New Castle DIGEST: Early Spring 2023
Local News, Media, Events ... and a Special Announcement for 4/4!
I. Special Announcement 📣
New Castle City Council Candidates Forum - April 4 at the Senior Center
Seven people are vying for three seats on New Castle City Council in the upcoming municipal election, which will be held April 15. They are: Victor L. Bryson, III; Ethan J. Quirk; William A. Robinett; Rick Schiller; Suzanne Souder; Andrew Zeltt; and Nermin Zubaca. Full election info is on the city website.
Next Tuesday, April 4, all of the candidates* will gather at the Senior Center for an Election Forum hosted by New Castle City Topics, giving folks their first chance to physically see and hear directly from some of those running. (*Updated: All candidates have now confirmed participation.)
The Forum will be open to the public and also streamed on Facebook Live. Questions and topics from the public - including the live audience - will be used to guide a discussion among the candidates. Residents attending in-person are asked to arrive by 6:15, so the Forum and Stream can begin promptly at 6:30pm. The event will conclude shortly after 8pm.
Questions - which must address all candidates, and may not include overly long statements or personal attacks - can be submitted to City Topics via email. The moderator will also be sure to cover certain important topics, such as development challenges, aging municipal facilities, traffic and quality of life issues, and others.
City Topics is committed to transparency in this process, for candidates and the public. Documents from the process of setting the Forum up, including any correspondence sent to all candidates, will be visible at tiny.cc/NC-Forum-Docs.
Mayoral candidates William Blest and Valarie Leary were contacted about participation but, after an initial miscommunication regarding Mr. Blest’s general interest, it proved too late to find a date that would work with Mrs. Leary’s busy schedule. They will be asked to provide statements to be read on their behalf at the April 4 event.
Thank you to the various residents helping with this project, which had to come together very quickly. If you’d like to get involved as well, shoot us an email! And please help spread the word. Thanks!
(Facebook users, respond to the event here for reminders.)
II. MARCH News Round-Up 📰
Gateway Change Among Many Projects Lined Up for City Streets
Numerous important, local transportation projects have come into focus over the past month. While they represent ongoing construction around town well into 2024, the work will leave New Castle with better infrastructure, smoother streets and perhaps a more defined main Gateway to downtown.
Addressing Council this month, Administrator Barthel reported that Greggo & Ferrara have been awarded a city contract for 2023 including the work below:
milling and repaving the Boothhurst subdivision of the city,
milling and repaving Plum Alley, and the
completion of curbing and handicap ramps at 2nd and Chestnut.
Meanwhile, DelDOT gained approval from City Council to include a redesign of the turn-off from Ferry Cut-Off onto Delaware Street as part of improvements around that intersection (with only Mrs. Leary voting ‘nay’ on a new bump-out there, after previously voting in favor of the rest of the project). That work would, likely in 2024, also add modernized crosswalks there, close off the end of 8th Street permanently, and repave Ferry Cut-Off from the railroad to just past the intersection. (View a projected site plan here.)
Finally, Delmarva Power’s gas line project is also still ongoing, with Phase IV set to begin work in April on several streets, as shown on the map below. Phase V will be planned in late 2023 (for more work to begin next year). Affected residents should receive letters explaining what to expect during construction.
GWFC Capt. Tim Moore Addresses Rail Disaster Preparedness
Prompted by Council President Platt, Good Will Fire Company Captain Tim Moore this month addressed public concerns around trains moving potentially hazardous materials through local communities in the wake of several recent, high-profile derailments.
"Is Good Will ready?" he began rhetorically, then answered: "As a single company, as ready as we’re going to be. We've got procedures in place with the County where we can call for help and resources and they will come... When an incident occurs, we can pull up a number to see what car is carrying what [materials]. So from there, we can see what the emergency response is for that type of product" and proceed accordingly based on the drills performed for such events.
Capt. Moore added that, the "city does have some things in place [like] a reverse 911 system thru MSC," to help alert residents quickly.
Administrator Barthel confirmed the city receives "no real communications" in advance about materials moving through the city, train lengths/weights, etc. Up to two dozen Norfolk Southern Corp freight trains move through the city each day along the company's 'New Castle Secondary' Line.
See the infographic below the pic for a map of the line and info from the company about what generally rolls through town.
Trustee Election Update: No Race Yet as April 13 Deadline Looms
The Trustees of the New Castle Common are set to hold an election on May 15 at Good Will Fire Co.’s station on South Street. So far, only one candidate has been confirmed: Marsha Corcoran, a William Penn HS and University of Delaware graduate with experience in the world of non-profit communications and advancement (ie. fundraising/financial planning).
Residents wishing to get in the race have until April 13 to file at Penn Farm. More info is on the Trustees’ website, linked above.
