Delaware
Mike Purzycki was enough for Wilmington. We’ll miss him | Opinion
4-minute read
Mike Purzycki, two-term Wilmington mayor, dies
Mike Purzycki, who remade the Wilmington Riverfront and was elected twice as the city’s mayor, has died.
Mike Purzycki died Tuesday, May 19 at 80. The public record of his life — the Riverfront, the mayoralty, the housing reforms, the man who turned an industrial wasteland into a regional destination — is real and earned. We read it Tuesday morning. We recognize the city Purzycki helped to build.
There is another piece of Purzycki’s life, less public and to us no less important, that the three of us are uniquely positioned to tell. I, Tony Allen, served as the founding chair of the Wilmington HOPE Commission, and Mike served as my co-chair throughout my tenure. With first Provey Powell and then Charles A. Madden as our executive director, and Wolfie Chambers as one of our most important volunteers and advisors — now one of the nation’s leading voices on second chances and gun violence prevention — we built something together that does not appear in the public chronology of Purzycki’s life. The moment of his passing is the right moment to name it.
We come to this tribute from three vantage points: a returning citizen turned national advocate, the executive director who ran the institution day to day, and the co-chair who sat with Purzycki at a round table, grappling with the difficult topics that carried their own advocates and opponents on every side — race, community, crime, brokenness, repair and whole cloth reform — we dealt with it all and then went about the business of trying to do something about it. The relationship the three of us had with Purzycki was an argument we kept choosing to have in the same room. He pushed us. We pushed him. Individually, we all held positions about structural injustice that sometimes made each of us bristle, one to another. Regardless of what side we landed, no one flinched. That is what made the work real, and what makes this tribute possible.
We want to honor Purzycki honestly. He was not a man so certain about Black people that he believed he knew what was best for us. He would have been the first to reject that framing on its facing, noting first that no group of people is a monolith, nor is one group superior in their judgement of another. It was the systems that created the circumstances, a point we all regularly rallied around. Purzycki was our ally — and on some days, our co-conspirator in a fight no one in his world was asking him to take up.
Wolfie Chambers remembers Mike Purzycki
I have been called “the Mayor of Wilmington” in some quarters, and I take no offense to it, but I want to be clear about the chronology. By the time the HOPE Commission and Mike Purzycki entered my life, I had already come home and decided who I was going to become. The Center for Structural Equity I founded at the University of Delaware in 2020. The federal legislation I helped shape. The book I wrote on violence in our city. The presidential pardon I received in January 2025. None of that was given to me. I built it, with the help of many — and Purzycki was one of those many, not the architect of it.
Purzycki never saw the man in front of him as broken. He assumed I was a partner. The first real conversation he and I had, he did not ask me about my time inside. He asked me what I thought the commission was getting wrong. I told him. He disagreed with me on several points, and we went around on it for the better part of an hour. That was the day I knew I could work with him.
We argued over the years about a great deal. About whether young men in our neighborhoods were primarily victims of a system or co-authors of the conditions they lived in — both, of course, but the weighting was a real fight. About how hard to push law enforcement, particularly later when he was mayor and accountability for police conduct sat on his desk. About what counted as success when a man came home. About who got the credit and who got the microphone. Purzycki did not always win those arguments. Neither did I. That is how I know he respected me. It was two men — one Black, one white — who could argue without feeling the need to break each other. As some young people used to say, “Mike was a real one,” even when we simply could not agree.
Charles A. Madden rememebrs Mike Purzycki
I ran the HOPE Commission for many years. For most of that time, I had two co-chairs at the top of the house — Tony Allen and Mike Purzycki — and the way that worked was the engine of everything we built. And while the HOPE Commission brought us together, it was Purzycki the man who has meant so much to my personal and professional development. We spent countless hours together creating countless memories and mutual lessons. What centers my relationship with Purzycki is the fact that he cared about me (the whole person). He fought for me both figuratively and literally AND helped shape the man, the father and professional I am becoming. During a car ride from his home in Maryland, I turned to Purzycki and called him a “painful” man. To be clear, my saying as much was truly a compliment. In fact, his “painful” way is the very reason I hold him in such high regard. The “painful” man expected and demanded excellence from me while modeling as much in our every interaction. I will miss Purzycki painful way of caring and showing up for me in ways few men have.
