Resigned: Mike Platt on Why He Quit
The former president of City Council and current Trust candidate in his own words
In the second major resignation by an elected leader this year, on August 17, City Council President Michael Platt stepped down from the office he would have held until 2025. His resignation prompted the Special Election concluded on November 5, the third municipal ballot New Castle Residents voted on this year.
Mr. Platt was first elected to City Council in 2017; then, in 2021, he ran for and won the office of Council President. His resignation, delivered on the same day as the swearing in of Mayor Valarie Leary, whom Platt opposed, was dated from a council meeting in May where two pieces of legislation he put forward failed to get a First Reading, after receiving no support from his fellow members of council.
In the months since telling us he had no interest in further political involvement, Mr. Platt has filed as a candidate for the Trustees of the New Castle Common in the election for that body to be held on December 9. Given that this interview took place well before that filing, it focuses only on the four-year Council term Mr. Platt walked away from, with no mention of the twelve-year Common term he now seeks.
We met with Mr. Platt (who prefers “Mike”) at a coffee shop just outside of town and spoke for roughly an hour about his time in office, reasons for resigning, ongoing issues with city government, and more. “I’ll try to stay upbeat and positive,” he noted as we sat down. “There have definitely been some disagreements but ask me whatever you feel and I’ll answer as honestly as I can.”
This is not like previous ‘exit interviews,’ as reflected in the length and breadth of the discussion, and the fact that it was done in person. Given the contentious nature of some of the former council president’s assertions, New Castle Topics reached out to many of those he mentioned. Mayor Leary and Councilman Andrew Zeltt declined to offer full comment, and former city official Kim Burgmuller continued her overall silence on the matter, with two exceptions that we will note below.
So this is, largely, Mike Platt “in his own words.”
Mr. Platt’s comments have been transcribed as faithfully as possible, given they were recorded in a noisy place, though some rambling questions have been edited for brevity to keep the focus on the interviewee. Documents mentioned are linked where possible so that readers may draw their own conclusions. Additional info around some of Mr. Platt’s more important claims appears below in insets like this one. The full audio is also here.
A Departing(?) Chat with Michael Platt
New Castle Topics (NCT): Starting with your run for Council President, it appeared that you had support from Mrs. Leary and other members you ended up at odds with.
Mike Platt (MP): I disagree. Valarie didn’t even want me to run, [she] wanted Russ [Smith] to run. I talked to Russ, he didn’t want to run at all.
NCT: But at some point, you did get the support of your then-fellow council members?
MP: Let’s just say there was mutual respect, that fair? [For a couple of years] it was good… And you had Mike Q as mayor, or as a go-between. Mike didn’t take things personally; he was a professional politician. So, he was able to… you lost that cohesiveness, so to speak.
NCT: Where did that begin to get lost?
MP: Tourism Director… What happened in the background with the contract…
NCT: In plain terms, what do you think was untoward about what happened?
MP: [Valarie] and Russ took the applications away from [since also-resigned city Administrator Bill] Barthel, interviewed people at the Booth House, made their decision, offered [one candidate] a job, told the other candidates they didn’t have the job, and then she was going to present it to council… Even her email [said], “oops I made a mistake.” She sent an email to [a candidate] saying…
NCT: Offering her the position?
MP: No, I never said that. Telling her, she overstepped her bounds… Paraphrasing, she said she didn’t have the authority to do that, it would have to go in front of the full Council, so she tried to rescind it for the moment.
NCT: What was she rescinding, if no offer of employment was made?
MP: But the decision was made. The three of them made that decision.
NCT: Mr. Barthel was not involved?
MP: Not at all… He sent me an email that was coordinated between the three of them, and then I basically got ahold of [then-city solicitor Dan] Losco and said this has to stop. They just can’t do that.
NCT: So why did the Attorney General’s office decision regarding your ethics complaint seem to contradict your claim?
MP: To me, the AG split the baby perfectly. If you read the thing… I don’t buy that they all signed the same exact affidavit independently. You know, just read them. For being independent affidavits, it’s kinda coincidental. But the AG said that the things that happened did not happen as a coincidence or in a vacuum. Just that there wasn’t enough evidence to pursue it. So that’s why I say they split the baby perfectly.
