I am a husband, father, veteran, business leader and volunteer who cares deeply about our great state, and our wonderful hometown! Middletown has been described as the jewel of New Castle County, and I promise to work hard to keep it that way. We need to achieve and maintain balanced growth, great education, safe communities and smart investments so we can ensure a bright future for all.
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302-547-8246 or 302-464-2119
Do you know what’s going on in Dover? Do you know what laws are being discussed and passed, and how they will impact you, your family, your business, your community? On just the last day of session (June 30, 2024), the legislature voted on 50 bills. I believe it’s unacceptable that Legislators and officials in Dover are making so many decisions that impact your life, your finances and your future without you having any awareness of the activity.
Delaware has great potential in our workers, industries, geography, environment - our small size should make us nimble and responsive to needs. However, our government has grown too much - it’s too big, over-regulated and slow - and this impacts all aspects of our economy. On our current path, you can count on a tax increase on average every 2 years at least…and the state will soon be asking for even more. We need to fix this and do better for our citizens.
All Delaware children deserve a great education. All Delaware parents deserve for their children to attend great schools that have open, transparent lines of communication. Teachers deserve the support they need so they can focus on what they do best - teach our future generations to be smart, skilled, engaged citizens.
Delaware deserves clean, affordable energy that powers our homes and businesses while protecting our environment. By investing in a diverse mix of energy sources, including renewables like wind and solar alongside natural gas and nuclear, we can ensure a sustainable future without driving up costs for families. It's time to make clean energy accessible and economical for all Delawareans.
Right through our district runs Rt 301, one of the most expensive roads in the US. We were told that it would pay for itself with tolls, it will make traffic better in Middletown, and taxpayers will benefit. Now is the time to answer: is it paying for itself as originally promised? Are we as a community benefiting from it?
Every Delawarean deserves to live in a safe community- this is the foundation upon which good jobs, schools and businesses are built. Middletown is a great place to live - let’s ensure we continue that for our future residents by keeping our current residents safe, and by holding criminals accountable.
I believe Delawareans would be more engaged in our communities and government, and able to make more-informed decisions for your lives, if you had a better view of what’s actually happening in Dover. You deserve to know beforehand and as real-time as possible – not after the fact, after decisions are made and you’re stuck with them. You deserve a representative that will show up and be your voice in those discussions, learning, being heard, and getting action. You deserve a representative who will make improvements in government and stand for your values. I will
By law, Delaware is supposed to spend only 98% of projected revenues – Dover is spending that and more. There’s a 20%, $1 Billion+ increase in just the last 2 years, with minimal saving for a rainy day, and our state government is now the biggest employer. While spending has rapidly grown, much of the related revenue comes from one-time federal investments, or depends on items outside our control (like incorporation fees or escheat funds). Traditional major employers have moved away, regulations are making it hard to start and attract new businesses, federal funds are reducing, and other states are actively working to pull companies to incorporate elsewhere; because of all of this, our revenue is forecast to decrease. In today’s economy, this does not set us up for future success, and we need to rapidly address this. I will:
Our schools have a relatively high graduation rate (~90%), yet reading and math proficiency are poor at best. This isn’t being fair to our students – it doesn’t prepare them for success in life in the workforce, military, trade school or college. No matter which path they choose, they need to have effective math and english skills. Our performance results are near the bottom nationally while our per-student spending is one of the highest – and almost all districts, including Appoquinimink, have approved referendums to increase taxes so they can spend even more. These trends need to be reversed. I will:
Affordable, reliable energy is critical to our future: it impacts families and businesses on a daily basis. If energy is not sufficiently available or affordable, businesses won’t grow in our state, and families will have less money at the end of the month to put food on the table, improve their lives and save for the future. Delaware has been on a decades-long journey to reimagine energy production here, and what we have to show for it is artificially higher energy bills, a less reliable grid, no tangible shift in our energy production mix, and wasted years. With bold decisions in Dover, we could rapidly lower energy bills without any environmental impact. We could put Delawareans to work by helping small businesses grow with lower energy costs. Finally we could ‘think big’ for the future and take a leadership position on cutting edge nuclear technology that would fit perfectly with our small size and suitable geography. Let’s stop wasting time, take the lead, and not just wait to do more of what isn’t working in other states.
Significant bonds were issued to pay for the Rt 301 bypass, and we were told those will be covered by toll revenue. However, current traffic volume doesn’t appear to be high enough AND locals look for ways around the road because of the toll scheme, rather than make shorter trips and reduce the burden on our surface roads. There must be a better way so that these bond payments don’t get added to the tax burden already on our residents. I will work with DelDOT to:
Crime is becoming more of a concern in Delaware. Official records will say it’s trending down, but when I speak with residents, they are experiencing the opposite in their daily lives. Let’s be honest and open with the facts, and let’s not tolerate or normalize some ‘acceptable level’ of crime. Citizens need to be free to live their lives, and criminals need to be held to account. I will:
