The News Journal | by Jonathan Starkey House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf denied he removed Rep. John Kowalko, D-Newark, from the House Education committee because of differences over education policy or Kowalko’s boisterous opposition to Gov. Jack Markell’s plan to turn around six Wilmington schools. In his first comments on the dust-up, Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, told reporters Tuesday that Kowalko has lost the ability to cooperate with colleagues on education issues, citing his inability to compromise as the reason behind Kowalko’s removal. The speaker also called the controversy, stoked by Kowalko’s […]

The News Journal | by Jonathan Starkey Rep. John Kowalko apparently has had enough. The Newark Democrat fired off a letter to Democratic House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf, accusing the speaker of creating an “atmosphere of intimidation and coercion that threatens to envelop our caucus and the entire House of Representatives.” Kowalko sent the letter after Schwartzkopf left him off the House Education committee, a panel on which he had served for eight years. The six-page missive offers a rare show of deep disunity within the House Democratic caucus and accuses […]

WDEL | by Amy Cherry State Rep. John Kowalko (D-Newark South) has been ousted from the influential House education committee after nearly a decade of service. Kowalko told WDEL he learned of the news in a phone call this weekend from House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf (D-Rehoboth Beach). “He said, ‘Well you’ve become an activist. You carry your message to the blogs, to the papers, and on the radio, and you can’t be a legislator and be an activist,’” Kowalko alleged. Kowalko, who has been extremely outspoken against the state’s priority […]

The News Journal | by Jonathan Starkey Democratic leaders have sent a message to Newark Rep. John Kowalko: back off. House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf has bounced Kowalko, a Democrat who has loudly opposed Gov. Jack Markell’s plan to turn around six Wilmington schools, from the House education committee and stripped his chairmanship of the House Energy committee. Top House Democrats, who do not tolerate dissent among the ranks, also yanked Rep. Helene Keeley, D-Wilmington, from the capital budget committee after she mounted and lost a leadership challenge last month to […]

Newsworks | by Shana O’Malley With increased deliveries of oil by rail in Delaware, state officials want to ensure that safety comes first. On Wednesday afternoon, legislators met with approximately two dozen officials from Norfolk Southern, the Delaware City Oil Refinery and state emergency management to discuss potential safety concerns with the delivery of oil by rail. The Delaware City Oil Refinery is experiencing a significant increase of oil-by-rail shipments, and state officials want to see that all safety scenarios are being addressed. At the meeting, state leaders inquired about maintenance […]

Delaware Today | September 2009 Issue | by Matt Amis John Kowalko — Environment Who has clout? There’s a new generation of movers and shakers emerging who are shaping policies and making things happen. John Kowalko considers himself a conduit, a voice, not just for constituents in his 25th Representative District, but for those who are passionate about the environment. Kowalko, himself a former activist, is one of the few who have successfully reconciled a merger of activism and politics. His secret weapon: economics. “Once you track these issues and make an […]