Sussex County Republican Women’s Club hears from area candidates
At their March meeting, the Sussex County Republican Women’s Club heard from two Republican candidates hoping to win their bids for office in the 2018 elections.
James DeMartino is a candidate for the 14th District House of Representatives seat currently held by Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach. This district includes Rehoboth, Dewey and the Angola area. DeMartino is an attorney living in the Angola area. The Marine Corps veteran said Sussex County is the fastest-growing area in Delaware, and residents deserve to have a voice that is more representative of their conservative values. He wants to return those values to Dover as a representative for Sussex focusing more on local issues. His motto is “God, Family and Constitution.” He said, “Our constitution is being assaulted. Without it and our moral compass, we have no country.”
Jesse Vanderwende spoke about his bid to become state representative for the 35th District, which includes the municipalities of Bridgeville, Greenwood and part of Georgetown. Vanderwende is past president of both the Bridgewood Kiwanis Club and Delaware Soybean Board, and a current member of the Delaware State Fair board and Sussex County Farm Bureau. The Vanderwende family is best known for operating a retail and wholesale ice cream business. They also have a dairy herd of 240 Holstein cows, farm about 4,000 acres in western Sussex County and raise chickens for Perdue.
Vanderwende learned firsthand how important the agriculture industry is to the state. He said, “30,000 jobs come from this industry, and we can’t afford to lose them.” He wants to be part of boosting Delaware’s economy not just through agriculture, but all areas important to the 35th District. This includes jobs, education, infrastructure and public safety. Vanderwende said he wants to bring new life to Sussex and to Dover. He advocates for vocational education to catch up to today’s technical and industrial needs.
A question about taxes from the audience prompted Rob Arlett, Fifth District councilman for Sussex County, to explain how transfer taxes are collected through housing sales and where the money goes. Arlett said the way this money is spent has put Delaware at a rank of 50th of 51 in GDP across the nation due to lack of leadership.
The mission of the Sussex County Republican Women’s Club is to assist in the election of Republican candidates, act as an advocate for Republican Party principles, and empower women to participate in the political process. SCRWC, the largest Republican Women’s Club in Delaware, has been actively engaging women in the political process for more than 60 years. For more information, go to www.scrwc.net.
