The Next Mayor of Newark
Registered voters in Newark head to the polls today (Tuesday) to elect their next mayor. If you are a registered voter in Newark, you can find your local polling place HERE.
We wondered what the next mayor of Newark (which is one of only two communities in Delaware rated as “bicycle-friendly”) thinks about cycling. So we decided to ask.
We mailed a simple 4 question survey to the seven filed candidates.
Every one of them answered.
Here are their answers:
#1: “Bicycling is an important part of Newark’s transportation system.”
Don DelCollo: “Strongly Agree”
Robyn A. Harland: “Strongly Agree”
Mark Morehead: “Strongly Agree”
Rebecca Powers: “Strongly Agree”
Amy Roe: “Strongly Agree”
Polly Sierer: “Agree”
Matthew Vento: “Strongly Agree”
#2: “I want Newark to be one of the most bicycle-friendly communities in America.”
Don DelCollo: “Strongly Agree”
Robyn A. Harland: “Strongly Agree”
Mark Morehead: “Strongly Agree”
Rebecca Powers: “Strongly Agree”
Amy Roe: “Strongly Agree”
Polly Sierer: “Agree”
Matthew Vento: “Strongly Agree”
#3 “I support the establishment, by statute, of an official Newark Bicycle Advisory Committee.”
Don DelCollo: “Strongly Agree”
Robyn A. Harland: “Strongly Agree”
Mark Morehead: “Strongly Agree”
Rebecca Powers: “Strongly Agree”
Amy Roe: “Strongly Agree”
Polly Sierer: “Strongly Agree”
Matthew Vento: “Strongly Agree”
#4 “I believe that an official Newark Bicycle Advisory Committee should consist of voting members appointed by the mayor and individual city council members, with non-voting members representing relevant city departments.”
Don DelCollo: “Strongly Agree”
Robyn A. Harland: “Agree”
Mark Morehead: “Strongly Agree”
Rebecca Powers: “Strongly Agree”
Amy Roe: “Strongly Agree”
Polly Sierer: “Strongly Agree”
Matthew Vento: “Strongly Agree”
In addition, several candidates added additional comments along with their survey answers:
- Don DelCollo noted that Newark Natural Foods, where he is a board member and treasurer, voted to donate $2,485 to the Newark Bike Project.
- Robyn Harland: “[B]ad knees prevent me from biking. But I do support your efforts due to the large college environment.”
- Mark Morehead: “I have enjoyed bicycling since a very young age. My grandmother lived out in the country, so I had to bike several miles each way to buy penny candy at the one shop in her village. I rode my bike to school every day in good weather. In college, I would often go out for a 20-25 mile loop, rather than studying some more physics. I eventually moved to Canberra, Australia, one of the truly great biking cities in the world. I biked throughout the park system, exploring the far corners of the region. While Canberra has the luxury of being a planned community, I believe we can work towards building an interconnected path system inNewark and the surrounding areas. I welcome the opportunity to spread the word about the many benefits of biking.”
- Amy Roe: “The implementation of Newark’s Bicycle Plan as part of a comprehensive transportation plan is a priority for me. I have been a bicyclist in Newark since my youth and I support bicycling for transportation and recreation. The sharrows on Main Street have greatly improved bicycle safety and I would like to see those expanded throughout Newark, as well as a cycle track on Delaware Avenue to improve safety and the bikability of our town. Newark’s Bicycle Committee is an important group that provides leadership and expertise on bicycle issues. I would like this group to receive the respect that it deserves by raising it to the level of a city committee. This would eliminate ambiguity in reporting and would enable plans developed by the Bicycle Committee to be better integrated into discussions by our City Council and implemented by staff for generations to come. I am committed to improving access to affordable bicycles and bicycle repair, and am one of the nine founders of the Newark Bike Project. I believe we should all share the street, and I support the integration of complete streets in city planning. Bicycling has been, and will continue to be, important to Newarkers.”
- Matthew Vento: “This is very important to our city.“
What can we conclude from this survey of the 7 people running for Mayor of Newark? No matter who wins, cycling will have a friend in Newark City Hall.
RELATED:
• Example statute establishing a Newark Bicycle Advisory Committee
• Robyn Harland (Twitter)
• Matthew Vento (Facebook)
• Newark Mayoral Candidate Survey
• Newark Mayoral Contest Draws Big Field (News Journal)
• Newark Polling Place Locations
• Getting in the Race: An Advocate’s Guide to Elections from the League of American Bicyclists
One Response
Sierer is clearly the most conservative candidate, and by the survey, least bike-friendly (tho’ it would appear not by much). She is pro-big business and is in the pockets of big developers like Lang who are bulldozing and rebuilding the city at will, at our expense, for big profits. She is also the most likely to approve of the the power plant. The other candidates – most of whom think the same – should hold a primary, and narrow it down a single candidate who truly has a chance. As it stands now, Sierer could win with as little as 15% of the vote – the hugest non-mandate ever recorded.