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A warm welcome to the rekindled Common Cause
A warm welcome to the rekindled Common Cause
News Journal Editorial
February 27, 2010
It’s been almost three years since Delaware had a local chapter of Common Cause. The local version
imploded in 2007 after a convoluted and as yet not completely clear internal dispute.
Among the problems the group faced was the refusal of its public persona, lobbyist John Flaherty,
to renew his contract with the local chapter. As internal turmoil continued, the national Common
Cause decided to shut down operation in Delaware. Local politicians and Dover legislators couldn’t have
been happier.
Often referred to by the politicos as “Common Curse,” Common Cause has been the most
consistent and straightforward supporter of open government for the past 40-plus years. The public
has been able to depend on Common Cause’s position to be one that supports the right way to do
the government’s business without the burden of partisan politics weighing down one side or the
other of an argument.
Generally speaking, those in public life who support the goals and efforts of Common Cause are
considered by many to be the good guys.
The national Common Cause has brought in veteran executive James Browning to help coordinate the
reconstituted organization. Jeffrey A. Raffle, a professor of public administration at the University
of Delaware, has agreed to be the local chapter’s new new president, a good choice.
And he and former board member Chuck Durante have put together an impressive board of directors.
We wish them good luck.