Thomas P. Gordon is an American politician and former law enforcement officer. He served as chief of police for New Castle County,Delaware prior to being elected to county executive. He was defeated by Matt Meyer in 2016 during his bid for an unprecedented fourth term as county executive.
Gordon joined the New Castle County Police Department in 1975 and was assigned to the Patrol Division Criminal Unit and the Attorney General's White Collar Crime Unit. He was promoted to sergeant in 1980,lieutenant in 1984,and captain in 1988. He was co-commander of the state's first serial killer task force which led to the apprehension and prosecution of Steven Brian Pennell,the only known serial killer in Delaware history.[2] He eventually became Chief of Police,serving in the role for eight years.[3]
Gordon served as the president of the Fraternal Order of Police in Delaware from 1984 to 1986.[4] The Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights was signed into law on May 13,1985,during Gordon's term as president. Gordon worked closely with then Senator Joseph Biden in the creation and writing of the U.S. Crime Bill which was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1994.[citation needed] He retired from the police department to run for county executive.
In 1997,Gordon was elected as county executive for New Castle County and reelected to a second term four years later. During this time,he expanded parks and libraries in the county,raised wages for county employees,and increased county spending by more than 45 percent,helped by his successful effort to increase the amount of the state real estate transfer tax went to the county.[3]
In May 2004,Gordon was charged with corruption,racketeering,and mail fraud over allegations that his chief administrative officer,Sherry Freebery,had accepted millions of dollars in bribes from du Pont heiress Lisa Dean Moseley.[3] The grand jury indictment included claims that county employees were ordered to work on personal projects and that a sexual harassment lawsuit was settled to avoid disclosure to the public.[3] He decided against running for reelection that year. All felony charges were eventually dropped,and Gordon pleaded guilty in 2007 to two misdemeanors for failing to keep adequate tax records.[3]
Gordon ran for New County County executive again in 2012,and he became the first person to win a third term to the office.[5] He was defeated in the next election,losing the 2016 Democratic primary election to political newcomer Matt Meyer in his attempt to become the first four-term county executive in the history of New Castle County.[6][5]
New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the state's population of 989,948. The county seat is Wilmington, which is also the state's most populous city.
Claymont is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population of Claymont was 9,895.
The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) is a bi-state government agency of the U.S. states of Delaware and New Jersey established by an interstate compact in 1962.
John Charles Carney Jr. is an American politician who has served since 2017 as the 74th governor of Delaware. A member of the Democratic Party, Carney was the U.S. representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district from 2011 to 2017, the 24th lieutenant governor of Delaware from 2001 to 2009, and Delaware's secretary of finance from 1996 to 2000.
James Caleb Boggs was an American lawyer and politician from Claymont, Delaware. A liberal Republican, he was commonly known by his middle name, Caleb, frequently shortened to Cale.
The Delaware Democratic Party (DelDems) is the affiliate of the Democratic Party in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is headquartered in New Castle County and chaired by Erik Raser-Schramm.
Steven Brian Pennell, known as The Route 40 Killer, was Delaware's only known serial killer in modern history, convicted of the murders of two New Castle County, Delaware women and suspected of killing three others. He abducted most of his victims from U.S. Route 40, near Bear.
The Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) is the original name of a unit within the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) Training Division at Quantico, Virginia, formed in response to the rise of sexual assault and homicide in the 1970s. The unit was usurped by the Critical Incident Response Group (CIRG) and renamed the Behavioral Research and Instruction Unit (BRIU) and currently is called the Behavioral Analysis Unit (5) (BAU-5) within the National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC). The BAU-5 currently works on developing research and then using the evidence-based results to provide training and improve consultation in the behavioral sciences—understanding who criminals are, how they think, why they do what they do—for the FBI and law enforcement communities.
The FBI National Academy is a program of the FBI Academy for active U.S. law enforcement personnel and also for international law enforcement personnel who seek to enhance their credentials in their field and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge, and also cooperation worldwide. The FBI National Academy is held four times a year, when up to 250 candidates go through a 10-week course.
Dennis P. Williams is an American politician who served as the Mayor of Wilmington, Delaware, from 2013 to 2017. He previously served in the Delaware House of Representatives from 1995 to 2013 in a district based in northern Wilmington. He won the mayoral election for the city of Wilmington on November 6, 2012. Williams ran for a second term as mayor in 2016, but lost in the primary to Mike Purzycki, who succeeded him as mayor.
David Grimaldi is an American businessman and current CEO of Elmark. He is the former Chief Administrative Officer of New Castle County government. He previously served as Managing Director at Minmetals, President of Firestone Hotel Group, and Chief Financial Officer of the Police Athletic League of Delaware. He began his career as a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley in New York City where he was ranked number one in his national peer group.
Matthew S. Meyer is an American politician and attorney who has served as the 11th New Castle County executive since 2017. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Meyer is the Democratic nominee in the 2024 Delaware gubernatorial election to replace term-limited incumbent governor John Carney and will face Republican nominee Mike Ramone in the general election.
A general election was held in the U.S. state of Delaware on November 6, 2018. Half of Delaware's executive officers were up for election as well as a United States Senate seat and Delaware's at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives. Primary elections were held on September 6, 2018.
Corporal Stephen J. Ballard was a Delaware State Police Officer. On April 26, 2017 Ballard was shot and killed after approaching a suspicious vehicle at a Wawa in Bear, Delaware. A day later, the perpetrator, Burgon Sealy, Jr. was shot and killed after a standoff with police.
Michael S. Purzycki is an American businessman and politician who has served as the 56th mayor of Wilmington, Delaware, since 2017. He previously served as the executive director of the Riverfront Development Corporation and briefly played in the National Football League for the New York Giants in the 1967–1968 season.
Kathleen Jennings is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Attorney General of Delaware. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
A statue of Caesar Rodney was installed in Wilmington, Delaware, United States. The statue was erected in Rodney Square in downtown Wilmington on July 4, 1923. It was designed by New York sculptor James Edward Kelly. The Gorham Company in Rhode Island cast the statue and its two bronze plaques. The memorial was removed in June 2020. It is currently being stored in New Castle, Delaware in a private storage facility. Its plans for future display are currently unclear, and its removal has generated controversy.
The 2024 Delaware gubernatorial election will be held on November 5, 2024, to elect the governor of the U.S. state of Delaware, concurrently with the 2024 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic governor John Carney is term-limited and cannot seek re-election to a third term in office. Primary elections took place on September 10, 2024, in which Democratic New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and Republican state representative Mike Ramone won their parties' nominations.
The 2016 New Castle County Executive election was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, to elect the County Executive of New Castle County, Delaware. Democrat Matt Meyer defeated Republican Mark Blake with 66.6% of the vote.
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