Gov. John Carney delivered his 2023 State of the State Address Thursday.
Carney struck an optimistic tone in his nearly 40-minute speech.
“Standing here today, I’ve never been more confident about where we’re headed as a state. Working together, over the past six years, we have taken steps to lay a strong foundation for the future,” said Carney.
Carney also pointed to the new faces in the General Assembly and what they bring to both chambers.
“In 2019, I stood in this Chamber and said that never before has the General Assembly better reflected the people of our great state. Well, that’s even more true today,” said Carney in welcoming State Senators Russ Huxtable, Kyra Hoffner, and Eric Buckson and State Reps.
DeShanna Neal, Sophie Phillips, Cyndie Romer, Stell Parker Selby, Kerri Evelyn Harris, and Jeff Hilovsky. “All Delawareans will benefit from your new ideas, and your fresh perspectives.”
And Carney asked all lawmakers – old and new – to come together in the year ahead, focusing on access to good jobs and excellent public schools, while making Delaware a safe and affordable place to live and raise their children.
“We have a long tradition in Delaware of setting politics aside and working together on behalf of the people we serve. It’s a tradition we should all embrace,” said Carney.
And one area Carney wants to work together is education where earlier this week he proposed raising teacher salaries 9% with 3% raises for other educators in the upcoming budget.
He’s also seeking to increase Opportunity Funding available to school districts to more than $50 million and hit $60 million by 2025, while providing additional support for the Wilmington Learning Collaborative.
And Carney is calling for more investments in early childhood education.
“We will propose an increase in purchase of care, helping low-income families access quality childcare. We will also double funding for the Early Childhood Assistance Program – or ECAP. These programs serve many of the most vulnerable 3- and 4-year-olds in our state,” said Carney. “And with the help of an $8 million federal grant, we will develop a plan to strengthen the future of childcare and early education in Delaware.”
Carney’s speech also touched working with leaders in Wilmington and Dover to expand the Group Violence Intervention Program to reduce gun violence, pointing to shootings statewide being down 30%, though conceding there’s more work to do on that issue.
Carney also pent significant time discussing issues surrounding jobs, saying the challenge Delaware faces today is unique.
“The biggest challenge we have is filling the job openings that are out there. For my entire career in public service, we’ve been focused first on creating jobs. There have always been more people looking for work than jobs available. Today, it’s just the opposite. We have thousands more job openings than we have people looking for work,” said Carney.
“Employers have 37,000 job openings in the State of Delaware. And there are just 21,000 Delawareans looking for a job. I’ve never seen a situation like this before.”
Carney touted efforts at Delaware Tech, Delaware State University and the University of Delaware to address the issues, noting biotech initiatives like Chemours Research and Discovery Hub and NIIMBL at UD’s STAR Campus, the 18.3 million grant from the NIH bringing as research center to DSU to examine health disparities in minority communities, and Delaware Tech’s new McDowell Student Success Center and its focus on job training.
He also promised continued fiscal responsibility in his 2023 State of the State address, offering no indication major spending initiatives are coming in his budget.
Carney noted when he took office six years ago, the state faced a deficit of almost $400 million. Now the state has more than $400 million in reserves to weather any future economic downturn.
But Carney says the state has found ways to responsibly spend and make progress even while building those reserves during the global pandemic.
“We have directed one-time revenue into one-time projects and built the largest infrastructure program in Delaware history – two years in a row now. We are repairing our roads and bridges and building new schools in communities across our state. When we present our budget next week, we will stay the course and stay true to those principles,” said Carney.
Ultimately, Carney says he believes the state is headed in the right direction.
“We’ve been through a lot together over the past six years. It certainly feels like many more than that to me – especially these past three years. And it hasn’t always been easy, for sure,” Carney said. “But I stand here today and can confidently say that because of the work we’ve done together, the state of our state is strong. And I believe our State will only get stronger in the years ahead.”
Carney will offer his 2024 budget proposal next week, offering additional insight into his priorities this year.
Read the entire speech below:
