DE Elections Commisioner will step down June 30, 2006 (contract would end 09/07). I wonder why?

[cyberpj]

Just posting this here in our Delaware forum for future reference if needed. Seems odd that he would resign early - and especially with what he said (below). Perhaps I'm paranoid about election fraud (or not) but I think anything unusual regarding elections bears watching right now. And it's such a short uninformative blurb, posted at noon on a Wednesday. What's up with that?

=======================================
Frank Calio to retire
Delaware's election commissioner will step down June 30; no successor named
By PATRICK JACKSON, The News Journal

Posted Wednesday, November 29, 2006 at 12:05 pm
DOVER -- Election Commissioner Frank Calio announced today he plans to retire June 30.

Calio, whose term would expire in September 2007, told Gov. Ruth Ann Minner he is leaving early so his successor will have extra time to prepare for the presidential and gubernatorial primaries and elections in 2008.

Calio, 68, succeeded Tom Cook, now Minner’s deputy finance secretary, in January 2002.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061129/NEWS/61129023/1006

[cyberpj]

1. More on this in today's paper - he seems like a good guy; just 69 and ready to retire.

snip...
"I'll be 69 next March, and I decided I just didn't have the energy to deal with a presidential election," said Calio. "It's time for a fresh face and some new blood."

snip...
Calio's office avoided the kinds of fights over statewide election results that have tarnished some of his colleagues in other states. But he said his biggest achievement as commissioner was working with local governments for passage of a law making changes to municipal election laws. The changes provide uniform standards for municipal elections and set up an appeals process for contested local elections.

snip...
Calio said the other highlights of his tenure include bringing the state in line with the federal Helping Americans Vote Act and the ongoing effort to ensure all the state's polling places are handicapped accessible. Besides starting off headed into a major election cycle, Calio said the biggest challenge facing a new commissioner will be dealing with campaign finance issues. "People are always looking for ways to get money in through the back door," he said. "You get a bunch of complaints every year, and if people aren't happy with your answer, they talk about going to court. I think we're only going to get more of that."

snip...
John Flaherty, a lobbyist for Common Cause, said he gave Calio high marks for the way he handled the elections office. "He didn't always agree with what I suggested, but he was always approachable and willing to listen," Flaherty said. "In this age where computerized voting has been criticized, no one has challenged the integrity of our elections ... Frank came from a background as a partisan Democrat, but he handled elections in a very bipartisan manner."

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061130/NEWS/611300374/1006/NEWS