The state of Delaware has a system for elections in which any person may join the fray by declaring their candidacy and paying a fee to the party of one's candidacy. Today was the day for me. We trekked to Dover, DE, to file the papers and pay the fees. All went very well as my wife, our friend, and I wandered along the campaign trail one more day. Follow over the fold for more of the possum's campaign tale of the day.
The day dawned bright, clear, and sunny. The weather could not have been any better than what arrived today for this time of year. I had an early morning meeting to attend so we had a scheduled departure of 9:30AM. We were only a few minutes late getting on the road. Off the wife and I went to Newark, DE, to retrieve a friend who was to travel along and be our camera man.
We called from the road with a progress report. The call led to a funny conversation about getting a phone with a very long wire (our friend does not like my Bluetooth equipped car as the voice quality is not so good on the copper line). He reminded us the day was going to be hot and asked if he was allowed to wear shorts and a T-shirt. I assured him that was just fine as he was a camera man and not a full fledged representative.
Newark is on of those interesting towns with too many one way streets and many difficult paths which do not connect in ordinary ways. We found the apartment complex we were seeking but someone was in the driveway and blocking our entrance. Then we started the wander around town to find our way back. After a few minutes we approached the apartment complex once again and saw our friend on the sidewalk waving us into the parking lot. He was decked out in jeans, a sport coat, nice shirt and tie. We almost did not recognize him for the transformation.
The trek to Dover was uneventful. We did see a state patrolman along the way. Our pal wanted me to pass the officer so he could offer a "special finger." (At the Friday night vigil we have children who call the uplifted middle finger the "special finger.") I declined and the trip went right on.
The Commissioner of Elections off is located above a soda supermarket. The address and directions led to some interesting conversations about the propriety, but the site was found without difficulty. We entered and made a video of my being on the way and our purpose at being in the building.
The actual signing was very simple. For such a momentous event the affair went very smoothly and quickly. We were out of the office in only a few minutes. The entire event was recorded in both still photos and video. And then the error was made. I asked permission to use the video for posting. I wished to have permission from the clerk to use her picture as she was easy to identify. "Not allowed," we were told. State offices cannot be presented on the internet these days. Homeland security strikes again.
Here we are some 7 months after my original public announcement of candidacy and the process continues. Delaware has a deadline for filing for office near the end of July so I was far in advance of any deadlines. Filing today guarantees my name on the ballot on September 9 (Delaware Primary Day) as a Democratic Party candidate for the US House of Representatives. There is much work to be done before this race is done as the campaign trail continues day by day.
I am an oldtime, long time, hardcore, Progressive Democrat. Please check out the website or the ActBlue page and support the effort. Your help is needed for the effort to succeed. Contributions of all sorts, both moral and monetary are most appreciated.
Peace.