Eminent Domain Rights Hearing Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Wed May 7th, the Delaware State Senate Small Business Committee is holding a public hearing on SB 245, an excellent piece of legislation to curb eminent domain abuses by municipalities (ahem, City of Wilmington) using it as a truncheon for private developers.

South Market Street area auto shop owner Ed Osborne has been waging a one-man crusade against the heavy-handed steamroller tactics of the Wilmington city government. The city government appears intent to drive businesses like his somewhere else (or just out of business completely) to make way for the Buccini-Pollin condos and assorted housing projects the city government's denizens want so badly.

Osborne fought the government, eventually the City Council*, and finally took his cause to the State General Assembly, with the assistance of State Rep. Dennis Williams. Fortunately, his pleas have been heard and a bi-partisan, bicameral bill has been fashioned in SB 245, closing any statutory loophole language and clamping down on eminent domain by limiting it to truly "public use".

[* - To his great credit, 1st District Councilman Charles Potter, Jr. opposed the city government's scheme and was the sole dissenting vote on council.]

Ed writes :

Delaware property rights have been challenged as you know, and now is the time to stand and protect them I need as many people in Dover as possible on

Wednesday may 7th at 1:30 pm. , in Legislative Hall

This has been a long and hard battle for my family and me but it has been worth it. Because I know in my heart that when the fight is no longer worth it my belief in myself and the American dream will cease to exist.

Thank

Ed Osborne
Here is the notice of the meeting :

SENATE Committee Meeting Notice

Committee: Small Business
Chairman: Venables
Room: Senate Majority Caucus Room
Date/Time: 5/7/2008 1:30 PM

Agenda

SB 245 AN ACT TO AMEND TITLES 10 AND 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO REAL PROPERTY ACQUISITION AND EMINENT DOMAIN. Sponsor : Venables

If you can, please attend and make your voices known for property rights over government abuse in Delaware. Even if you can't attend, contact your legislators to let them know you support passage of SB 245.

The bill has major sponsorship (enough co-sponsors in the House to guarantee passage). It is a giant step forward for protecting individual freedom in Delaware, unlike any legislation I have ever seen.

Major kudos to all of its sponsors and co-sponsors for acting quickly and decisively on the side of citizens against abuse of power and resources by local governments. In the case of Wilmington, this has involved politicians who have shamelessly been taking political contributions from the very developers (Buccini family) for whom they have been pimping this eminent domain threat scheme in the South Walnut Street area.

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