Sussex Dems elect new leaders

At its recent county convention, the Sussex Democratic committee people elected in their respective representative districts came together at the county party headquarters in Georgetown and elected new leaders for the next four years.

The new chairman is Mitch Crane, who swept every district in Sussex County last September in his attempt to be Delaware Insurance Commissioner. Crane lost statewide to the incumbent, Karen Weldin Stewart, by 1,100 votes. A former elected Pennsylvania judge, Crane of Lewes, has lived in Sussex for 12 years. Crane, of Lewes, resides in the 14th Representative District.

Re-elected female vice chair is former Georgetown councilwoman Jane Hovington, who narrowly lost the District 19 State Senate race last November. Hovington is current 37th Representative District chair. The male vice chair is Delaware native Chad Lingenfelder who  was field director in Sussex for Sen. Tom Carper’s 2012 campaign and recently passed the Maryland and Delaware Bar exams. Lingenfelder is a 41st Representative District committee person.

Peg Green of the 35th Representative District and Bob Rougeau of the 20thRepresentative Disteict, were elected recording and corresponding secretaries, respectively. The 38th Representative District committee woman Rita Hughes was elected party treasurer.

The convention also elected former 20th Represntative District Chair Carl Ballato as Sussex County at-large member of the Delaware Democratic State Executive Committee. He will represent Sussex Democrats along with Crane and Hughes.