NCT: Once the AG decision was made, did you try to pursue the issue further?
MP: No. It was a dead issue. I wasn’t happy with the decision; I wish it had been a little more in my favor. I’m sure they did too… [but] I thought it was fair decision because it said it wasn’t a coincidence that these things happened…
NCT: It does reference a general need to improve transparency within city government.
MP: If anything, that’s a win for me…
NCT: That’s a win for everybody, no?
MP: I mean, for everybody, that’s right. One thing - it was never me. I walk my dog all around downtown, sometimes eight people stop to say hello. I’m listening to them. It wasn’t for me out there, half the stuff I don’t even think about…. I tried to represent the people as best I could. I don’t mean to get off track.
NCT: You decided you’d probably resign in May, after two ordinances you introduced did not garner the votes to receive a reading by Council. You’ve said you wrote your resignation letter at that time.
MP: The reason I did that... I knew I’d be inefficient for the next two years.
You can’t tell me that four people, independently, had the exact same decision. Not even a discussion. Or they just don’t understand how government works… One ordinance, maybe. But two?
The second ordinance was to stop construction of multi-family housing, just to at least get the conversation started and slow it down some. And if I can say, I told you so, because Monday night at Planning they just submitted an application for [hundreds of apartments] between Washington St. and Dobbinsville. That would have just slowed it down.
Listen, I’m a capitalist, okay? I’m a libertarian. I don’t believe in government. I just wanted to slow it down a little bit. Pretty soon, we’re going to have more renters in town than homeowners…
Going back to what put it in my head, just me… I told my wife, “I’m done.” Two independent things. Just have the discussion, man. All you have to do is second, read it, set up a public hearing, have the discussion.
NCT: On the election ordinance specifically, given other members’ stated desires for more flexibility in candidate filing, do you think they may have felt affronted by an Ordinance codifying the opposite?
MP: I can see that, but I mean, not everybody agrees with that, either. I don’t have an answer. Everybody is making the issue about emailing. Let me hold that thought…. Okay, I see that point. But once again, if they understood how government worked, read the resolution, then make amendments… Why not follow the process, that’s all I’m asking. So instead, it fell back in the hands of the city administrator. Cause now instead of being an Ordinance, that could have been changed from what I wrote, I was just going with what the standard was. So now, instead of going with an Ordinance and having a discussion to change it to whatever you wanted – because obviously the votes were there for that – now they throw it back in the hands of the city administrator….
NCT: Who then also set up a system at odds with council members’ expressed intent.
MP: He just stayed with what’s been going on forever in this town. I mean, everybody talks about, you can’t move city hall out of town, you can’t build a campus, can’t do whatever. But then when it comes time to file for an important job in town, you can’t drive downtown to fill out your application.
NCT: Different people have different needs. Are those really at odds?
MP: Look, if we had to learn any lesson from this whole thing, to me it was a political stunt. You know, file last, jump in. I get that, man, I know politics. But nobody cares that a city employee lost their job because of this.
NCT: You’re referring to Kim Burgmuller, who appears to have resigned prior to being written up, over violating a policy that hadn’t been written down. Is that accurate?
MP: I will say, it wasn’t a written policy. It was a policy, though; there’s been precedents in this. It’s not that. She told two other people they weren’t allowed to do it. She didn’t treat people properly. Andrew Zeltt said he couldn’t do it, now he’s changed his mind, but he’s on record at a council meeting saying he couldn’t do it. And Bill Robinett emailed me wanting to know why he couldn’t do it.
NCT: Mrs. Leary has asserted that she was able to file electronically in a previous election, though.
MP: She hasn’t proved that yet. I want to see the email.
New Castle Topics received a copy of the email by which Mrs. Leary filed in 2015, which appears below along with the filing form attachment it included.
NCT: Did the city workers’ union have a problem with what happened [with Kim Burgmuller]?
