Street, Tackett departures lead to December NCC Council election

Why Should Delaware Care?
The New Castle County Council is in charge of creating local laws, approving the county’s budget and tax rates and setting regional regulations (like those on data centers). The council faces two new vacancies where the public, through a special election, will decide who will finish out the remaining terms. 

Just as it appeared elections were over this year, the abrupt resignation of longtime New Castle County Councilman Jea Street Sr. and the election of Councilman David Tackett to county recorder of deeds will lead to a special election next month in Delaware’s largest county.

Street’s District 10 covers the southern half of the city of Wilmington and parts of the Route 9 corridor, while Tackett’s District 11 covers the greater Glasgow area. 

Both Street, who resigned in a letter on Saturday, Nov. 7, and Tackett, whose position would become vacant no later than his Jan. 5 swearing in as recorder, have two years left in their four-year terms.

Jea Street Jr., the former 73-year-old councilman’s son, cited health concerns and his father’s desire to spend time with his grandchildren as the main reasons for Street Sr.’s retirement.

Street Sr., one of the council’s most-outspoken members, has largely not attended the monthly meetings in several years, choosing instead to attend virtually from home. He did not respond to a request for comment from Spotlight Delaware.

Who are Street & Tackett?

Street was New Castle County’s District 10 councilman for more than 20 years. The area he represented encompasses some of Wilmington’s Central and Southern neighborhoods, including Hilltop, Oakmont and Garfield Park.  

During this time, he advocated against school closures, fought for the opening of the Route 9 Library and helped cap the height of a local landfill. 

But Street became active in the community well before his elected position. 

He worked alongside Delaware’s NAACP to obtain funding for all students in Delaware’s public schools. Before that he helped New Castle County families navigate the 1978 desegregation plan which sought to bring together Black and white children in public schools. 

“I think the biggest gap I think that you’re going to see is the way that my dad is a lion for young Black kids, young minorities and just kids in general from the city,” Street Jr. said about his father’s advocacy work.

In a statement from the Delaware Democratic Party, leaders remarked that “Jea has never wavered in his commitment to making our communities stronger.”

“Your passion, advocacy, and leadership have made a lasting difference, and our community is better because of you,” the party said.

Tackett has represented District 11 since 2004. In those 22 years, the Newark resident led a strengthened vacant property law that helped reduce such properties, improved safety in county parks, and eliminated loopholes for developers to skip traffic studies and impact fees. 

In the September primary election, he unseated six-time incumbent Mike Kozikowski Sr. for the recorder of deeds role, which keeps track of land transactions, mortgage records and land plot maps. The usually low-key race was marked by an accusation by Tackett that Kozikowski offered him a job in exchanging for not running in the election.

Tackett did not respond to a request for comment from Spotlight Delaware about his tenure on council.

What is a special election?

A special election is held outside of the normal election cycle when a Delaware legislator leaves a seat vacant. This may be due to a number of reasons, such as ineligibility or resignation. 

Taxpayer dollars are used to fund such special elections including the election officers working the polls. Cathleen Carter, a Department of Elections spokeswoman, said the costs of such an election for one councilperson ranges from $140,00 to $170,000.

A presiding officer – in this case New Castle County Council President Monique Williams-Johns – is required to contact the Department of Elections within 10 days of a vacancy to schedule a special election.

The department has not yet received this notification but anticipates the election will be held by the middle of December, Carter said. It’s unclear whether the December special election would fill both seats or just Street’s as Tackett won’t officially leave his council seat until Jan. 5.

Both the Democratic and Republican parties for the 10th and 11th county districts will meet in coming weeks to select party candidates for the races. That candidate selection process drew significant criticism two years ago when Wilmington-area party organizers selected candidates to run for two open State Senate seats, and it is already drawing renewed scrutiny now.

In a Monday Facebook video, Councilman Kevin Caneco, an outspoken progressive member of the county council, called the special election nomination process “flawed” and decried that a few dozen “party insiders” could effectively choose two of the 13 council members. He called upon the state legislature to amend the special election law to allow for true primary elections.

“Primaries are necessary. Voters deserve the final word,” he said.

Non-party-affiliated candidates can also be listed on a special election ballot, but they must obtain the signatures of at least 1% of registered voters in the district.

Voters can participate if they are 18 or older, are a registered voter and reside in the district that is up for grabs. 

The public can check the special election date on the state’s website, the Department of Elections’s page and the State’s public meeting calendar. 

Transparency Notice: Jea Street Jr. routinely works as a freelance photographer for Spotlight Delaware.