By Leann Schenke

DOVER — For the two candidates vying for a seat on City Council, an overlapping topic of concern — and a part of what motivated each of them to file for candidacy — is that of public safety.

Those candidates, Dr. Julia Pillsbury and Brandy Walker, bring different opinions to the table as to how to improve safety. And during the city’s Nov. 16 special election, voters in the 1st District will be able to choose a candidate based on those ideas.

The election comes after then-Councilman Matt Lindell announced in September that he was moving out of the 1st District to the Camden area. Upon hearing about that vacancy, Ms. Walker decided to make a bid for candidacy — with her career as a mental health counselor in mind.

“To be more involved,” Ms. Walker said Thursday. “With my background in mental health, seeing some of the issues in the city of Dover and how mental health plays a big part in some of the things that are being addressed.”

Ms. Walker is a licensed professional counselor and founder of Resilient Soul, a mental health clinic in downtown Dover. Originally from Milford, Ms. Walker was raised in Lincoln and moved to the capital city 10 years ago.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology from Delaware State University and a master’s degree from Wilmington University.

She said that, if elected to council, one of her primary goals is to bring awareness about support systems to those who are struggling with mental health.

Dr. Pillsbury also comes from a medical background, with a career as a pediatrician. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1974 and her medical degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1981, attending school on a U.S. Army scholarship.

Originally from Philadelphia, Dr. Pillsbury has lived in Dover since 1989.

If elected to council, she said Thursday that her first steps would be learning what the entity can and cannot do.

“I don’t expect to come in and push for dramatic changes right away,” she said. “I want to get a feel for what the issues are that are really confronting the city.”

Dr. Pillsbury voiced her support for the Dover Police Department and said she’d like to know more about ideas the Police Chief’s Advisory Committee has for reducing crime. She said one proposal she’d like to explore would be improving training for officers or adding extra layers of screening to applicants.

Noting that she does not have a career in law enforcement, she said she’d like to learn more about it before implementing changes.

Dr. Pillsbury said she was motivated to run in part because of the “dramatic increase” in violence in the city throughout the more than 30 years she’s lived there, calling the rise “very concerning.”

Whoever is elected will not have a typical four-year term, as Mr. Lindell did not complete his full tenure. Instead, Dr. Pillsbury or Ms. Walker will hold office until May 8, 2023.

If elected, Ms. Walker said she will “definitely” seek reelection for a full term.

Dr. Pillsbury said she holds some aspirations for serving in the state Senate or House of Representatives, noting that she would like to see how her time on City Council “unfolds,” if she is voted in.

“I’ve been a pediatrician my entire life, and I never had any real interest in politics, but I’ve developed that interest,” she said. “I want to see what the needs are and how I can best meet them.”

She previously made a bid for Delaware insurance commissioner seat in the 2020 election — however, Dr. Pillsbury said her campaign was negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is Ms. Walker first time seeking office. She said she would like to see Dover become a more cohesive community, where mental health support isn’t stigmatized but embraced.
“Bringing awareness to mental health and how it impacts a lot of the issues that the city of Dover is addressing,” she said. “Providing a lot of education around those things.”

Dr. Pillsbury also said she’d like to see more growth in Dover.

“I feel like the city has been sort of stagnant,” she said. “We need more businesses, more growth. I’d like to see what we’re doing to recruit businesses into the Dover area and what we’re doing to support those businesses.”

Despite the challenges facing the capital, both spoke highly of their city.

Ms. Walker said she enjoys the downtown area for the scenery, the liveliness and the people, specifically “the interactions you can have strolling downtown. And all the unique businesses, as well.”

Dr. Pillsbury said the city’s residents are her favorite part of living in Dover, too.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the patients, the families, the community, my neighbors, the church,” she said. “I think that the people in Delaware, particularly in Dover, are just delightful. I’ve made wonderful friends.”

Polls in the Nov. 16 special election will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Voting will take place at Elks Lodge 1903, 200 Saulsbury Road.

Voting registration for the special election closes Saturday. To vote, you must be at least 18 years old and a registered voter and live in the 1st District.

For more information on how to register to vote, visit here or here.

For a map of the district, which roughly covers the western portion of the city, visit here.