New Castle County subcommittee hears slate of Police Accountability Board nominees amid concerns about appointment process

Dee Durham, chair of the New Castle County boards and commissions subcommittee, opened the Feb. 17 meeting and introduced a slate of nominees and reappointments to several county boards, including multiple candidates for the New Castle County Police Accountability Board.

Matthew Kelly, introduced for Miss Kilpatrick—s district, said he is a social worker with the Division of Aging and a state employee and described his lived experience with the justice system as a reason for seeking a seat on the Police Accountability Board. "I am more than happy to bring . . . my perspective and lived experience with the justice system," Kelly said.

Kerwin Gaines, another nominee, emphasized research and training as the board—s priorities, citing prior work as a state police cadet and years in intelligence work. "I appreciate research, and I believe that a lot of this goes through research and training," Gaines said, saying he would attend required training and work to help the board be effective.

Several nominees stressed they did not want the board—s work to be a "check-the-box" exercise. Nuraldine Storey, a recent retiree with prior IRS and analytic experience, told council members: "If it's gonna be a check-the-box thing, I have no desire to be part of this organization." Storey said he sought meaningful channels for board recommendations to reach the police department and council.

Council members raised two recurring concerns: why the PAB still has many vacancies after more than a year in operation, and how the board—s recommendations and performance will be measured. Councilman Street said he was troubled by the process used to fill vacancies and repeated his objection to how appointments have been handled, saying, "In my opinion, this whole process . . . reeks of mischief." Several council members pushed back, saying the vacancy rate reflected the board—s early development and the need for training and community outreach.

Council members also noted an earlier county contribution to training: one member said that at the board—s inception she and a colleague provided $40,000 to fund training, and that the money had not been used in the board—s first year. Members urged nominees to prioritize measurable outcomes; Councilman Carter and others discussed using quantifiable metrics and community surveys to assess whether neighborhoods feel safer.

On other business, the subcommittee considered several reappointments to boards including the Board of Assessment Review and the Public Arts Commission. The committee debated whether an item listed as a reappointment was actually a new appointment; a motion was made and seconded to allow that appointment to move forward to next week—s council vote subject to the prime sponsor—s approval, and the subcommittee approved the procedural motion on a voice vote.

Rob Bullock, president of the Community Alliance Coalition, asked during public comment whether the council had received recommendations from the previous PAB and whether the new board members would need to restart that process.

The chair said that formal votes on all nominees would occur at the council meeting next Tuesday and encouraged nominees to tune in if they wished; the committee adjourned after a lengthy session.

The subcommittee handled nominations and process questions but did not take final votes on the board memberships on Feb. 17; final confirmation votes were scheduled for the next council meeting.