PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Toward the beginning of his 20 minute State of the State address Tuesday afternoon, Delaware Gov. John Carney said it's “understandable” to feel concerned right now with everything that’s happened in the last year.
But he quickly offered a counter message.
“The state of our state is resilient. It’s determined. It’s strong. And it’s getting stronger,” he said.
Surprisingly, COVID-19 didn’t take center stage during the address (or maybe not so surprisingly since he holds weekly COVID-19 briefings). In fact, Carney didn’t dive into the pandemic until the very end.
“Over the course of my 30 years in public service,” he said, “and even during the course of this administration, I’ve seen government tackle countless, serious and complicated challenges, but nothing, absolutely nothing, compares to the last 10 months.”
He thanked all the state employees and front line and essential workers who have been working so many hours to get everyone through these tough times.
“There’s a long, long road ahead of us, but we have turned the corner,” Carney said after giving examples of how far the state has come since the pandemic began in March, including testing 200,000 Delawareans a month, processing unemployment claims for 120,000 workers, and administering 70,000 vaccines.
“We will get through this and with your help in this next year we will thrive,” he added.
Carney spent just as much time talking about the economy, which does go hand in hand with the pandemic.
“When I stood in this chamber one year ago we had a $200 million surplus,” he said. “By April, the economic downturn brought on by the pandemic had wiped out that surplus and like every other state in the country we faced a looming deficit.”
But the governor said Delaware was ready for this by building a long-term, sustainable budget over the years and by building reserves.
“When COVID hit,” explained Carney, “we balanced our budget without cutting critical services, without raising taxes on Delaware families or businesses, without now working money to pay our bills, or without laying off state employees or cutting their pay.”
He’s again proposing a budget that links state spending to the growth of the economy and will focus on rebuilding the reserve.
Delaware’s current unemployment rate is just over 5%, which he calls “a positive sign.”
He’s also pleased with the way the state has been able to help the restaurant and hospitality industry as well as other struggling small businesses through CARES Act funding and relief programs.
Carney thanked educators and parents who made remote learning possible, saying his highest priority as governor is making sure vulnerable students get the education they need. The Opportunity Funding Program was created for this, and he expects this funding to double in the next three year.
Funding will also be doubled in the Early Childhood Assistance Program, which benefits disadvantaged children.
Discussing racial injustice, the governor said he thinks fundamental changes need to be made to the system so equality and justice aren’t denied.
A new position was created recently to make sure high-ranking officials are leading the way in this effort, and there is now a chief of diversity position.
A new goal has also been set so that 40% of Delaware’s energy will come from renewable sources by 2035.
A $50 million investment is being proposed in a new clean water trust fund.