Stance

Economy
The state of the economy is the top concern of the people of Delaware and the 40th District. Our citizens are entitled to quality jobs, quality wages, and a good quality of life. We must eliminate some present restrictions and offer incentives to help bring and create small businesses in Delaware. We must expedite the approval process for small businesses make risk capital available. Instituting a finder’s fee that connects motivated sellers with interested buyers can bring new businesses to Delaware.  In addition, creating green jobs—i.e. energy from wind, renovating infrastructure to create green government buildings, and offering job training skills at local community colleges and in high schools in new and upcoming green industries.

Education

As an educator, I know education is a key ingredient to improving our state and our economy. Providing educational opportunities at all levels will provide our children the means to be successful. Studies have shown that those who go to preschool have better pre-reading skills, richer vocabularies, and stronger basic math skills than those who do not. In addition, they learn important social and behavioral skills necessary in order to be ready to learn. Retraining for displaced workers and better schools that prepare students for real life allow us to have a qualified workforce that will attract new businesses but it will also provide our children with the means to be successful. Furthermore, we need to allow local districts to put monies where they feel it will do the most good and hold them accountable..

My neighbor, the late Governor Carvel, believed in the power of education to further agriculture, business, and Sussex County.  As an educator, farmer, and citizen, I know that a Southern Campus of the University of Delaware would serve as a conduit for increased economic activity and would provide a reason for future generations to be educated in Sussex and to invest in Lower Delaware as residents.

Term Limits

The major social problems of the United States—deteriorating education, lawlessness and crime, homelessness, the collapse of family values, the crisis in medical care—have been produced by well-intended actions of government.  The power of special interests, including career politicians, has resulted in a system of government that is no longer controlled by the voters. When considering who has taken the power away from the people, term limits is the solution.  Enacting term limits would break the ties to special interests and the career politician trend we see today in Delaware politics. Instead we can create a “citizen” legislature that would increase fresh thinking and new ideas as well as greater voter participation.    A majority of voters agree with Ronald Reagan that “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”