They did not always see the same problem when they looked at the same room. Allen came from the Urban League, from a public-policy lineage that ran through high profile elected officials, from stout academic grounding in Urban Affairs. PUrzycki came from real estate. He had built the Riverfront. He thought in terms of capital stacks, development timelines,and the leverage of public investment against private return. They had different vocabularies, and a lot of my job was translating between them — and then, when they had argued each other into a synthesis neither would have arrived at alone, helping the staff turn it into a program.
Purzycki pushed me on accountability — on whether we were measuring results, on whether the men we served were being asked enough of themselves, on whether we were too forgiving. I pushed him on context — on what it actually takes to come home to a city that has decided in advance you will fail, on the systems that produce the men we were serving, on the difference between mercy and infantilization. We did not always agree about where the line was. We agreed it had to be drawn together.
He was the rare leader who showed up when there was nothing for him to gain. He was the rare white civic leader who did not flinch when the conversation got harder than his comfort. He was wrong sometimes, and he could be told so to his face. That is a different gift than benevolence.
Mike’s work on reentry was never the work that won him votes. It was never the work that drew the press. It was the work he did anyway. That tells you what he was made of.
Tony Allen remembers Mike Purzycki
I co-chaired the Wilmington HOPE Commission with Mike Purzycki for many years. The hours we logged together at the head of that table are the foundation of what I want to say.
I came to that role from a particular vantage point, a student of W.E.B. Du Bois recognizing both privilege and responsibility in my Black community with Frederick Douglass type sensibilities, in effect that “power concedes nothing without demand.” That double inheritance made me right about nothing. But holding both worldviews in equal measure did teach me the texture of the long argument: that real civic work is not about who is correct in the moment, but about who is still in the room five, 10, 15, 25 years later, not still asking the harder question, but rather the hardest question and never giving up on the work.
Purzycki was such a man.
Our work together with Charles A. Madden, our board and at the prodding of known voices like Wolfie Chambers produced specific things. The expansion of resources into Southbridge — a family crisis therapist at the elementary school, a juvenile probation officer dedicated to the community, outreach workers — of the community — on the ground, and constant advocacy for what many thought of as the forgotten or worse yet, the unworthy. Perhaps most important was a home, the Achievement Center, built with an iconic American black fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, that gave our work visible, physical agency, that still shapes the function, face and work of the HOPE Commission today, still anchored in Wilmington but now spread to Dover under the leadership of state Sen. Darius Brown. All of it was instinct meeting investment, under intense pressure, with many competing views. Dare I say, “out of many, ONE!”
But the deeper thing — the thing I have come back to often, and will come back to more now — was something Reverend Lawrence Livingston named in a Delaware Today profile of Black leadership in our state a decade ago. He said that effective leadership in our community is about being “Black enough.” And he defined the term this way: “If you can understand the nature of oppression, whether you are white, Hispanic, or any other ethnicity, then you are Black enough.”
I have thought about that line in relation to Mike many times. He understood the nature of oppression — not as a thing he had experienced, but as a thing he had decided to know. He read it in the data. He heard it in the rooms. He sat with it in the lives of the men our Commission served. He let it change what he believed and how he led. He never claimed our experience as his. He never confused empathy with equivalence. I would not parse these words to ever say my dear friend Purzycki was “Black enough,” but he was enough and there when we all needed him most.
Legendary state Sen. Margaret Rose Henry once observed that the work of civil rights in our generation has shifted from voting rights and equal housing to economic justice, and that our leadership now extends to a broader and more economically driven community. Purzycki lived inside that shift. The Riverfront. The Achievement Center. The mayoralty. They were of a piece — investments in a city whose economic future and whose racial reckoning could no longer be separated.
That is the man I was proud to lead beside. That is the man whose absence I will feel for a long time.
Together, we remember Mike Purzykci
We are not writing a hagiography. Mike Purzycki’s record, like every public servant’s, is a mixed one, and the three of us hold our own critiques of pieces of it. We argued with him in his lifetime. We will continue those conversations now in his memory, because he would have wanted us to.
What we are saying is narrower and more durable than tribute. On the question of what a city owes the men it has sent away — and what those men owe themselves — Purzycki showed up for the long argument, did not flinch from the parts of it that were uncomfortable for him and built, with us, something that did not exist before.
In the by and by, achievements are fleeting, but the legacy of the Honorable Michael S. Purzycki endures.
To Bette, to Gage, to Adriane, to Mick, to his grandchildren — we share your grief. The man you loved at home was the same man with whom we went to battle, together, the same man who built a piece of this city that forever will stand. We loved him, too. We will miss him.