MP: I’m not a union guy... I’ve managed union people and worked in union shops. I agree that if it had been me and the city administrator came to me and said, ‘this just happened, do you want your union rep here?’ … But she said no, from what I understand. So that’s on her at that point. And I know in a union shop you don’t do anything without your shop steward. That surprised the hell out of me…
In declining to respond more fully, Mrs. Burgmuller wrote that, “I don't agree with anything he said or implied [about me]. The only thing I see that is correct is that I did decline union representation, but I had done that for years when called to the office.”
Mr. Zeltt also dropped a clarifying detail while otherwise declining comment for this story. Noting that his question to Burgmuller during the campaign had been “should I come into the office, or will you email me?” Zeltt noted that her reply of, “just come on down to the office” – to which he was agreeable – was not the same as being told that he could not receive or file the forms electronically.
MP, continued: This is how I look at this whole situation. You got two people who say they were turned down… I got an email from Bill Robinett want[ing] to know why he wasn’t treated the same. Andrew Zeltt has flip-flopped, I can’t count on him.
But I think that’s where everyone is missing this point. You had a sitting council person directing an employee to do something that, okay whether it’s written policy [or not], it’s been the precedent for so long, and now making her do it. And Kim’s response was something like, “oh, it was getting late and I wanted to make sure she got in.” That was an abuse of power in my mind.
It's minor… not minor. It’s neither here nor there. Somebody lost their job over, somebody resigned over it…
NCT: Was there evidence around what happened that has been reviewed externally?
MP: [The city solicitor did an investigation.] And that was turned over to the city administrator, then he got appointed to the [state] Supreme Court and I don’t know what happened after that. I think [new city solicitor Max Walton] is kind of, ‘I wasn’t involved,’ and he’s taken a step to the side…
In April, then-city solicitor (and current Justice of the DE Supreme Court) Chris Griffiths weighed in on the situation at a Board of Elections meeting. He noted that, after looking into Mrs. Leary’s filing, there had been nothing to pursue further. That audio is here (relevant statement about 10 minutes in).
NCT: Are you alleging that Valarie, invoking her position as a sitting council person, told Kim to give it to her?
MP: That’s not what I said. But that is a council person requesting that… Our code of conduct says you’re always a council person. Whenever I went out, I always conducted myself as a council person… Whether it’s implied or not, you’re always a council person.
NCT: Inconsistency in applying the policy would be on Kim. But asking for and returning the packet electronically is not against the rules. Do you think Valarie only got it by email because she was a council member, that others would have been turned away in that last half hour?
MP: I can’t speculate on that. I don’t know what was in Kim and Valarie’s minds… To put it this way, I think Kim did it because she was a friend of Valarie… I can’t answer that question because I don’t know. Let’s go with the friend over the council person, because she did tell two other people no. So, I can’t speculate what she would have done in that last half hour.
NCT: So where is the fault on Valarie if, as a candidate, she’s just trying to file in the time remaining after making up her mind to run last minute?
MP: Why didn’t she file when she was in the office previously?
Mr. Platt here referred to details of a packet put together by Sally Denton. We reached out to Ms. Denton for a copy but received no response. Her dossier laid out a timeline of different parts of Mrs. Leary’s application having been completed at different times. Mr. Platt acknowledged timely submission of the main filing form, however, which is the only one state law requires of candidates. Platt also related Ms. Denton’s questioning of the authenticity of Mrs. Leary’s signature on the forms, but ultimately conceded that such allegations of forgery/fraud were only speculation, absent professional handwriting analysis.
MP, continued: We can’t get into people’s heads, I’m just going by things that happened.
NCT: What do you think were your achievements during your time in office?
MP: I think getting the dog park through was big. Keeping the police force at 18 was big. I thoroughly enjoyed going to every cop that graduated [from] the academy, I went to every one of their ceremonies.
You know what, there’s not many because we couldn’t agree on a lot of things. The band shelter, the mayor wanted that up on the hill, we couldn’t come up with the money for that. The complex, you know… once again, it was never discussed. You throw a plan out on the table, if you’ve got a four thousand square foot building on the table, and you don’t like it, take it down to fifteen hundred [sq. ft.].
