Friends of Historic Glasgow (Delaware)

History of nepotism at historic Glasgow's expense (5/17/05)

History for sale

NCCo's history of nepotism lives on at the expense of historic Glasgow

05/17/2005
Delaware News Journal
Al Mascitti

Nancy Willing can be forgiven for thinking the fix is in.

For the past year, Willing has been active with the Friends of Historic
Glasgow in urging New Castle County to buy and preserve La Grange, the
historic Barczewski farm and home on the north side of U.S. 40, just
west of Del. 896.

During the Revolutionary War, the crossroads was occupied by the
British army; earthen bunkers they built are still there today. Gen.
Lafayette bestowed the name when he was a guest there in 1824.

Historic preservationists have had a rough time in the modern battle,
which includes a family rift over the future of the property. Late last
year, the county finally made an offer for the parcel, but the family
turned it down and soon entered an agreement with a developer.

Naturally, Friends of Historic Glasgow has been interested in plans for
the property, which is protected by a historic overlay and contains
wetlands that would have to be preserved. One member of Friends got a
first glimpse at the project last month, at a meeting of the county’s
Historic Review Board.

Willing said the attorney for the developer soft-pedaled some of the
property’s historic value, but the real surprise was the attorney’s
identity: Pamela Scott, a land-use specialist for the law firm Saul
Ewing and the wife of County Council President Paul Clark.

What effect did that relationship, Willing wondered, have to do with
Clark’s opposition to having the county purchase the property?

The question wasn’t unanticipated. During his election campaign, Clark
said he would deal with potential conflicts of interest by recusing
himself from any project in which his wife is involved.

That’s exactly what he did, Clark said. The developer hired his wife
March 14.

“From that point on, I’ve had nothing to do with the matter,” he said.

But by then, Clark had already taken the position that the county
couldn’t afford to pay for the farm, especially since it recently
purchased hundreds of acres for a park right across U.S. 40.

“It just wouldn’t be fair,” Clark said. He noted that many areas of the
county were underserved, making the purchase of more land in Glasgow a
low priority. “Where’s the park in Claymont? Where’s the park in New
Castle?” he said.

From the county’s perspective, he said, the presence of a historic
house makes it a tougher sell, because the upkeep would cost money the
county doesn’t have.

Still, he said, that doesn’t mean he or County Executive Chris Coons
would turn a deaf ear should the property come back on the market. “If
we got a call tomorrow that this land is on the market, we’d have to do
some serious thinking about it,” said David Singleton, Coons’ chief
administrator.

“What we offered before was we would put up a certain amount of money,
along with the state and any private entities that might want to come
to the table,” Clark said.

As for an outright purchase, though, Clark remains opposed. He noted
that his and Coons’ “listening tour” of the county found one constant
theme.

“Everywhere we go,” he said, “somebody had a deal to sell us
something.”