Farmland Preservation, which lawmaker benefited from this program?

Last year, Rep. Wilson introduced a bill House Bill 124, this bill would amend the Delaware Constitution to restrict any appropriation of the state’s transfer tax collections until farmland funds receive $10 million. The Delaware Farmland Preservation Fund was created under the Delaware Agricultural Lands Preservation Act in order to conserve, protect, and encourage improvement of agricultural lands within the State. A Constitutional amendment requires two-thirds approval of the House and Senate in consecutive sessions of the General Assembly.

On March 9, 2016, The News Journal published an article titled:  Bill would ban lawmakers from raiding farmland funds.  Rep. Wilson is quoted in the article stating that “They have robbed that fund for the past six years,” Wilson said. “We want to keep it sovereign.”

My issue with Rep. Wilson, he sponsors a bill that is amending our constitution and he does not disclose that he has benefited from the fund. According to DNREC’s website, he has received from this program almost $400,000.00, see below document.

I introduced House Bill 391 which would require every member of the General Assembly or person elected to state office to  disclose as part of their financial disclosure if they have received more than $10,000 in the last 10 years due to the sale of land, development rights, an agricultural conservation easement, a forest preservation easement or any other type of easement to the State of Delaware, any county, any municipality, any public instrumentality, or any government agency or organization. My bill did not make it out of committee. We need more transparency in our state government.

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Why Do Some People Who Run for Office Feel the Need to Lie?

 

I just cannot understand why some people feel the need to lie when running for office. My opponent, Jim Startzman, who ran against me two years ago, put up a post on his Representative Facebook Page which stated that I was a representative only 17% of the time. I find personal attacks and nasty ads to be a tool to deflect from the real issues. I think you should run on the work that you have done or propose to do. I do think you should defend yourself when someone is lying about your record.

I did go on my opponent’s page and left a comment and so did many others in defense of me. Thank you to all that did make a post on his page, I really appreciated seeing all of your comments. Mr. Startzman eventually started deleting certain comments and eventually deleted the entire post – so much for Freedom of Speech. I happened to make a copy the post earlier in the day.  Mr. Startzman was using a Conservative Report Card who graded all Delaware legislators on how we voted on certain issues, that is where he got the 17%. I have been in office for four years and I have never missed a day. Mr. Startzman, if you are going to lie, people are going to call you out!  See below to read his Facebook post and comments that where left.

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