I can’t say there was a whole lot of happy times. My first four years were very happy, I thought they were very productive. Second four, no. And it’s just a disappointment, and it’s not because I didn’t get what I wanted or didn’t see visions followed through. It was just that they weren’t discussed. Even the dog park, you know, that’s still a year out, something that simple. It’s just hard.
NCT: What would you have liked to get done in the next two years?
MP: I’d like to figure a way to maintain our police department. That’s a national problem, I think everybody knows that. I wouldn’t know how to do it. I know the chief’s been working on certain things, but I don’t know how to do that. And that’s why I’m stepping aside. If Suzanne can get things done and just run with it, fine. I wish the best for everyone. I just hope there’s open and fair discussions. I just hope they’re not just rubber stamped [and] pushed through.
NCT: Do you have any plan of further political involvement in any way?
MP: No. [laughing] None at all. Zero.
I’m 61 now, I’m starting to wind down a little bit. Like I said I, going back to the happy times, I think one of the best things about being a councilman in our town – even though it’s a small yard with some mean dogs – I’ve met more awesome people than I’d imagined.
Even today, coming out of City Hall there was a lady walking with her grandkid; they stopped to pet my dog... Some of the conversations I’ve had with residents just walking my dog will stick with me for a long time.
And that’s where I got most of my ideas. Not – I didn’t want this, or I didn’t – people complain about neighbors, bushes and stuff like that… I didn’t go out looking for that, that’s from when they stop and talk to me, and you put things up the chain of command. That’s probably what I will remember the most.
All this stuff we just talked about, in another month nobody will remember it. I’ll remember all the good people I met. And even people I disagree with. Like Gene Dempsey, God rest his soul. He’d argue with me, he’d carry on with me, but then we’d enjoy a beer at Porto Fino’s. It should never be personal. Just an example… We can disagree and hopefully walk away still respecting each other…
One thing I’d like to see really change, and it’s getting worse, actually… is the divides amongst the neighborhoods. I see all the discussions about old names, new names, or whatever. I respect the older names in town. I respect the newer names in town. But the difference in neighborhoods are really starting to change… [there’s a disconnection]. People in Van Dyke don’t think they’re represented, even with me there… Who walks Buttonwood? I did… Luna met a lot of people too. She’s a beautiful husky, and people like to stop and pet her… So I can go Buttonwood and talk… to neighbors or whoever. It wasn’t a bad thing.
Why do we always vote at the Senior Center? Why don’t we move it out a little bit? Are we disenfranchising our northern neighbors, who are mostly Black? Do they have the transportation? I mean, put in the center of town somewhere. Put it in St. John’s Lodge.
NCT: When you have a single polling place, anywhere you put it will burden voters at the other end of town, no?
MP: St. John’s is dead-center, geographically. Everyone is looking different for ways to get people involved, like at the Forums, someone suggested hanging a banner across some things… If you’re going to put up a thousand signs saying vote on a certain date, someone is missing the point. I just think, move it around maybe. Even if you had to set up two. That’s just little things I’ve been thinking about the last couple months.
NCT: If you’re only downtown, New Castle has very vibrant civic life, but that doesn't spill out of downtown very much for people to see. So how do you address that?
MP: You’ve got to find a better way to disagree. There’s people that just don’t like the downtown… and it’s been going on for years… I’ve been here 35 years… [There are amenities people use but they don’t feel part of the community.]
Leaders have to get above 3rd Street, they gotta find if there’s issues. There’s issues all over town and people got to get out and take them… In our neighborhoods, we don’t complain. Downtown, they complain about everything…
NCT: A squeaky wheel situation? Or a question of who has the time and resources to get involved. Communities outside downtown are a bit more working class and-
MP: They don’t have time for the nonsense… I was against [broadcasting the meetings] at first. But live and learn. I’m so stubborn, but there’s a good example of a good thing. And we’re still looking at making it better, and I hope they continue with that. I really do. It needs to be done.