Darryl “Wolfie” Chambers is the founder of the Center for Structural Equity. Charles A. Madden is the former executive director of the Wilmington HOPE Commission. Tony Allen is the president of Delaware State University.
TV, kickoff times set for 2026 Delaware football schedule
Blue Hens with numerous national TV appearances in second Conference USA season
The all-important recruiting game is sped up now that Delaware is a Football Bowl Subdivision outfit as it heads into its second season in Conference USA.
With the start of preseason practice still a month away, Blue Hens coaches have been busy watching future prospects show their skills during on-campus camps as they attempt to build future rosters.
At least 15 Class of 2027 high school recruits have already verbally committed to accepting Delaware’s scholarship offer as of June 30, according to social media reports.
Recruits are not officially part of the UD program until December’s signing period.
That list includes four players from Delaware high schools – Cape Henlopen quarterback Jameson Tingle, Middletown linebacker Mekhi Corbin and offensive linemen Mario Castillo from Red Lion and Game Medico of Salesianum.
Delaware Class of 2027 commits
Douglass Callihan, 6-0, 215, LB, Gilmer/Ellijay, Georgia
Charles Carpenter-Simms, 6-2, 200, DB, Dexter Southfield/Brookline, Massachusetts
Mario Castillo, 6-6, 290, OL, Red Lion Christian Academy/Bear, Delaware
Mekhi Corbin, 6-1, 210, LB, Middletown/Middletown, Delaware
Austin Farrell, 6-3, 265, DL, Iona Prep, New York City
Kodi Gbanite, 6-3, 250, DT, Livingston/Livingston, New Jersey
Cooper Hodson, 6-3, 310, OL, Providence Day School/Charlotte, North Carolina
Chase Hyacinth, 6-4, 220, DE, Eagle Academy, New York City
Gabe Medico, 6-5, 260, OL, Salesianum/Wilmington, Delaware
Darius Smith, 6-1, 170, DB, Millbrook/Raleigh, North Carolina
Ronny Taylor, 5-11, 180, DB, Jenkins/Savannah, Georgia
Jameson Tingle, 6-2, 185, QB, Cape Henlopen/Lewes, Delaware
Aaron Truedell, 5-9, 170, RB, Lakeland Christian/Lakeland, Florida
Charles Williams, 5-10, 170, WR, Bamberg-Ehrhardt/Bamberg, South Carolina
Anthony Willis, 6-2, 180, WR, Bergen Catholic/Oradell, New Jersey
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
DELAWARE – As Delaware prepares to celebrate America’s historic 250th anniversary of independence, the Delaware State Fire Marshal’s Office (DSFMO) reminds all residents and visitors to prioritize safety this holiday weekend.
With unprecedented crowds and community events planned across the state, Delaware fire officials are tracking a heightened risk of preventable injuries and property damage from illegal consumer fireworks. Further, with a drought watch declared statewide, DSFMO is intensifying its public education and enforcement efforts throughout the summer.
“Delaware played a foundational role in the birth of our nation, and the best way to honor that legacy during America 250 is by keeping our communities safe,” said State Fire Marshal John W. Rudd. “A single spark can cause irreversible injury or a devastating house fire. We strongly encourage all Delawareans and visitors to celebrate our nation’s milestone safely by attending one of the many spectacular professionally managed public displays hosted throughout the First State.”
Fireworks: What’s allowed and what isn’t?
State Fire Marshal Rudd reminds residents and visitors that the possession, sale, and use of most consumer fireworks are illegal at all times under Delaware law. Firecrackers, roman candles, bottle rockets, aerial fireworks, and other explosives are included in the prohibition. Further, any other device that explodes or shoots into the air is prohibited per the fireworks chapter of Delaware’s Health and Safety code.
DSFMO also reminds Delawareans that it is illegal to purchase fireworks across state lines and bring them back to Delaware. Firework misuse and/or illegal possession are misdemeanor crimes that can result in fines; but, any injuries or damages caused by firework use can result in felony charges.
However, certain fireworks, such as sparklers, ground-based displays, and a selection of other non-airborne, nonexplosive novelty items, regulated by the federal government, are allowed to be used only on Independence Day. Permitted ground-based fireworks include the following:
- Spinners
- Fountains
- Jumping jacks
- Ground blooms
- Handheld sparklers
These fireworks can be purchased by a person 18 years or older between Jun. 4 and Jul. 4. DSFMO urges caution when using legal novelties as even they can pose severe burn risks, with sparklers burning at temperatures hot enough to melt gold.
