Gov. Carney hosts first of State of State Town Hall meetings

LEWES, Del. – Governor John Carney spent Tuesday evening in Lewes at the first of his State of the State Town Hall meetings.

Governor Carney talked about a number of topics, including education, transportation, and jobs in the state. He says the state has grown in a lot of ways under his leadership, and he says most of that is thanks to one thing.

“The main thing, and I’ve thought about this over the thirty years I’ve been in public service, is to make sure you start with a strong and growing economy,” Governor Carney said.

A strong and growing economy: that’s what Governor John Carney has his devoted time and energy to for years. And at Tuesday night’s town hall meeting, the governor said that’s paid off.

“We have turned what was a 400 million dollar deficit, into, depending on how you count it, a 200 million dollar surplus,” Governor Carney said.

But that’s just the beginning of the growth the state has reportedly seen under Carney’s leadership.

“We have the highest percentage of graduates from high school that we’ve ever had, and a 2% increase over three years ago,” the Governor said.

At Tuesday night’s meeting, Governor Carney also focused on the economy and jobs, highlighting Delawareans that head to work every single day.

“We have 200,000 more people going to work today in Delaware than we did three years ago,” he said.

But Governor Carney says none of that would be possible without good schools in the first state. That’s something that, the Governor believes, could put Delaware above surrounding states, including Pennsylvania.

“The defining factor in this competition among states is the quality of the workforce. But you can’t have a high quality, educated workforce without the best schools,” Governor Carney said.

But while the Governor spoke of all the good the state is doing, residents took their chance to voice their concerns.

“My problem is during the summertime, if I get a heart attack, I’ll never make Beebe hospital because the traffic is so bad,” one resident said.

But when residents spoke out, state leaders stepped in, saying work is happening constantly and it’s all thanks to Governor Carney.

“Since the Governor has come into office, Sussex County has gotten more of their fair share than ever in the history of Sussex County,” Jennifer Cohan, the Secretary of Transportation, said.

Other residents voiced concerns about the lack of vocational schools in the area, and spoke about the importance of the census and the representation that comes from it.

Tonight’s Town Hall was the first of eight the Governor has planned to hold. The next one is planned for February 12th at 6 p.m. at the Carlisle Fire Company in Milford.