Former appointed deputy state auditor James Spadola has announced he will run for an at-large seat on Wilmington City Council next November.
Spadola was appointed to the deputy position just three weeks before the 2018 general election for the Auditor position he lost to Kathy McGuiness.
"This is really just an extension to all the public service work I've done in Wilmington for years now. I've been very involved with my civic association, I've been the President of it for the past two years. I lead the biggest affordable housing agency in Wilmington. I'm a member of the 8th neighborhood district planning council, executive committee member of REACH Riverside, so I just such deep roots, I think running for Wilmington City Council it's an opportunity to have an even greater impact."
Spadola served in the Army Reserve during his freshman year at the University of Delaware, and was deployed for a one-year tour in Iraq, serving as a prison guard, gunner, and battalion commander's driver.
After receiving an honorable discharge, Spadola has managed a team of underwriters, joined the Newark Police Department, and currently works for Coded by Kids, a non-profit tech group. In the new year, it was announced on social media that he will take over as executive director for the non-profit, Read Aloud Delaware.
"I've been very involved with community policing. I had a viral video where we walked down Main Street giving out free hugs. We did plenty of other community initiatives. I would definitely bring that mentality to city council. Community policing should be the cornerstone of the department, and under this chief it is, but we have to make sure it remains that way. I would be one of the few members on council now who has any law enforcement experience. When you're talking about something that's as important as public safety and it takes up 25 percent of the budget, it's important to have that experience."
Spadola also spoke of a need for a contract for the Wilmington Fire Department; negotiations have stretched into a third year.
"I'm in an unique position having been on the union side negotiating contracts with the city, and on the management side with the Housing Authority. I would like to bridge the gap and bring some labor peace to our very brave men and women in our fire department, who deserve a contract. There's a major project coming down the pipe, the I-95 reconstruction project that's slated to begin in 2021," he said. "That is going to have a major impact, not just on the residents of Wilmington, but throughout the area. If you think about the history of I-95 and how it divided the city, we should take advantage of this situation to unite the city again."
https://www.wdel.com/news/james-spadola-to-run-for-wilmington-city-council/article_0f0e95f8-22eb-11ea-ab56-571a048f869f.html
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Spadola was appointed to the deputy position just three weeks before the 2018 general election for the Auditor position he lost to Kathy McGuiness.
"This is really just an extension to all the public service work I've done in Wilmington for years now. I've been very involved with my civic association, I've been the President of it for the past two years. I lead the biggest affordable housing agency in Wilmington. I'm a member of the 8th neighborhood district planning council, executive committee member of REACH Riverside, so I just such deep roots, I think running for Wilmington City Council it's an opportunity to have an even greater impact."
Spadola served in the Army Reserve during his freshman year at the University of Delaware, and was deployed for a one-year tour in Iraq, serving as a prison guard, gunner, and battalion commander's driver.
After receiving an honorable discharge, Spadola has managed a team of underwriters, joined the Newark Police Department, and currently works for Coded by Kids, a non-profit tech group. In the new year, it was announced on social media that he will take over as executive director for the non-profit, Read Aloud Delaware.
"I've been very involved with community policing. I had a viral video where we walked down Main Street giving out free hugs. We did plenty of other community initiatives. I would definitely bring that mentality to city council. Community policing should be the cornerstone of the department, and under this chief it is, but we have to make sure it remains that way. I would be one of the few members on council now who has any law enforcement experience. When you're talking about something that's as important as public safety and it takes up 25 percent of the budget, it's important to have that experience."
Spadola also spoke of a need for a contract for the Wilmington Fire Department; negotiations have stretched into a third year.
"I'm in an unique position having been on the union side negotiating contracts with the city, and on the management side with the Housing Authority. I would like to bridge the gap and bring some labor peace to our very brave men and women in our fire department, who deserve a contract. There's a major project coming down the pipe, the I-95 reconstruction project that's slated to begin in 2021," he said. "That is going to have a major impact, not just on the residents of Wilmington, but throughout the area. If you think about the history of I-95 and how it divided the city, we should take advantage of this situation to unite the city again."
https://www.wdel.com/news/james-spadola-to-run-for-wilmington-city-council/article_0f0e95f8-22eb-11ea-ab56-571a048f869f.html
