Longtime New Castle Councilman Jea Street is stepping down.
New Castle County Council President Monique Williams-Johns announced Street’s retirement Saturday at the Route 9 Library near New Castle.
Street has served as County Council’s 10th District representative for 22 years. His resignation is effective immediately.
Johns lauded Street for his “unwavering fight for our children,” noting he “understood that our children deserve more than promises. They deserve a community that invests in their future.”
Street's legacy center's largely on education and equity.
Street’s work on education began in the 1970’s as Executive Director of the Parent Educational Resource Center where he helped prepare City parents and students for court ordered school desegregation.
He later served as chairman of the Coalition to Save Our Children where he represented black children in the final stages of school desegregation litigation in the late 1980s and 1990s.
More recently as president of Delawareans for Educational Opportunity, he helped launch a successful 2018 lawsuit with the Delaware NAACP challenging how Delaware funds its public schools.
He was also instrumental in fighting for the Route 9 Library, which opened in 2017 and in 2019 sponsored an ordinance capping the height of the Minquadale landfill at 140 feet.
No reason was offered for Street’s decision to depart now.
Street’s retirement prompts a second special election for New Castle Council.
11th District Councilman David Tackett was elected New Castle Council Recorder of Deeds last week, leaving his seat empty.
According to state law, the County Council President must send a writ of election to the Department of Elections within 10 days. A special election is the scheduled. That process could take around about 45 days.
Both Street and Tackett The winner will serve the rest of the term, which runs through 2028.
