Why Should Delaware Care?
Rep. Stell Parker Selby represents more than 20,000 residents in the Milton and Lewes area, but has yet to take part in any legislative actions this year after suffering a stroke. After months of her unexplained absence, there is a growing concern that constituents may go unrepresented for the entirety of her two-year term.
The Delaware General Assembly was a beehive of activity Wednesday, with a variety of legislation winding its way toward an annual June 30 deadline, but much of the discussion in the halls was about who was missing: Rep. Stell Parker Selby.
The Milton-area Democrat has yet to attend a day of this year’s legislative session, which kicked off on Jan. 14, after suffering a significant stroke late last year.
Her prolonged absence among the 41-member House of Representatives was notable itself, but now debate has shifted to the response by House Democrats and whether they have knowingly sought to cover-up the situation in a competitive district.
On Tuesday, Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton (D-Bear) became the first in her party to criticize House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown’s handling of the situation and claimed that she has attempted to orchestrate efforts to shield the public’s understanding of Parker Selby’s absence.
On Wednesday, a Sussex County Republican leader came to Dover to call for transparency into Parker Selby’s ability to serve and an ethics investigation into any cover-up.
“What we have seen over these past a couple of months is not only a complete lack of transparency, but a willful intent by the Democratic Party to knowingly and consciously deceive the voters in the 20th District with a lack of representation,” said Daniel Willis, the chair of the Sussex County Republican Party.
What happened?
Since being re-elected to a second term in November, Parker Selby has seldom been seen or heard from in public. She was present Nov. 7 at Return Day, a post-election tradition in Georgetown that sees former electoral candidates literally and figuratively “bury the hatchet.”
But Parker Selby suffered a “massive stroke” in early December that was initially feared to be life-threatening, according to Democratic party sources. The representative has reportedly since been recovering at home after moving from a rehab facility.
Her absence at the opening day of the Delaware General Assembly and in the lead-up to a significant vote early in the session on corporate law reform only drew more attention as to her whereabouts.
In late March, Minor-Brown sought to defuse those questions by completing a private swearing-in ceremony with the representative in Sussex County. A photo released from the day shows Parker Selby in a wheelchair with a crouching Minor-Brown behind her – the representative had not used a wheelchair previously.
In recent months, her absence has become a near weekly subject of reporting by Milton-based CoastTV, who was the first outlet to report on Parker Selby’s stroke. The reporters dogged questioning of the House Speaker in the halls of the statehouse led her to say Democrats were considering enacting virtual voting as an option to allow Parker Selby to serve voters while recuperating.
Wilson-Anton later said that was a “bold-face lie” meant to deflect reporters’ questions and that legislators had already shot down the potential of such a move earlier this year. Her break with her colleague’s code of silence has caused a new outcry over how the episode has been managed.
Wilson-Anton speaks out
As the episode played out over the last month, Wilson-Anton, one of the most outspoken members of the legislature, said she grew more frustrated by the reaction from House leaders.
She said she was told House Democrats discussed ways to try to deflect Parker Selby’s absence, including having members rotate parking their cars in her designated parking spot.
“What really frustrated me was seeing our staff on TV being made to defend the decisions of the leadership team, and I find that to be completely inappropriate,” she said. “I think it’s because there is a lack of truth coming from the Speaker’s office.”
Wilson-Anton said that she is concerned that Parker Selby is unable to communicate, saying that she knows her as a “woman of integrity” and that if she could communicate publicly, she would have by now.
The representative said that she believes the year started off with a genuine wait-and-see approach to Parker Selby’s health, but for some time now it’s been clear that she’s not able to return, and that it is now “a political decision that was made to try to keep the seat blue for as long as possible.”
“It’s not just impacting the folks that live in her district now. It’s impacting the entire chamber,” Wilson-Anton said, noting the episode is eating up officials’ and staff’s time that could be spent on working to get bills done before the end of the month.
She also worries that inaction now – perhaps to save a seat from turning Republican – could come back to bite Democrats in next year’s elections, drawing parallels to inaction over former President Joe Biden’s health before his disastrous debate performance that preceded the end of his re-election campaign.
“As a Democrat, I think it’s important for us to come out and speak the truth, regardless of if it hurts our party or not,” she said. “What really hurts our party is when people associate the Democratic Party with a lack of transparency and lack of accountability.”
Speaker denies cover-up
In an interview with Spotlight Delaware on Wednesday evening, Minor-Brown denied attempting to hide anything about Parker Selby’s condition and situation.
In particular, she denied the most explosive allegation that she instructed members to park in Parker Selby’s parking spot.
“What would be the point of that if she’s still not at her desk? Are we just going to say that she’s sitting in the car for the whole session? It just doesn’t add up. It doesn’t make sense,” she said.
Minor-Brown reiterated that she does not have an avenue to remove Parker Selby from her seat and that the representative will need to make her own decision on whether to resign or return to service. She said that she is in regular conversations with Parker Selby, that she communicates back and that she is not communicating through intermediaries.
“I want to give her the grace that she needs and deserves, and hopefully everyone will hear from her soon,” she said.
The House Speaker also defended her Tuesday statement that admonished CoastTV for its reporting and the conduct of its reporters, invoking the recent shootings of Minnesota lawmakers as the risk that elected officials and staffers live with today.
That includes CoastTV reporters allegedly accessing a restricted area for legislative staff and broadcasting personal social media photos of Parker Selby’s legislative aide, a relatively low-level position.
“Their tactics are aggressive, and it’s unfortunate, because you don’t feel like you have to be on pins and needles when the press is in the building,” she said. “There should be some type of partnership. Whether we agree or disagree, we should at least be able to treat each other with respect.”
In response to Minor-Brown’s Tuesday statement, CoastTV News Director John Dearing responded by saying the station has continued to report the story because leaders have not been forthcoming with honest answers.
“Minor-Brown claims the legislative work is accessible. And Minor-Brown writes she deeply respects the press’ role in holding government accountable. If she truly believes these concepts, then she will sit with CoastTV for an in-depth interview while the legislature is in session, instead of forcing CoastTV News to chase her through the hallways of Legislative Hall,” he said in a statement.
Politics reenter episode
Following Wilson-Anton’s comments this week, Willis, the chair of the Sussex County Republican Party, drove to Dover to advocate for District 20’s more than 20,000 voters on Wednesday.
He rebuffed comparisons between Parker Selby’s situation and that of the late Republican Rep. Jack Peterman, who missed significant portions of the 2015 and 2016 legislative years with illness and injury.
“Representative Peterman was open about his health challenges, remained in communication, and ultimately chose not to seek re-election because he recognized the importance of the role and the office that he was elected to. He didn’t disappear without explanation, and no one tried to deceive the voters in that district,” Willis said. “What we’re seeing today in the representative District 20 is different. It’s not just about health. It’s a larger issue of how the Democratic leadership, with a willful intent, chose secrecy over honesty.”
It was notable that no elected Republicans joined Willis at his press conference, and Republican legislative leaders have been reluctant to weigh into Parker Selby’s absence.
Regardless, Willis said the county GOP was prepared to put forward a candidate to challenge the District 20 seat.
“We are prepped, we are equipped, and we are ready to run an election, whether it be a special or general,” he said.
