Why Should Delaware Care?
Wilmington’s city charter requires at least one minority-party member among the four at-large seats. After City Council’s lone Republican switched to the Democratic Party mid-session, that safeguard has vanished, meaning key votes and oversight within city government will proceed without any minority-party voice until the seat is rebalanced.
Wilmington residents won’t see another Republican on City Council until 2028, after the body’s sole minority-party member has decided to switch parties mid-session.
James Spadola changed his party registration from Republican to Democrat last week, he announced in a Facebook post on Oct. 6.
In his post, Spadola said that he weighed the decision to stay Republican.
“Other than staying the course, I could not find a reason that fit my values or my vision for Wilmington, certainly not under the GOP’s nostalgic claim of fiscal responsibility,” Spadola wrote Monday.
The exceedingly rare move for Delaware politics raises questions about fair representation on the 13-member city council, which is now entirely Democrat-run, despite Wilmington’s city charter requiring that no more than three of the four at-large council members from the same political party can be elected at the same time.
But Wilmington officials say that Spadola will finish his term, which ends in 2028.
“Based upon the language in the charter and no written prohibitions against party affiliation changes while in office, [Spadola can continue to serve],” Elijah Simmons, city council’s chief of staff, wrote in a statement to Spotlight Delaware.
Since Wilmington’s voter registration is heavily Democratic, three of the four at-large City Council seats have historically gone to Democrats, leaving a single seat for a Republican party candidate.
Other than staying the course, I could not find a reason that fit my values or my vision for Wilmington, certainly not under the GOP’s nostalgic claim of fiscal responsibility.
james spadola
A military veteran, former Newark police officer and now director of a reading assistance nonprofit, Spadola was first elected in 2020. He was re-elected in 2024 after finishing fourth among the at-large candidates and just ahead of first-time Republican challenger Shawn Dottery.
Asked if he is now worried about the lack of representation for the Republican Party on city council, Spadola emphasized that “voters elect people, not parties.”
Spadola told Spotlight Delaware he’s been thinking about changing parties since 2021, but went through with the decision after finding himself in disagreement with policy directives that have come out of the Trump Administration, such as tariffs, ICE enforcement, and federal troop deployments in cities.
“I’ve always been a moderate, always will be. And at some point, you have to look at where the parties are. And with Trump 2.0, I find myself certainly identifying more with the Democratic platform,” he said.
Spadola said many have reacted positively to his party switch. He was even accompanied by U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride and Cassandra Marshall, Wilmington City Democratic Committee chair at the Delaware Department of Elections, on the day he changed his party registration.
“He doesn’t indulge in pre-packaged partisan wrangling or disrespect: he puts on his problem-solving hat and gets to work for all Wilmingtonians every day,” Marshall said.
Others, however, have reacted differently.
“I was very disappointed,” Hildi Bachtle, chair of Representative District 6 for the Northern New Castle Republicans, told Spotlight Delaware.
P.J. O’Dwyer, chair of Northern New Castle Republicans, said he believes that the Democratic Party is responsible for policies that have led the state to become unsupportive of young families and unattractive for successful businesses. But he suggests that Spadola may be able to help bridge the gap.
“If James can help make the Democratic Party a partner in solving these problems, then that’s terrific, but it’s a big mountain to climb,” he said.
The Delaware Republican Party did not respond to Wednesday’s request for comment.
Spadola said he has not decided on whether he will run for office again during the 2028 election, which he acknowledges will put him in a different position: he would have to contend in a likely more crowded primary while shouldering his former Republican Party status.
But Spadola emphasizes that while he is in office, there will not be a shift in his priorities.
“I’m certainly the same person,” he said. “It will have zero impact on the way I approach giving my constituents the best service I can.”
