Two on Wilmington Council say they will change vote on empty seat

Jeanne Kuang
The News Journal

Days after a heated meeting in which Wilmington City Council voted against appointing Albert Mills to his brother's empty council seat, the council president and at least one member want to revisit the issue.

There were 8 votes against and 3 votes in favor of appointing Mills last Thursday. One councilman abstained, voting "present."

Councilwoman Loretta Walsh said she will ask for the vote to be retaken during Thursday's council meeting, according to the meeting agenda. That has raised questions about whether other members will reverse their votes, too.

Council President Hanifa Shabazz said Thursday after the original vote that the selection committee that nominated Mills will revisit the other 11 candidates who applied for the 1st District seat, and select a new candidate.

Walsh and a representative for Shabazz said Monday that both want to change their votes from "no" to "yes" on Mills. 

Both were members of a selection committee that unanimously recommended Mills as the replacement for his twin brother, Nnamdi Chukwuocha, who was elected to the statehouse last month.

Mills' selection generated controversy because of his relation to Chukwuocha and for the closed-doors process used to nominate him.

None of the candidates' names were released to the public or to other council members before the selection committee interviewed them over hours of closed-door meetings.

Outgoing Wilmington City Councilman Nnamdi Chukwuocha's twin brother, Albert Mills listens to discussion of his potential selection to the Wilmington City Council Thursday night in the council chambers.

After harsh criticism from several members not on the committee, council rejected Mills' nomination, including members of the selection committee.

Walsh said she voted "no" in order to be part of the majority vote on Mills, which would later allow her to bring up the issue for reconsideration.

"At that point, when I voted that way, I had a hope that after a week others might change their mind," she said. "I don't have that hope anymore."

She said she does "not want to go down voting 'no'" on Mills. Walsh said she has not tried to influence any other members to change their votes, saying "I don't play that way."

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Shabazz, who appointed the selection committee and presided over it, supported Mills' nomination first, then voted last Thursday to reject his appointment. She said Thursday night she voted "no" to give herself time to "reconsider."

She did not return attempts this week to explain herself further or whether or not she has convinced other members to switch their votes and support Mills. 

Council spokesman Leon Tucker said Shabazz supports a reconsideration and wants to "be able to have her vote be recorded 'yes' this time around."

He said he did not know if Shabazz had spoken with council members about changing their votes but "maybe somebody will change their mind."

He said the selection committee will choose another candidate if the reconsideration vote fails.

Ciro Adams, the sole Republican on Council, voted "present" on Thursday and said he will not change his vote. Though he supported Mills in the selection committee, Adams said he believes as a Republican, he should not be involved in approving a Democrat for a vacant council seat. 

Mills said Monday he had not heard of any council members' plans to vote to appoint him and declined to comment further.

"I don't think too much information has changed since last week," he said. 

HOW MEMBERS VOTED

  • Ernest "Trippi" Congo: No
  • Zanthia Oliver: Yes
  • Michelle Harlee: Yes
  • Vash Turner: No
  • Yolanda McCoy: No
  • Bob Williams: No
  • Ciro Adams: Present
  • Rysheema Dixon: No
  • Bud Freel: Yes
  • Sam Guy: No
  • Loretta Walsh: No
  • Hanifa Shabazz: No

Contact Jeanne Kuang at jkuang@delawareonline or (302) 324-2476. Follow her on Twitter at @JeanneKuang.