Gov. John Carney plans to hold a series of virtual town halls focused on reopening Delaware’s economy.
The Zoom video calls will be hosted by Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-long and representatives from the Delaware Division of Small Business and the Delaware Prosperity Partnership.
They’re meant to collect feedback from small business leaders and members of the public on reopening the economy and Delaware’s recovery effort.
“We’re still seeing increased infections of COVID-19, so this fight is far from over,” said Carney in a statement. “At the same time, we need to look forward. We need to plan for safely reopening our economy under a new normal. I encourage all Delawareans and Delaware small businesses to lean into this process."
The eleven calls are scheduled to begin Monday and spread out into next month.
Seven will focus on small business recovery and include members of the General Assembly, Delaware small businesses, and local Chambers of Commerce.
“To safely and successfully reopen businesses throughout Delaware requires us to listen to the experiences, ideas and opportunities employers and businesses have," said Kurt Foreman, President & CEO of Delaware Prosperity Partnership in a statement. "Hearing directly from CEOs, owners and site and operations leaders will not only help us to have a successful Phase 1 launch, but may also lead to new opportunities.”
Businesses interested in participating should contact their local legislaor about signing up.
The other four meeting will be for the public in each county to weigh in on recovery plans. Links to join those will be shared on social media.
Carney also announced he plans to assign teams from state government to work directly with most hard-hit industries, including restaurants, tourism, retail, and the arts community.
The small business meetings scheduled are:
- Small Business Recovery Town Hall – Monday, April 27 – 2:00 p.m. – Eastern Sussex
- Small Business Recovery Town Hall - Tuesday, April 28 – 6:00 p.m. – Southern New Castle
- Small Business Recovery Town Hall - Thursday, April 30 – 10:00 a.m. – Western Sussex
- Small Business Recovery Town Hall - Thursday, April 30 – 6:00 p.m. – Newark Area
- Small Business Recovery Town Hall - Monday, May 4 - 2:00 p.m. – Kent County
- Small Business Recovery Town Hall - Tuesday, May 5 – 6:00 p.m. – Wilmington Area
- Small Business Recovery Town Hall - Wednesday, May 6 - 6:00 p.m. – Northern New Castle County
The public town halls on recovery plans scheduled are:
- Recovery Town Hall - Wednesday, April 29 – 6:00 p.m. - Kent County
- Recovery Town Hall - Monday, May 4 - 6:00 p.m. - Northern New Castle County
- Recovery Town Hall - Wednesday, May 6 - 7:30 p.m. - Sussex County
- Recovery Town Hall - Thursday, May 7 - 6:00 p.m. - Southern New Castle County