Proposed Changes are Coming to Wilmington’s Charter – Wilmington City Council

Proposed Changes are Coming to Wilmington’s Charter

June 16, 2022

On Thursday, June 16, 2022, City Council President Ernest “Trippi” Congo sponsored legislation to amend the Wilmington City Charter during City Council’s regular meeting.President Congo’s proposed city charter amendments have three main components:Agenda #0191 – Res. 22-038 passed with an 8-Yeas and 5-absent vote. This Resolution initiates a proposed amendment to Wilmington City Charter Section 2-103 lowering the minimum age requirement of those desiring to serve as members of Council from twenty-five (25) to twenty-three (23) at the time of election. “This is lowering the age of council members to 23 from 25 with the intent of encouraging the younger generation to become a part of our political system,” said President Congo. “Hopefully younger people will want to become involved in City Council and I would hate for an age restriction to stop them from being a part of people who just want to be able to help their community.”AGENDA #0191 – RES. 22-038 VOTESCity Council President Trippi Congo – Yes1st District Council Member Linda Gray – Yes2nd District Council Member Shané Darby – Yes3rd District Council Member Zanthia Oliver – Absent4th District Council Member Michelle Harlee – Yes5th District Council Member Bregetta Fields – Absent6th District Council Member Yolanda McCoy – Absent7th District Council Member Chris Johnson – Yes8th District Council Member Nathan Field – YesAt-Large Council Member Maria D. Cabrera – AbsentAt-Large Council Member Albert “Al” Mills – YesAt-Large Council Member James Spadola – YesAt-Large Council Member Loretta Walsh – AbsentAgenda #0192 – Res. 22-039 passed with an 8-Yeas and 5-absent vote. This Resolution initiates a proposed amendment to Wilmington City Charter Section 3-300 lowering the minimum age requirement of those desiring to serve as Mayor from thirty (30) to twenty-three (23) at the time of election. An amendment was made during the meeting to change the minimum age requirement on the resolution from 25 to 23.“This is an attempt to bring us in line with the majority of states across our nation to lower the age from 30 to 23,” said President Congo. “If something were to happen to the mayor and someone in the city council would need to move to become the mayor, I made a friendly amendment to make the age 23 instead of 25.”AGENDA #0192 – RES. 22-039 VOTESCity Council President Trippi Congo – Yes1st District Council Member Linda Gray – Yes2nd District Council Member Shané Darby – Yes3rd District Council Member Zanthia Oliver – Absent4th District Council Member Michelle Harlee – Yes5th District Council Member Bregetta Fields – Absent6th District Council Member Yolanda McCoy – Absent7th District Council Member Chris Johnson – Yes8th District Council Member Nathan Field – YesAt-Large Council Member Maria D. Cabrera – AbsentAt-Large Council Member Albert “Al” Mills – YesAt-Large Council Member James Spadola – YesAt-Large Council Member Loretta Walsh – AbsentAgenda #0193 – Res. 22-040 passed with an 8-Yeas and 5-absent vote. This Resolution requests the Delaware General Assembly to amend Section 2-101 of the City Charter to allow the citizens of Wilmington to fill a vacancy arising on City Council through a special election. City Council’s most recent At-Large vacant seat did not include public participation in the electoral process. City Charter Section 2-101 states that if a vacancy occurs in the period less than thirty (30) days before the date of a primary election or pending the election of a council member to fill a vacancy, the City Council, by a majority vote of all its remaining members, shall appoint a person to fill the vacancy for the balance of the unexpired term. If the Delaware General Assembly approves the proposed charter change, it will allow the City of Wilmington to conduct a special election to fill a Council vacancy that will allow for public participation in the electoral process and empower the citizens to choose the candidate they deem best to represent their district or the city at large.“For those of you who have been involved in our city council’s politics for the last several sessions, you are aware that council has had to appoint several council members to our council when a current council member either moves up to a higher office or had to resign. It has been the council’s responsibility to meet and decide who should replace that council person,” said President Congo. “It is an extremely political process. I think the community should be able to vote on who they want to represent them. It should absolutely be taken out of our hands because a lot of it just comes down to relationships and that sets up a path forward of favoritism. I think the community should be able to vote for who they want.”AGENDA #0193 – RES. 22-040 VOTESCity Council President Trippi Congo – Yes1st District Council Member Linda Gray – Yes2nd District Council Member Shané Darby – Yes3rd District Council Member Zanthia Oliver – Absent4th District Council Member Michelle Harlee – Yes5th District Council Member Bregetta Fields – Absent6th District Council Member Yolanda McCoy – Absent7th District Council Member Chris Johnson – Yes8th District Council Member Nathan Field – YesAt-Large Council Member Maria D. Cabrera – AbsentAt-Large Council Member Albert “Al” Mills – YesAt-Large Council Member James Spadola – YesAt-Large Council Member Loretta Walsh – AbsentThese three charter changes will fundamentally reshape Wilmington’s government and elections.President Congo also presented Agenda #0190 – Res. 22-037 to amend the Wilmington City Charter Section 2-102 to require an independent redistricting commission to redistrict the City’s eight (8) Councilmanic districts within six (6) months after the publication by the United States Census Bureau of the population of the City at each federal decennial census. Agenda #0190 – Res. 22-037 was defeated by a 4-Yeas, 4-Present, and 5-absent vote. “I am disappointed that this resolution did not pass tonight,” said President Congo. “The current process for redistricting is extremely political. I presented this resolution with the intent to remove the politics from the process and to remove the city council from the process, although City Council would have had to still vote on an outside entity’s recommendations. This would have been a much more nonpolitical, non-bias favor practice if an outside entity handled the redistricting for our community.”AGENDA #0190 – RES. 22-037 VOTESCity Council President Trippi Congo – Yes1st District Council Member Linda Gray – Yes2nd District Council Member Shané Darby – Yes3rd District Council Member Zanthia Oliver – Absent4th District Council Member Michelle Harlee – Present5th District Council Member Bregetta Fields – Absent6th District Council Member Yolanda McCoy – Absent7th District Council Member Chris Johnson – Present8th District Council Member Nathan Field – PresentAt-Large Council Member Maria D. Cabrera – AbsentAt-Large Council Member Albert “Al” Mills – PresentAt-Large Council Member James Spadola – YesAt-Large Council Member Loretta Walsh – Absent

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