When I was a kid, we would go to the Delaware beaches in the summertime. It was one of the best times of the year. The beach was beautiful and peaceful, the perfect place to have fun and relax.
It’s those qualities that now attract so many people to what was our hidden treasure. It’s important to balance preserving what is so wonderful about Sussex County with the modern realities of tourism and development.
Our infrastructure is totally unprepared for the record spikes in growth. As governor, I will work to balance growth with the need to protect our environment and resources.
For the last eight years, I have served as New Castle County executive. I have managed issues with land use, public utilities, public health and government transparency. The lessons I’ve learned and the results we’ve achieved managing Delaware’s largest local government will inform my role as governor. I have listened to residents from all over Sussex, and, if elected governor, I will prioritize six important issues to deliver results for its residents:
Open space: It’s not just a good song – it’s true when Joni Mitchell sang, “Paved paradise, put up a parking lot.” I will work with local governments to enforce existing laws to protect our green spaces. Delaware has 45,000 acres of open space. As governor, I will push to have 50,000 acres of open space by 2032.
Managed growth: There must be greater collaboration between the Office of State Planning Coordination and local governments to limit growth. Developers need to be charged more for the cost of development.
Healthcare: Between increasing the training and retention of medical professionals, I will work to increase accessibility to, and the affordability of, healthcare. As the husband of an emergency room doctor, I am committed to building Delaware’s first medical school and increasing medical education opportunities to reduce wait times and bring down costs.
Climate resiliency: Sussex is at the highest risk statewide of rising sea levels, flooding and the consequences of climate change. I will work to increase offshore wind energy, biofuels, sustainable agriculture, EV charging stations and invest in the blue economy to protect our ocean and marine resources.
Traffic. Whether it’s trying to get to the grocery store, a restaurant or even the hospital, all Sussex residents face the problem of bad beach traffic. As governor, I will invest in improving traffic light technology and creating more alternatives to vehicular traffic, including developing a rail system to Kent and Sussex, and increasing bicycle trails.
Small businesses and economic growth: As a small business owner, I understand the importance of supporting our business community. I will work to expand initiatives that I started in New Castle County to the rest of the state, including developing ways for more small businesses to get government contracts, offering below-market-rate loans to local businesses, and providing greater assistance and support to local artists and artisans.
As governor, I commit to confronting these statewide challenges head-on so we all can have a safe, healthy and sustainable place to call home.
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