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MickeyFest Seeking Return to New Castle, likely in Battery Park
After several years of being celebrated elsewhere, organizers of the annual MickeyFest - an event raising funds and awareness of MPSIII (better known as ‘Sanfilippo Syndrome,’ a rare genetic disorder with severe health implications for the children it affects) - want to return to the City of New Castle.
Describing previous years’ iterations of the event, Melissa Ferraro told Council that they’d had good experiences but been unable to capture the huge financial success of the first MickeyFest, held on the Green in New Castle. She - joined by the parents of young Michaela “Mickey” Merrill, who has the disease and for whom the event is named - forthrightly pointed out that their goal is to raise as much as possible for research.
Council members expressed concerns about the event being held on the Green and town square again. Noise complaints around the previous event there were mentioned, along with how much rarer it has become for the city to close streets down for such events. Ultimately, through discussion, the presenters agreed with Council to pursue a footprint more limited to Battery Park for MickeyFest 2023.
Learn more about MickeyFest, Mickey herself, and MPSIII at SaveMickey.com.
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NCPD Involved in Two ‘Swatting’ Incidents; Chief Urges Opposition to Probation Reform Bill SB 4
Chief McCabe has reported that NCPD officers have recently involved in two incidents of ‘Swatting’ around the end of February. This dangerous and illegal ‘trolling’ started as pranks in online gaming communities but has become a more widespread means of terrorizing one’s perceived enemies. It involves calling in false ‘tips’ to the police about serious crimes, in an attempt to prompt a SWAT-team assault on the target’s address.
The first local case, which occurred just outside the city, drew a “significant police response” to a private home. “Fortunately,” the chief noted, our “guys on the ground recognized some of the conduct in the call. They took a methodical approach [and] it was resolved peacefully.” Then the following day, officers were dispatched along with county personnel as part of an incident affecting a dozen schools throughout the state, including William Penn. That incident also involved the Delaware State Police and is now being investigated by the FBI, according to McCabe.
Turning to the topic of SB4, a probation reform bill currently being considered in Dover, McCabe urged wariness. “They’re talking about eliminating technical violations to probation,” he warned, claiming this would include “no-contact orders, such as for sex offenders. This would eliminate that.”
“[It] would make absconding not a problem,” he added. “If you abscond and return when your time is up, no consequence. In effect, [this is] legislating idea of fleeing until your time is up.”
Proponents of Senate Bill 4, including the Delaware ACLU, say the current system “sets people up to fail, with a recidivism rate, and length of probation that far exceeds neighboring states.” The ACLU adds that “the state’s recidivism rate and cost to taxpayers are far higher than its population should be based on a per-capita basis,” suggesting the reforms would rebalance a system that currently errs on the side of being too onerous.
III. ICYMI: Local Media Spotlight 📸
“In case you missed it,” Spring is Getting Into Full Swing!
With flowers on the ground and the trees, and the return of buzzing bees, Spring has finally returned to Historic New Castle. The historic gardens of the Dutch and Amstel Houses, and Read House & Gardens, are filling up with color and perfume as the days grow longer and walkers, runners and cyclists increasingly fill our beautiful streets.
We were delighted with the beautful scrolls of some of our favorite ‘Follows’ this month, pictured in the next set below and including:
Names for the baby goats in WPHS’s Penn Farm program (announcement vid screenshot and farm pic both from their social media),
Good Will Fire Company’s new boat ramp construction,
The Hermitage Natural Area spotting all manner of fauna,
Read House & Gardens preparing for Spring in the Community Garden, and
Great local history from the Delaware Public Archives.
Next up, some photo highlights from City Topics’ own Facebook and Insta… featuring the 5K on March 4, sunrise over the ongoing construction of Good Will’s new boat ramp at the end of 3rd Street, scenes from the Hermitage, the playground at Dobbinsville Park, the currently-closed Battery Park basketball court, and, of course, some pretty flowers…
And finally, we wanted to highlight two posts with a bit more detail from this month, including a photo spread featuring the Women of Bellanca Aviation for International Women’s Day on March 8…
Follow City Topics on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube… @CityTopicsNCDE.
IV. Editorial: Voters Deserve Better than Shadows and Technicalities
The signs of an upcoming election are sprouting up everywhere - literally. However, the usual, colorful array of yard signs bearing smiling candidates and positive messages (or just names) have some achromatic - and decidedly ungrammatic - company this year.
With no name or group name attached, dozens of plain, white signs have appeared, bearing messages against candidates Valarie Leary and Suzanne Souder. As sitting members of council, Leary and Souder are the race’s only incumbents, in addition to being the only women running.
Letters from several residents in The Weekly have suggested that cowardice lay behind the anonymous attacks. One even named former council member Johnny DiMondi, who was resoundingly voted out of office in 2019, as the likely author, given striking similarities between the signs’ language and his frequent, gramatically-challenged rants, though this has not been proven. Mr. DiMondi has, however, been caught on video pulling up campaign signs and tossing them on the ground.
