DOVER, Del. - As the legislative session for this calendar year comes to an end, Republicans continue to call for representation for District 20 and prepare for what's to come.
Tuesday marked the 28th day of the legislative session of this year and Democratic Rep. Stell Parker Selby's chair is still empty.
There are just 13 more days this session and no one seems to know if she's going to make an appearance. House Minority Leader Tim Dukes continues to call for representation in the 20th district.
"I know that they've tried to cover some of the calls and some of the responses when people have reached out from the 20th. I do know there are a lot of things that are slipping through that aren't being taken care of," Dukes shared.
CoastTV tried to get a response from Parker Selby's fellow Democrats on Tuesday but received no answers to texts or calls. As for her constituents, some have asked about a special election to replace the representative; however, because she was sworn in, even though it was a private home ceremony, technically there is no vacancy.
"The Speaker of the House has to call for the special election, but the Speaker can only call for a special election if there's a vacancy in the office," Dukes explained.
CoastTV asked Dukes if constituent calls, letters or demands, whether it be from constituents or from inside either political party, could force a special election but the answer is no.
"According to our Constitution and our state law, there's nothing that anybody can do except for the legislator in that particular seat," Dukes said.
Sussex County Republican Chair Daniel Willis is one of the two people from the Republican Party who sent out a letter in March questioning when the representative would return to office. There are no plans for a second letter at this time. Instead, Willis says moving forward, the focus is on the voters.
"Whether that be through internal communications with the legislators, whether that be interparty communications with the equivalent of the Sussex County Democratic Chair, these types of conversations need to be at the forefront," Willis said.
CoastTV asked Dukes and Willis if the letter, which began raising questions about representation and Parker Selby's absence, was a move to force the Democrats' hand and force a special election in hopes to have the Republican candidate, Nikki Miller, run for the seat again. Miller lost to Parker Selby in a close race in November.
"I have no desire to call for a special election. I think that has to happen by the Speaker of the House and her relationship with Stell and Stell's family moving forward into the next legislative year, which will start the second Tuesday of January 2026. If she's not going to be able to fulfill her commitment, then that's something they've got to decide," shared Dukes.
"We continue to see the outcry from from the public of saying, 'Hey, we'd like answers, we want the responses, we want transparency,' and that's where the motivation of the letter is and the motivation to continue providing updates and just asking those questions to get the answers for the voters," said Willis.
Willis says that both political parties owe it to their constituents to be honest and transparent politicians.
"The motivating factor for initially sending out the letter, to continue to apply pressure behind the scenes, to our legislators to get clear answers and ultimately, this interview can be summarized in the quote, 'The footprint is as big as the shoe.' You cannot divorce yourself from the impact of your actions, or in this case, in the Democrat Party, the inaction," Willis expressed.
A similar situation:
Many people have asked CoastTV about a situation they say is similar to Parker Selby's.
Republican Jack Peterman served District 33, the Milford area, for about six years. He was elected in 2010 and passed on Aug. 10, 2016. Before then, he dealt with multiple health issues and underwent numerous surgeries.
"As he got older in life, he began to struggle with his with his mental faculties," said Dukes. "He was sworn in at the beginning of a session and actually did very well until he got right towards the end of that calendar year. "
That was in 2015.
"As he came back the second year, we began to notice a rapid decline in his mental health. His memory, he even began to have some issues driving, which we had people step up and begin to bring him to Legislative Hall. But it wasn't until the last part of that year that he began to miss," Dukes continued. That year was 2016.
According to House Republicans, Peterman missed 17 out of the 44 days of the legislative session in 2015. Peterman missed 42 out of the 46 days of the legislative session in 2016, totaling a missed 59 of 90 legislative days between 2015 and 2016. That being said, Dukes says the two situations are not the same.
"We as a caucus encouraged him not to run again. Also, the Republican Party also stepped up and said that we don't feel it's in the best interest of that district that he would run again, which he agreed to do that. He did not run the next legislative term," Dukes explained.
As the days count down with just 13 remaining in this legislative session, the same questions continue to be asked and the constituents of District 20 continue to have no representation at the legislature in Dover as key votes are held and bills are passed.