Al Liebeskind is a resident of Millsboro.
With this extremely important Nov. 3 midterm election, the voters in the Delaware General Assembly’s 41st Representative District have a very important choice upon voting early, absentee or at the voting booth.
Yes, there are very important issues that all the candidates are expressing these days: taxes, improving our infrastructure, adequate healthcare facilities, funding our schools, overdevelopment, plus many more.
There are also times when there is another issue on the ballot: integrity and character.
That question is, exactly what does integrity and character define when the individual seeking your vote has a “public record” that all the voters are entitled to examine?
Such is the case in the 41st District, where Democratic candidate Ryan Stuckey and Republican John Atkins are competing for an “open seat” in the legislature.
John Atkins previously served the 41st RD, beginning in 2003.
Mr. Atkins’ legislative career abruptly ended under circumstances of his own “doing,” and that cannot — and should not — be “whited out” from being known.
In 2007, Mr. Atkins was stopped by police for suspected drunken driving. Then, later that same night, he was arrested following a domestic dispute with his wife.
The House of Representatives Ethics Committee voted to censure Mr. Atkins, barring him from serving on any legislative committees; therefore, he was not able to represent the interests of the voters of the 41st District. Mr. Atkins subsequently resigned from the House, returning to the General Assembly — again in the 41st District — in 2008 and serving until he was defeated in 2014.
Since that time, Mr. Atkins, in 2014 and 2018, has been charged with criminal mischief and assault on a former girlfriend.
These are certainly not rumors. They are now “part” of his public record.
Mr. Atkins has “addressed” this publicly, stating that his “past is now behind him” and that he is now on “the right path.”
All of this is very relevant because being elected to public office both carries and creates the highest standards of public trust.
Do we — the voters here in the 41st District — want a carbon copy of the deceitful Donald Trump representing our interests and values on the floor of the House of Representatives?
This election is not about which candidate has the better campaign message.
It is all about what the candidate’s experience is and his vision once he is elected, including his thoughts of how he is seeking to achieve those goals.
The voters deserve the opportunity to examine these points of view, and that answer belongs to the voters by themselves.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
