Simpler files for state treasurer's seat

Rehoboth Beach native Ken Simpler announced on Tuesday, March 18 that he is throwing his hat in the ring to become the next state treasurer.

“The role in protecting the financial well-being of Delaware’s economy is too important to leave in the hands of those who require on-the-job training. As your next state treasurer, I promise to deliver a new level of professionalism and discipline to the management of our state’s finances,” said Simpler, a Republican, in a statement.

Simpler lives in Newark with his wife, Liz, and their three children.

He is the chief financial officer for the Rehoboth Beach-based Seaboard Hotels and previously managed a successful, billion-dollar portfolio for a global financial institution, Citadel LLC. Simpler is a board member for Draper Holdings, the parent company of WBOC TV, and a finance committee member of Beebe Healthcare.

The treasurer's seat is shaping up to be a hotly contested affair. There are five statewide seats up for election this year and the only one that has a candidate is the state treasurer's seat – and it has three.

Incumbent Chip Flowers Jr., a Democrat from Middletown, filed March 5. He has held the position since January 2011.

Sean Barney, a Democrat from Wilmington, has also filed for the state treasurer's race. He filed Feb. 18 and, most recently, has served as policy director for Gov. Jack A. Markell.

There are no candidates in the other statewide positions, which include the seats of U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, U.S. Rep. John Carney, Delaware Attorney General Joe “Beau” Biden and State Auditor R. Thomas Wagner Jr.