Marie Mayor kicks off campaign
Marie Mayor, Democratic candidate for Representative District 20, said she is running for office because she wants to be the voice for those who are too often forgotten by the people in power.
Mayor said she will work tirelessly for every man, woman and child in the district.
“I’m not a fool, and this is no small task,” she said during an official campaign kickoff at Fish On in the Village of Five Points in Lewes on March 31.
Nearly 100 Sussex County Democrats and a number of Sussex County Democratic candidates joined Mayor to show their support. The mood was celebratory, and the good vibes were flowing as Sweet Steel’s Dave Downing set the mood on the steel drum.
Speaker of the House Rep. Peter Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, introduced Mayor to the crowd. He reinforced the good vibes by reading a long list of personal accomplishments and public service achievements from Mayor’s past.
“Most of us work and go home. Marie can be described for what she does after work,” he said.
Schwartzkopf also gave the crowd a dose of reality. He reminded them that historically voter turnout is abysmal for Sussex County Democrats in off-year elections.
“It’s up to you guys to turn up and vote,” he said.
Mayor briefly addressed the standing-room-only crowd and said there were a number of issues she’s running on, including finding full-time, year-round, well-paying employment for residents of the area, public transportation deficiencies in Sussex County, environmental issues, land use planning and transparent, responsible government practices.
The event was Mayor’s second public announcement of the day. She and a a group of about 50 gathered at Irish Eyes in her home town of Milton early in the day.
“It went great,” she said of the Milton event. “There was a wonderful reception.”
District 20 moved to Sussex County from New Castle in 2012 when election district lines were redrawn to account for shifts in population. The district represents residents of Lewes, Milton and Harbeson.
Republican Stephen Smyk, a Milton resident who has yet to file for reelection, was elected in 2012. Mayor, a Milton resident who lost to Smyk in 2012, filed for the seat on Jan. 21. The filing deadline for all candidates is July 8 at noon.
