Brady will not seek new term as Clerk of the Peace

After more than 800 weddings performed since 2013, Sussex County Clerk of the Peace John Brady has decided to hang up his robe when his term ends in January.

Brady withdrew his candidacy for re-election and has decided to accept a position as chief deputy for the Register of Wills Office in Sussex County. Brady will begin his new post in June after being appointed by the Court of Chancery.

"I've always loved being an elected official in Sussex County," Brady said. "To not be on the ballot this November will be a little strange for me. I've been on the ballot every year except 2014 for the last 10 years."

Brady has won seven of the nine races he's been involved with, but the opportunity with the Register of Wills Office allows him to work in the only row office in Sussex County that he has not worked at. He said he plans to wrap up his court-appointed court case load and term as town solicitor for Ellendale to focus exclusively on his new job. Brady said he will still be practicing law but not with the case load he has now.

Working with the Register of Wills office also allows Brady to come full circle in more ways than one. First, he said, his father had been register of wills in New Castle County and encouraged young John to enter politics.

"I hope I've done him proud," he said.

Second, Brady made the announcement of his withdrawl April 18 in front of the fountain at the Georgetown Circle, a place where he has performed numerous weddings as clerk of the peace.

"It's my little part of history," he said.

To assuage any fears of double-dipping on a state salary until his Clerk of the Peace term is up, Brady said his hourly salary will be paid by the Register of Wills Office and his benefits will come from the clerk of the peace office until his term is up. Brady said it's never been about the money for him.

"It's not two salaries. It's actually saving the county money," he said. "I'm moving to a new role. It's time for that next generation of leaders to move forward and I wish them well. My heart will always be here in Sussex County."

Brady admitted that a big appeal of the new job is that it will be easier on his health. At 40, Brady was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and has since had congestive heart failure. Now 57, Brady has heart surgery scheduled for May 10.

"Being an administrator in the next chapter in my life looks to be a good thing. It's going to cut down the workload from what it was before. That's a good thing," he said.

Brady said he was looking forward to performing his 1,000th wedding before his term is up. Almost half of the weddings he has performed  – more than 400 – have been same-sex weddings. Brady said he was proud that once same-sex marriage was legal, his office was ready to handle the heavy demand that ensued.

"They're all marriages. We don't differentiate anymore," Brady said.

He said the most rewarding part of his time in office, was when Sussex County Council passed an ordinance allowing active duty servicemen and women to have no-charge weddings.

"That first couple were 19 and 20. He was about to be deployed. She was very excited about his deployment to Washington state for training and they were able to get married and get the benefit package in place. Sussex County Council did a great thing when they passed that ordinance. It's always special to do a wedding for those folks," Brady said.

He said his service as clerk of the peace allows him to still officiate weddings even after his retirement, something he looks forward to.

"This was the happiest elected office I ever had," Brady said.