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Patricia Drago files as write-in candidate

Lewes resident challenging Mark Schaeffer in Sussex County Council District 3 race
September 22, 2020

Since she moved to Lewes six years ago, Patricia Drago has been working almost full time behind the scenes supporting local organizations.

Now, she has stepped out of the shadows and filed as a write-in candidate for the Sussex County Council District 3 race in the Nov. 3 general election.

It was Drago who started an online petition urging Sussex County Councilman Irwin “I.G.” Burton of Lewes to file as a write-in candidate after he lost his seat to Mark Schaeffer of Lewes by 44 votes in the Sept. 15 Republican primary.

Without a Democratic challenger, Schaeffer apparently won the District 3 seat, but now he has another opponent.

“I'm not challenging the system or the Republican primary,” she said. “I'm not happy how the whole situation played out. This is an important seat in a time that is very important to our future, and half of the voters did not have a voice.”

Drago, who is politically unaffiliated, said she has the time, ability and energy to give people a choice. “I don't shy away from hard work,” she said.

Drago said she didn't vote for Burton when he first ran in 2016. “I've watched county council closely, and I came to respect him and how he collaborates to find solutions,” she said.

 

Plan of action

Since filing Sept. 21, Drago has put together a campaign team and will have her campaign strategy finalized by this weekend. “I bring a lot to the table and a lot of value to help things improve in Sussex County,” she said.

Drago said she has a good feel for the issues. Among those are solving traffic issues, expanding broadband and ensuring that Sussex County gets its fair share of attention from state government.

“We have a chance and opportunity to hold on and maintain what we enjoy, and fix the things that are not working,” she said.

She has an extensive business background working in the insurance industry, and has been a lifelong volunteer.

She said she plans to get out as much as possible between now and the election, keeping in mind COVID-19 restrictions. “People need to know who I am, and I need to hear people's stories and find out what gets in the way of them enjoying their lives and livelihoods,” she said.

“If I have to work eight hours a day for four weeks, it will get done. I'll meet people at every opportunity to safely congregate and be as visible as humanly possible,” she said.

Drago said she knows running a write-in campaign is a challenge, especially since the majority of votes will be absentee and mail-in. She said doing a write-in while in a voting booth is relatively easy by following the instructions. Educating people how to write in her name on absentee and mail-in ballots will be a major focus of her campaign. “We will be out in full force on that,” she said.

 

Business and volunteerism background

Drago is a retired insurance executive who worked in her hometown area around Brooklyn, N.Y., and later in Chicago. The Stony Brook University graduate also took night courses to get a law degree.

Drago is currently active as a Historic Lewes Farmers Market advisory board member and as a member of the volunteer team running the Cape Community Coordination for COVID-19, a coalition of 80 civic and community organizations in the area served by Cape Henlopen School District who are coordinating the local response to the pandemic.

Drago has taken on the role of internal communications, doing research and compiling data. Her information sheets on topics such as food banks, broadband and homelessness have been distributed to the partners. She has also developed a map on the organization's website ccc4covid.org, pinpointing food programs throughout the county.

When she and her husband, Rich Weissmann, decided to retire, a visit on a rainy Memorial Day weekend to Lewes sealed the deal. “We fell in love with Lewes because of the people here. We jumped in with both feet to support organizations. We love the life here,” she said.

Much of the focus of Drago’s campaign will center around protecting and enhancing the quality of life in the county, she said.

 

 

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