For Chris Coons and Tom Gordon, each seeking another term as New Castle County executive, Monday’s debate in Hockessin was the latest installment in a long-running political rivalry.
But for Paul Clark and William Dunn, both candidates for county council president, it may have been only the opening chapter.
For these four men, all Democrats, the September 9 primary carries far more significance than the general election, with no Republicans filed for either office.
Asked what is the single most important step that can be taken to improve county finances, Gordon fired his first salvo: “Elect me.”
Gordon reiterated his pledge to not raise property taxes over the next four years and said he would put together the same financial team that allowed him to lead the county from 1997 through 2004 without raising taxes.
Coons, the incumbent county executive, who raised property taxes in two of his four years in office, said it was important to be honest with residents about county finances. He said raising property taxes and cutting popular events like the Ice Cream Festival were necessary steps.
“I think we’ve made tough, but good choices all while doing our level best to deliver on the promises the community values most,” he said.
Clark, the incumbent council president, said he believed the county needed to improve its dialogue with the state so it could secure additional revenue sources. For example, he thinks the state should allow the county to tax cell phone users for 911 calls – a tax that is now only assessed to land lines.
Dunn, Clark's challenger, who also has said he would not support a tax increase during his four-year term, said he believed the county could bring in additional revenues by increasing fees on new development.
Clark, Coons and Gordon all said they opposed any plans to reassess property values next year, as some have proposed, unless it is done statewide and unless the state foots a portion of the bill, which Coons said could be as high as $20 million. Dunn said he had yet to form a position on the issue, but said he would not support anything that further shifted the tax burden from businesses to residents.
The candidates were also asked what they would do to help curb property crimes, like graffiti, in Hockessin and other communities.
Dunn, a DuPont researcher, said he would analyze crime figures and see whether it made sense to have more police patrolling and investigating that kind of crime, while Clark said he believes the county needs 30 to 50 more police officers on the street, which he warned would cost roughly $100,000 per officer in salary, benefits and equipment.
“Right now our officers are going from call-to-call when ideally we’d like to see them spend 30 percent of their time doing community policing,” Clark said.
Gordon did not address the graffiti issue specifically, but said it didn’t help that community policing stations on Valley and Duncan roads were closed during Coons’ first term.
In closing remarks, Gordon said he was running on his record of fiscal management.
“We left a surplus and [Coons] is still living on that,” he said.
Coons said he was thankful for that money, but clarified the county’s financial challenges in layman’s terms.
“If you are spending more money than you are taking in, you have a deficit, and the only way you make it work is to take the money out of your college savings for your kids,” he said. “We have an operating deficit but we managed through it because we have the reserve.”
Dunn said he was running to preserve the quality of life for those living in New Castle County. He said his focus would be making sure new development is done responsibly and with the public interest in mind.
“I think we need to consider the needs and interests of existing residents instead of just the needs and interests of the ones doing all the development,” he said.
Clark, who has been cast by critics as catering to developers, said he would continue to represent the diverse interests in the county, and that may mean saying things that may not sit well with everybody.
“I tell the truth,” he said. “I’m a lousy politician but I think I’m a very good legislator.”
