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Coons,
who also is a Democrat and makes no secret of his interest in
succeeding Executive Tom Gordon, called that suggestion
"ridiculous." But he partly apologized at a County Council
executive committee meeting on July 1. However, he declared that
his contrition applied only to the procedure he followed and not
to the merits of the bill he was supporting.
Councilman Robert Weiner, a
Republican, came to Coons's defense, saying that he was merely
exercising constitutional rights to free expression and to
influence legislation. Later in what became a heated exercise in
political partisanship, Weiner acknowledged
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that he
and former county planning director Sean Tucker were responsible
for having the bill drafted and getting Representative Wayne
Smith to introduce it.
Smith, who is leader of the
Republican majority in the House of Representatives, did so as
the General Assembly was dealing with a pile of legislation to
meet its adjournment deadline. The House agreed to a proverbial
eleventh-hour suspension of rules and approved the measure by a
25-to-13 vote on June 25. The Senate, which has a Democrat
majority, did not go along and the measure is now officially in
committee in that chamber.
If passed and signed by the
governor, the law would give the county executive power to
appoint, with ratification by Council, and to remove from office
the heads of the county's operating departments. That authority
was taken away, at Gordon's behest, as part of the 1998
reorganization of county government. Directors became general
managers and the jobs became merit-system or civil-service
positions. Smith's bill does provide that future appointees "be
qualified for the [respective] position by education, training
and experience."
Sherry Freebery, the county's chief
administrative officer, pointed out that Coons and Weiner, along
with the rest of Council
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Panel will study
metro government
In a sparsely noted
but potentially highly significant action on June
30, the final day of its session, the state House
of Representatives passed a resolution
establishing a taskforce to study the possible
merger of New Castle County and Wilmington city
governments.
The measure was
sponsored by David Ennis, Robert Valahjura and
Wayne Smith, who represent Brandywine Hundred
districts.
The 16-member panel
was given a Mar. 1, 2004, deadline to submit its
report.
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at the time,
supported the reorganization and, in particular, the replacement
of political appointees with professional manager. "The Gordon
administration asked your permission to restructure the
government. You voted for it unanimously and the General
Assembly codified it," she said.
Councilman Robert Woods said partisanship was obvious. "Why else
would every Republican vote for it and every Democrat vote
against it?" he said, adding that such results are rare in the
Delaware legislature. Actually, one Republican, William Oberle,
did break ranks and voted against the bill.
"The
General Assembly [session] is over, but this issue isn't over,"
Woods said.
He,
Powell and Councilwoman Karen Venezky were incensed that they
were not made aware that legislation significantly affecting the
county was to be introduced when Coons and Weiner were aware of
it. "That is a serious infraction on your part," Venezky told
Coons.
Powell
was clearly the most aggrieved. "I take it personally. ... It
shows a lot of disrespect and abuse of power on your part," she
said. She said that Coons did seek an after-the-fact discussion
with her as he did with other Council members. The executive
committee meeting was convened 40 minutes after its scheduled
starting time.
After
Coons said he would "take full responsibility" for the process
to which the Council members took exception, Powell told him,
"It's too late to apologize; the damage is done."
For the
most part, Coons, who presided at the executive committee
meeting attended by an overflow audience, which included many
county employees, sat silently as the Council members had their
said. Weiner, however, took his part, saying that the right of
appointment is a prerogative of just about every elected
executive.
"The
county executive, whether a Democrat or a Republican, should
have to right to choose his own team," he said.
Objecting
to what he referred to as "the stridency of the comments I'm
hearing," Weiner said the Gordon administration's opposition to
the proposed law reflects "an administration that would like to
continue their authority beyond the time they are serving."
Gordon is not eligible to seek re-election in 2004.
Asking
for and receiving the privilege of the floor at the committee
meeting, Freebery attempted to shift the onus of responsibility
for Smith's bill to Weiner. He "want to run for county executive
{and] be able to fire good people who have been merit-system
employees," she said.
Freebery,
who along with Gordon rushed to Dover on short notice to lobby
against the bill, accused Weiner of "greasing the skids" in the
Republican-controlled House and said Coons intended to do the
same in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
"Ms.
Freebery tried for 45 minutes to persuade [legislators] that it
was not a good piece of legislation," Weiner said. To that,
Woods responded, "If it is such a warm and wonderful piece of
legislation, why did it have to be sleazed through?"
Suggesting that Council take a formal stand on the merits of
Smith's bill, Freebery, who was appointed by Gordon to the
county's second-ranking position and whose own candidacy for
county executive is not beyond the realm of possibility, said,
"If that's what you want, we will gladly appoint our political
friends to be in there."
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