Delaware Care?
New Castle County is Delaware’s largest county government. A new proposal would consider changing how its president position is selected, which is currently won through a countywide election.
New Castle County Council President Monique Williams-Johns on Tuesday called a proposal to remake her position into an appointed one – rather than one elected by voters – a “power grab.”
Council members in support said the proposal would align New Castle County with Delaware’s other two counties. They also denied that the measure had anything to do with Williams-Johns, personally.
The debate made up much of the acrimony that unfolded during two meetings of the New Castle County Council on Tuesday.
At the center of the debate was a county council resolution asking the Delaware legislature to eliminate the council president position as an elected office in 2032. In lieu of the countywide seat, New Castle County would create a new voting council district following the 2030 census.
The 13-member county council would then choose their council president internally.
The county council first sparred over the resolution during their Finance Committee meeting Tuesday afternoon. Councilwoman Dee Durham opened the discussion by stating the resolution would bring New Castle County in line with the rest of the state’s county leadership. She also noted that if it cleared through the legislature, it would not go into effect for seven years.
“You know, it’s not aimed at anyone,” Durham said at the committee meeting. “It sets it off in the distance and at a logical time, which is after the next census.”
Later in the meeting, Williams-Johns said she believes removing the council president position strips county voters of their representation. She also said it would create “regional favoritism” within the county.
“To remove the president who represents the county, and works along with the council, to me, is unconstitutional,” Williams-Johns said.
The Finance Committee voted to approve the measure, sending it on to be considered at the full council meeting later in the day.
Ultimately, the full council voted 11-2 to approve the resolution, with Williams-Johns and Councilman Jea Street as the only members in opposition.
Williams-Johns said in an email to Spotlight Delaware on Wednesday that she did not believe the resolution was aimed at her, but reiterated her assertion that it “undermines” county voters.
“My deep disappointment stems from what this resolution represents for the people of New Castle County, particularly for future leaders, women, minorities, and those who have historically been disenfranchised,” she said.
When asked by Spotlight Delaware if she would pursue a lawsuit in the wake of any kind of law passed, Williams-Johns said she didn’t want to “tie the county up in litigation.”
“I raised the issue of potential legal challenges [during the council meeting] because I believe we must be honest about the risks associated with sidelining voters in such a consequential matter,” she said.
Williams-Johns is in her first term as council president, after winning an election against Republican Melissa Brayman last year. She succeeded former Council President Karen Hartley-Nagle, who held the seat for eight years but unsuccessfully ran for county executive last year.
Williams-Johns won the seat despite a rocky end to her campaign when she drew criticism for requesting county money to host her own swearing-in party before the general election had even occurred.
Odd to have a council president election?
The Delaware legislature would have to vote to approve a formal change to Williams-Johns’ elected position. And there already exists a draft bill to do that, though it has not yet been formally introduced.
The drafter, Rep. Eric Morrison (D-Glasgow), also said in an interview with Spotlight Delaware that the bill had nothing to do with Williams-Johns.
“This is not targeted in any way,” Morrison said.
Instead, he said it was odd that there’s a separate election for a county council president position, when Delaware’s other two counties do not do that. Morrison also pointed to how leaders in the legislature are appointed internally, as well as school boards in the state.
Morrison said when he approached council members with the idea, many responded positively. He said he wouldn’t have moved forward with the idea if they did not support it.
During the Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, Councilman George Smiley said this type of legislation had been attempted in the past during the Hartley-Nagle years, but that it “did not go anywhere in Dover.”
