Former NCCo Exec. closer to return

Former New Castle County Executive Tom Gordon is gearing up to take another shot at the position after winning the majority in the Delaware Primary on Tuesday.

The Democratic nominee who spent 8 years in office says calls from constituents, civic groups, and even some elected officials motivated him to take office again as well as some important issues.

“The police department is being deployed improperly and they’re underfunded and understaffed, and they’re an important component of the quality of life,” said Gordon on Thursday.

Gordon also says he wanted to get involved because he feels developers are running the show with the citizens group being eliminated in the process.  It’s something he vowed to change. 

But will the transition be an easy one for Gordon? “I did it for eight years, and I can tell you every day is a challenge.  You run the second largest government in the state,” he said.

In 2004, Gordon and his former top aide, were indicted on racketeering charges in a federal case alleging that they utilized county resources for political gain. Although the most serious charges were eventually dropped, Gordon did plead  guilty to misdemeanor counts of failing to provide accurate tax information to the government, and received a sentence of one year of probation.

“Certainly everything I did has been an open book so, as for redemption, I’m very humbled that people voted me back in office so I think the past is the past,” said Gordon. 

Gordon faces Republican Mark Blake in November.