Governor-elect Matt Meyer selects his secretary of state along with eight other major cabinet appointments.
Meyer taps current New Castle County Land Use General Manager Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez as Delaware’s next secretary of state, a role dedicated to promoting Delaware’s economy and generating state revenue.
She says there is no “one set formula” to making economic development opportunities in Delaware, but she intends to put quality of life at the forefront of her policy goals.
“Companies want to go where talent is located, which are our hardworking families. They want to be where they can find housing, where they can find affordable housing, where they have beautiful parks and libraries, and historic and cultural resources and that's really what brings folks to our state, and that is what we are going to focus on," she said.
Patibanda-Sanchez says the new Edgemoor port is a top priority for her and the governor-elect.
The project, which the state committed $200 million to, faced a major setback in October when a Philadelphia judge invalidated federal approvals.
Meyer has also selected Greg Patterson to lead Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC).
Patterson currently serves under Gov. John Carney as the Infrastructure Implementation and Federal Affairs Coordinator, but he’s no stranger to DNREC, serving as the department’s chief of staff for two years.
Delaware’s transition to clean energy — with a net-zero emission goal by 2050 — has been a top priority for the state, and Patterson says there are several more opportunities for partnership with surrounding states moving forward.
“One of the things that I've been working on in my current job and would like to continue is really building a partnership in energy over the mid-Atlantic area. We've got to solve some of the transmission issues if we're going to bring a lot of new clean energy along," Patterson said.
Delaware’s premier involvement in an offshore wind project has been put on hold following a zoning permit denial from Sussex County Council.
With an onslaught of legal challenges against the project and similar net-zero initiatives, Patterson says weighing community interest with climate pressures will be an important balance moving forward.
Other announced cabinet nominations include:
- Current New Castle County Chief Financial Officer Michael Smith for Secretary of Finance
- Children & Families First Chief Financial Officer Brian Maxwell for Office of Management and Budget Director
- Interim Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) Secretary Shanté Hastings for the department's permanent secretary, formerly DelDOT's Deputy Secretary and Chief Engineer
- Executive Director of the Delaware Farm Bureau Don Clifton for Secretary of the Department of Agriculture
- Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Matthew Heckles for the Director of the Delaware State Housing Authority
Meyer intends to retain:
- Delaware Department of Health and Social Services Secretary Josette Manning
- Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families Secretary Steven Yeatman
Each will undergo Senate confirmation hearing in the new year.