Campaigning is well underway for Republican Nikki Miller and Democrat Alonna Berry — both former educators and Sussex County natives — who have just over two weeks before early voting begins for the 20th District House seat special election.
The Milton-area seat became vacant just weeks ago with the announcement of former State Rep. Stell Parker Selby's resignation during the end of the legislative session.
Parker Selby decided to end her tenure just weeks ago as she continues to recover from a stroke she suffered in December.
Miller is a former classroom teacher, assistant principal and instructional coach. She served as Cape Henlopen High School’s principal for eight years and is now the supervisor of instruction for the Seaford School District.
Miller lost to Park Selby in the November general election last year by just under 250 votes, but the seat has historically been held by a Republican and Miller believes it’s time to bring those party values back to the area.
“For me, running as a Republican is to be able to have those conservative values, as far as it goes with preserving the way that we live at the beach and in Sussex County and also financially," Miller said.
But Miller says her candidacy also extends beyond party lines, putting constituent needs at the forefront her campaign platform.
"When I’m in a school, I don’t care about a parent’s political party, I care what’s best for students, I care what’s best for our staff, I care what’s best for the parents — It’s not what’s best for a party, and the same will go when I’m elected," Miller said. "I’m going to vote and make decisions based on the constituents, and that will be my priority, not what party I’m affiliated with, but what the people of District 20 want and need."
Berry has a near-identical mentality, saying she will vote on behalf of the Milton-area community and not on behalf of the Democratic Party if given the opportunity to serve in Dover.
"I think the last two elections have been a proof point in this district around what the values of our constituents are and where they want to vote. And so it only felt right to step up in the seat of the Democratic Party, and I'm grateful to be nominated to do that. But my my role, in any role for that matter as a legislator, is to respond to the needs of the of the community and of the people," Berry said. "And for me, parties are not associated with that. My goal is to go out and listen and hear what people need and be the person at Legislative Hall and in Dover that can be the support that they need and bring those changes back to our community."
Berry also spent the early years of her career as a classroom teacher and instructional coach.
While founding The Bryan Allen Stevenson School of Excellence, Berry worked in the Carney administration as the Director of Community and Family Services and as Senior Policy Advisor for Health, Equity, and Education.
When it comes to policy goals, both candidates say prioritizing quality, accessible education is a given and put infrastructure needs at the forefront of their priorities.
"One of the biggest issues facing this district in particular is around infrastructure. Too often communities across Sussex County, but in particular this community, are playing catch up to the rapid development that's happening around us, and that shows up in our roads, it shows up in the amount of traffic we have, it shows up in some of the car accidents and incidents that have been increasing over the past couple of years. And so infrastructure really takes multiple people at the table, both from the county, the municipalities, to the state legislature to be able to solve some of the challenges that our community is facing," Berry said.
Berry says she will also work to support unhoused individuals and tackle the areas affordable housing crisis.
"My top priorities are one, number one, fixing our traffic issues — we have to be proactive in those. We have to be able to think about when we’re going to put things into place, the impact that it has on that," Miller said. "We need to protect our farms and our open space. Everybody’s moving here, the secret is out, but we have to preserve Sussex County for what it is and ensure that we do that," Miller said.
Overriding local control at the state level has been a hot topic of conversation in Dover recently, particularly around decisions made in Sussex County, and Miller says if elected, she will work to protect the decisions of county and municipal governments.
"I 100% believe in local control. That’s why districts need to be able to make their decisions in the schools, and that’s why when the county makes a decision, it should not be up to the people living in New Castle [County] to overcome the decisions that are made in Sussex County for what’s best for us," Miller said. "There’s a reason that we have checks and balances, and there’s a reason we have different levels of government, and so in order for those to be able to be there, we should not be overturning what Sussex County wants at the state level. We should be working together to make those decisions so that way that doesn’t have to happen."
Berry also believes communication and collaboration between local and state governments is crucial moving forward.
"My hope in this seat would be to come in and bring folks together to try to solve some other challenges that are happening in our community. I think it's going to take someone to sit down and bring folks together and make sure that we can all be on the same page because for me, the thing that matters most is that we all care about our community. So if we can start from that point, and then be able to to align from there, I'm confident that we'll be able to work together to get things done," Berry said.
Early voting for the 20th District House special election begins July 24 at Mariner Middle School.
Other assigned polling locations will be open on election day, August 5, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
You can find a list of dates, times and polling locations here.
