“Use of Confidential Information of Public Employees by Opponent for Malicious Political Purposes Violates Law”
The Flowers for Treasurer campaign has received urgent notice that our opponent, incumbent state Senator Colin Bonini, in response to his decline in poll numbers, has done the unthinkable — sent a letter to our public employees and emergency first responders, using their confidential information, falsely asserting that Chip Flowers, the leading candidate for state treasurer, would withhold their paychecks if elected.
Mr. Flowers has never made such assertion and Mr. Bonini, who has threatened not to sign checks, is trying to deceive those who serve the public. As an elected official, Mr. Bonini has reached a new low and continues to violate the public trust. With each passing day, Mr. Bonini’s statements stray farther from the truth, farther from reality. They are, however, consistent with the dubious and extreme statements issued by his campaign.
Additionally, in the negative letter, Mr. Bonini falsely claims that he championed the cause of public employees by voting against the budget. This could not be further from the truth. Mr. Bonini has voted against every budget since becoming a member of the Delaware state senate – which means, among other things, Mr. Bonini voted against paying salaries for our public employees. Furthermore, Mr. Bonini voted against restoring pay to our public employees earlier this year. Mr. Bonini’s actions by asserting falsehoods clearly reflect his poor character.
Furthermore, our campaign is very concerned about how Mr. Bonini was able to obtain the confidential information of our public employees (including, names and addresses), since this information is not publicly available. We are requesting that Mr. Bonini disclose how the confidential personal information of our public employees came into his possession for malicious political purposes. This disclosure of confidential information for political purposes violates state law and Mr. Bonini must explain his actions.
Mr. Flowers has been endorsed by, among others, the Delaware State AFL-CIO, Delaware State Education Association (DSEA) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Regardless of Mr. Bonini’s false claims, Delaware’s state employees are confident that Mr. Flowers will serve them well — and that he will provide outstanding service to all citizens of the state while serving as its treasurer.
Delawareans must reject Mr. Bonini’s lies and we must ensure that the confidential information of our public employees and first responders is never again used for malicious political purposes. This is unacceptable and Delaware deserves better.
