As we look around at all of our local troubles with atrocious traffic and lack of responsiveness and representation by many who hold political office, for those of us who have lived here for a decade or more, it’s pretty clear as to finding the date and time when the wheels started coming off the proverbial bus.
It was as recently as 2022, when the Cape Region was sending a bipartisan group of legislators to the General Assembly in Dover. All three of the legislators worked in a bipartisan fashion and did so on behalf of their constituents. They weren’t perfect by any means, and each can certainly be found to have had disappointing votes on their records to one constituency group or another.
What can’t be argued is the level of state support and collaboration that the Three Amigos – Pete Schwartzkopf, Steve Smyk and Ernie Lopez – brought to the Cape Region. From constituent meetings with cabinet secretaries to hosting the governor or members of Delaware’s congressional delegation at constituent meetings, this group of local elected officials was, by far, one of the strongest in the state. That changed when the majority party took over in 2022, and since then, it’s been pretty apparent that the clout and high level of responsiveness has not just ebbed, but also diminished significantly.
I recently saw Ernie and Pete together at a Fred Thomas Middle School sporting event and thought to myself, “How long has it been since I’ve seen any local legislator out supporting our children and their school?” While I don’t always feel the past was better, I certainly hope voters realize, when they have the chance to make choices at the ballot box, the best answer for the district doesn’t always lie on their side of the political affiliation column.
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