NCT: Getting back to your exit from office, if you wrote that resignation letter in May, why wait until after the election to actually resign?
MP: Because I found out Angel was going to run. I talked to him, he’s my neighbor. He was thinking about it, we had a nice conversation and I told him to do what you want. One thing that impressed me was he said he was nobody’s puppet, because somebody accused him of that. And I honestly saw like a Mike Q in him… as Mayor. And if he could be a go-between and work with.
You know, Council’s hands are tied at times, because you can’t really talk to the group to get a consensus without FOIA issues. But the mayor can bounce back and forth. [He or she] is not restricted. I thought if Angel won and that could go on, I could take my two terms and at least … that’s where we could get good compromise. I don’t see that skill in Valarie.
NCT: So, why time the letter for the day of Valarie’s swearing in?
MP: Because I was out of town. I left to be out of town that day.
NCT: On purpose?
MP: Yes, sir. I planned on dropping my letter off at city hall and head…
NCT: As a protest?
MP: No, not as a protest.
NCT: The timing definitely seems very deliberate, on the day Valarie was being sworn in.
MP: Call it what you like at that point. Like I said, I had a planned vacation… I didn’t know Valarie was being sworn in until probably that Saturday, because she did it all herself. She cut me out, she cut the city administrator out, she planned everything herself; I guess that’s her right, I don’t care. So, I told my wife, ‘we’re heading to Hilton Head, I’m dropping my letter off. We’ll be out of town for all the bullshit.’ I was gone.
And… I would have never been able to work with Valarie. That’s obvious. She would never have been able to work with me either… I can admit to it; I don’t think she would.
NCT: Why do you think the differences are irreconcilable - both with mayor and council?
MP: Council members, maybe. But if it’s going to be a four to one vote, like most of them are, why do I want to sit there for that?
Between me and Valarie, it would be a trust issue. Like I say, with all the stuff behind people’s backs, the one line that sticks in my mind is Russ Smith wanting – whatever was going on with the tourism director – Russ says, ‘Val, I had enough, man. Let’s just end it.’ And she says, ‘oh we will, let’s just see what Joe needs.’ So, I mean, it’s obvious they were talking. How do I trust someone like that? How do I trust those three?
NCT: What would you say to those who say that by leaving you are giving up, or removing any check on what you see as problematic.
MP: I’d tell them to run for office. I put my four years in. If I’m going to be ineffective, okay, and it looks that way… I’m not going to sit and be ineffective and have my blood pressure go up…
Even with that incident with [publisher of The Weekly Theresa Buchanan]… That wasn’t me, man. You attack my wife- After six years, you call my wife at nine o’clock and tell her... I’m going to make it perfectly clear: the chief never spoke to my wife about what to do and what not to do. He never, ever, ever spoke to her. But [Buchanan] kept using his name. My wife’s not a politician, she’s a first grade teacher. She was way out of her league writing that letter. Then for Terry to do that, and then to put that hatchet piece in the paper signed by eight people?
And then just to flop me on everything… I [sent] another letter to the paper. I’m not even allowed to put a letter in the paper now… She was advised not to talk to me. I know this may sound harsh, [but] that reminds me of Nazi Germany in 1939 with the propaganda in the papers. What, we got one person making what people read in this town? And I’m not the only one who’s mad. How many people are mad, you know, nobody knows. How many letters go to that paper and never get printed?
But yet the city drops fifteen grand in advertising fees... That sounds extreme, because this is a tiny town, but it’s the truth… talking about banning people, the propaganda. So now, if I don’t like Suzanne or whatever. I’d want to send a letter to the paper wishing her luck? It wouldn’t be printed. And I wish her the best of luck, I really do… [But] as I say, I wasn’t thrilled with myself that night.
…
Following initial publication of this story, Ms. Buchanan offered the response below in regard to Mr. Platt’s claims during the interview. Like Mr. Platt’s statements and assertions, this is presented as received:
“It’s honestly staggering how many lies are in this missive. I’ll let the other named people defend themselves, but as far as my “attacking” Mrs. Platt, it would be very simple to prove: Just provide the recording, Mr. Platt.