Firework Safety Tips
DSFMO offers the following tips to ensure that Delawareans celebrate the holiday safely:
- Follow proper safety measures when using fireworks
- Never allow young children to play with or ignite fireworks, including sparklers
- Keep a bucket of water or a garden hose nearby when lighting fireworks in case of fire or other mishaps
- Never use fireworks while under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Dispose of used fireworks by placing them in a bucket filled with water located at least 10 feet away from any buildings for at least 12 hours.
Fire officials maintain the safest alternative to lighting your own fireworks is to attend professional fireworks shows. For a full list of fireworks on Delmarva, click here.
Delaware
Delaware on Main Street Program Grows as 17 Communities Earn National Designations – State of Delaware News
DOVER, Del. – On Monday, the Delaware on Main Street (DOMS) Program, operating within the Delaware Division of Small Business (DSB), presented certificates of accreditation or affiliation to 17 downtown organizations on behalf of Main Street America.
The recognition reflects continued growth in the Delaware on Main Street Program, with two new organizations joining the network between July 2025 and January 2026 and two communities advancing to Main Street America’s highest designation level. Delaware now has six nationally accredited Main Street programs, up from four in 2025, representing a 50% increase in communities earning Main Street America’s top designation.
“I’m incredibly excited to see the growth of this program and so proud of the dedication, passion, and effort that each of these Main Street programs put into economic development and revitalization of their downtown areas,” said Delaware on Main Street Coordinator Anastasia Jackson. “Their tireless efforts show what’s possible when engaged leaders work together to shape places that reflect the people they serve.”
The impact of Delaware’s Main Street programs extends far beyond recognition. In 2025, eleven Delaware on Main Street programs generated more than $306.8 million in local reinvestment, facilitated the creation of 421 full-time and 108 part-time jobs, and helped open 104 new businesses. They also completed 38 rehabilitation projects, 85 public improvement projects, and eight new construction projects. Volunteers contributed more than 29,293 hours to support downtown revitalization efforts.
Each year, Main Street America and its partners announce a list of designated programs that have committed to creating meaningful improvements to their downtowns through the Main Street Approach™.
These designations serve as a powerful advocacy tool, demonstrating to local stakeholders, as well as city, state, and national funders, that a Main Street program has an established position within a nationwide movement. Main Street America’s 46-year track record of economic success and community building has created a lasting impact in communities across the country.
Certificates were presented during the quarterly Main Street meeting held at Middletown Town Hall on Monday, June 29, 2026.
The four programs receiving renewed accreditation are Downtown Wilmington Visions, Downtown Dover Partnership, Downtown Milford, Inc., and Rehoboth Beach Main Street, Inc. The two programs earning accreditation status for the first time are Cornerstone West CDC in Wilmington and Middletown Main Street.
To qualify for Accredited status, Main Street America’s highest designation tier, communities must demonstrate a proven track record of achieving outcomes in alignment with the Main Street Approach™ and exceptional performance in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy-driven programming; preservation-based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.
The remaining 11 downtown programs receiving Affiliate status are City of Harrington, City of Seaford, Clayton Main Street, Delaware City, Main Street Laurel, Millsboro Downtown Partnership, Milton Main Street, The Newark Partnership, Town of Elsmere, Smyrna Main Street, and Town of Georgetown.
To qualify for Affiliate status, Main Street America’s second designation tier, communities must demonstrate a strong commitment to the Main Street model and dedication to achieving outcomes in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization; inclusive leadership and organizational capacity; diversified funding and sustainable program operations; strategy-driven programming; preservation-based economic development; and demonstrated impact and results.
According to Main Street America, for every dollar invested in the operation of a Main Street program, an average of $21.73 is reinvested into its downtown and commercial corridor communities.
Together, Delaware’s accredited and affiliate Main Street programs are helping strengthen local economies, support small businesses, preserve historic downtowns, and create vibrant places where residents and visitors want to live, work, and spend time.
To learn more about the Delaware on Main Street Program, visit de.gov/demainst.
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The Delaware Division of Small Business is a service-focused state agency, within the Delaware Department of State, that is committed to helping businesses start and grow in Delaware. Our Regional Business Managers can help you navigate government processes, connect with partner organizations that offer resources to small businesses and identify opportunities to access capital. DSB also oversees the Delaware Tourism Office and the Office of Supplier Diversity
Media Contact
Andrea Wojcik
Division of Small Business
O: (302) 672-6840; C: (302) 554-0060
andrea.wojcik@delaware.gov
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