For her part, Mrs. Leary (if not Ms. Souder) has also had other notable and vocal detractors of late, including Council President Mike Platt and Trustee President Pete Toner, who implied in comments on a February Facebook post by the candidate that she is dishonest, with the former cryptically teasing “more to come.”
Efforts were made in early March to disqualify Mrs. Leary from the race due to her last-minute filing by email. On a realpolitik level, one might admire the attempt to oust an opponent on such technicalities. However, the city’s Charter has no requirement to file in person and “until 5pm” means, literally, “until 5pm.” Proving technicalities requires being technically correct, it seems, and the effort was ultimately dismissed by the city solicitor and Board of Elections.
Yet the discontent over Leary’s candidacy (and, apparently, that of Ms. Souder) continues, as the anonymous messages now all over our streets indicate.
Mrs. Leary’s actual opponent in the mayoral race, William Blest, unequivocally condemned the negative campaign. “It is inappropropriate. It’s unfortunate, and I do not condone it,” he said, strenuously disavowing “whoever is behind it. It sends a bad message for the town [and it’s] just not the right approach to take.”
Judgments of their morals aside, again, from a realpolitik perspective, the negative campaigners behind the signs do show commitment, which counts for a lot. As cheap as they look, the dozens of yard signs represent at least hundreds of dollars of investment that someone has made toward sowing doubt about two specific people.
Whether that trollishly-expressed doubt will ever be consummated with an actual, articulate argument against the incumbents’ candidacies remains to be seen, however.
If not, what a disappointment. As Mr. Blest implied, the People deserve better.
This Editorial is not an endorsement of any candidate or campaign. City Topics does not endorse candidates for office. Rather, it is an endorsement of meaningful political arguments and discussions over … whatever this is that we’re getting now, which “ain’t it.”
V. Community Event Calendar 📅
Check out the Community Calendar on our website for an even farther view of the local event scene and bookmark the page so you can stay informed about what’s coming up!
Happening in APRIL:
4/1 - Easter Egg Hunt at the New Castle Little League fields, 12-3pm.
Hosted by NCLL and the Good Will Fire Co. Check-in begins at 11am. Pre-registration requested so organizers can make sure to have enough eggs and prizes.
4/2 - Spring SPRANG Food Truck Party at Bellanca Museum, 11am-3pm.
4/4 - WPHS STEAM/STEM Showcase ft. Penn Farm Animals, at WPHS, 6pm.
4/4 - City Topics Forum for Council Candidates at the Senior Center, 6pm.
Town Hall-style discussion offering candidates for City Council a chance to answer (lightly moderated) questions from the public.
4/8 - Easter Fair at the New Castle Presbyterian Church.
4/9 - Sunrise Service on the Wharf, 6:30am.
4/9 - Easter at the Park Celebration & Egg Hunt, Battery Park, 11am-3pm.
This free event is open to all but requires signing up. Info and registration here.
4/9 - Annual New Castle Easter Parade, on the Green, 1pm.
Organized and hosted by the Historic New Castle Hundred Lions Club.4/11 - Regular City Council Meeting at the NC Senior Center, 7pm.
4/13 - Amstel LIVE - Amuse Me! at the Amstel House, 6:30pm.
Ticketed event by New Castle Historical Society taking an entertaining and sometimes irreverent look at games and amusements of the past. Info here.4/14 - Friday Flicks: All Quiet on the Western Front, at the Library, 1pm.
4/15 - New Castle Municipal Election - Polls Open, Senior Center, 8am-6pm.
Candidate, registration and voting info is on the City website.4/19 - Mobile Museum: Amazing Animal Adaptations, at the Library, 4:30pm.
Learn about incredible animal adaptations with live animals and amazing specimens from around the world. For kids 6-12 (older/younger siblings welcome). Register here.4/21 - Friday Flicks: The Whale, showing at New Castle Public Library, 1pm.
4/22 - Battery Park Beach Clean-Up
Led by the NC Sailing Club with participation from numerous other local organizations.4/25 - CSD Safety & Security Summit, at William Penn HS, 6-7pm.
Colonial School District meeting open to the community, covering current procedures and future plans for keeping kids safe in school. More program info and registration here.4/30 - Bicentennial Celebration of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour, Court House, 1pm.
Learn details of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour of America, how it will be celebrated in 2024, and how to get involved. Organized by the Battell and Read Chapter of the DAR.
Coming Up in MAY 2023
5/4 - May Market Donation Drop-Off, at the Arsenal, 10am-4pm.
Leave donated plants and home treasures to be sold at May Market. Details here.5/5-6 - Arasapha’s May Market, on Market Square behind Old Town Hall.
Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday 9am-3pm, the garden club’s annual fundraiser.