“Mr. Platt asked me to print things about Ms. Leary before the election that he says he found while going through her Council email but because he had no proof, and I knew they were lies, I wouldn’t do it. So he has tried to discredit me and the paper, my livelihood, using his position as Council President and the forum he has at Council meetings, simply because I wouldn’t print false information to help him get what he wanted - what a wonderful possible addition to the Trust.
“When I wouldn’t print what he wanted, his wife wrote the letter with the accusations. I called Mrs. Platt and said that I had talked to the Chief who told me Ms. Leary was not trying to fix a ticket as the Platts asserted, Mrs. Platt replied, “I have my own truth!” Something she and her husband clearly share. Don’t take my word for it. Ask for the recording. I did not threaten or attack in any way, nor would I ever. She even admitted when all this trouble started that her husband did “tend to bully people.”
“As far as what the City spends on advertising, his numbers are incorrect , but they take do 2-3 pages every week. The costs of paper and ink have gone up 4 times in the last 9 years – twice during COVID and the City still gets a 25% discount because of the volume. Were the City to choose to go with the News Journal, the costs would be 5 to 7 times more of your tax dollars. That’s easy to verify as well.”
…
NCT: Do you see any scenario or world in which Valarie and other leaders who’ve lost your trust could regain it? What’s missing?
MP: In today’s climate, I’m going to say no. I mean, Valarie won the election, but there were more votes against her than for her.
NCT: More votes for other people, sure, but our system allows for a plurality, no?
MP: I agree, I’m just saying… Maybe we’re just a microcosm of the entire country right now. I don’t know how she’s going to do it. Unless she gets out into the neighborhoods, can start proving herself, lets people see what their ideas are – and I’m speaking about the rest of the council people – that’s the only way I see trust being rebuilt.
NCT: Do you have any final thoughts?
MP: I appreciate [the interview]… Like I said, If I’m going to be ineffective and I’m just going to be sitting there being the anchor, I don’t want to be that. If they can discuss things openly and carry on, I wish them all the best of luck. I live here too. I pay my taxes too. But I think the trust issue is going to take a lot to build back. Social media doesn’t help it any. I think that what truly has to be worked on is this trust between, I hate to say, the downtown people and the outlying neighborhoods.
Thanks to Mike Platt for sitting down for the interview.
This post does not represent an endorsement of any of the statements or assertions made by Mr. Platt or others.
And Now for Something Completely Different…
Before you go, enjoy a hard pivot from our frought town politics to our lovely town event calendar, which has some great events coming up in what remains of November!
11/25 - Small Business Day at the New Castle Historical Society, 9:30am-4:30pm.
Featuring Cobblestone Chocolates and other local, small vendors in the Arsenal.11/25 - Small Business Saturday in HNC, participating locations, 10am-4pm.
Start at the Arsenal on Market Street to receive a shopping bag, specials for each shop and an event passport. Shops will have specials for the day.11/29 - Natural Materials Donation Drop-Off, behind the Arsenal (all day).
Support the Holiday Greening of New Castle and Arasapha’s Wreath Workshop by dropping off appropriate natural materials for wreath decoration. (More info at link.)11/30 & 12/1 - Arasapha’s Wreath Workshop at the Arsenal, hours vary by day.
Help Arasapha Garden Club create the wreaths that will beautify New Castle for the season. Participation is free and experienced help is available. Visitors may also make personal wreaths (supply dependent) for $30. Hours are 12-7pm on Thursday, 11/30; and 9am-12pm on Friday, 12/1.
Find more on our city-wide Community Calendar.
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I can't say I remember everything the way Mike does, but I'm glad you gave him the chance to express himself. One very minor detail I'd like to clear up. Valerie and I had worked on the tourism director position for over a year and a half. We were very frustrated with the lack of cooperation we were getting. That's when I emailed her saying maybe it's time for us to do a Thelma and Louise (a reference from the movie where two women drive off into the Grand Canyon at the end.) I was saying maybe we should both resign.
I don't think either Mike or the DOJ understood the reference