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Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long touts that she's "ready on day one," if she's elected governor. | DBT PHOTO BY KATIE TABELING[/caption]
With the Delaware Primary Election weeks away, 350,610 registered Democratic voters will have the opportunity to decide between three candidates for the governor's office. While the state continues to grow, its demographics shift, too. Older and out-of-state residents are increasingly retiring in Delaware while the Black and Hispanic populations continue to grow, as well.
The next governor will have four years to contend with a struggling school system and housing affordability crisis as they contend with flat revenue growth for state finances. The Delaware Business Times asked five of the six candidates running for governor the same questions on the minds of many in the First State's business community, including Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long. Republican candidate Jerrold Price did not return our request for an interview. The conversation with Hall-Long has been edited for length and clarity.
Why run for governor?
I’ve been second-in-command of this state, and I’m ready on day one. I have a bold, innovative plan to make sure Delaware is the best place to live, work and raise a family. I would be the second woman governor in Delaware, and I would also be the first nurse governor in America. When I was on the streets doing COVID-19 handing out tests, I saw the best and the struggles of Delaware.
Economics is the No. 1 pillar in the plan, because good jobs with businesses big and small help our families. I consider education to be the foundation to all of this, making sure our kids have a good opportunity here when they graduate college or leave school, no matter what their zip code. I want to also bring my legacy piece: universal child care, from birth to age five because it’s a big game changer for the workforce.
Between 2017 and 2023, Delaware’s GDP has grown 6.7%. At the same time, the country has grown its GDP by 14%. What plans do you have to bring our economy on track to reach that level?
I’m not going to need on the job training. I have lived through two national recessions and six budget deficits. The Carney-Hall-Long Administration has not raised personal income taxes, and during the COVID crisis, we brought 32,000 jobs to Delaware. I will continue with laser focus around workforce development. With a small state, we need to have a plan where we focus on growing the unique capacity in each of our counties. I’m the lone person in this race that has experience in all three counties, and that matters when you have to tailor your vision to get things accomplished and work with the General Assembly.
When you look at the numbers, we have 17,000 small businesses in New Castle and 4,000 in Kent and 7,000 in Sussex. Hospitality and tourism is huge for Sussex, as well as agriculture that crosses into Kent. Kent also has the universities, and New Castle has the unique STAR Campus that brings in opportunities with innovation. You need a governor who understands the unique culture of each county.
How we’re able to grow comes in several components. We’re going to make sure we have a trajectory for small businesses to succeed, since 80% of our businesses are small and they generate 56% of our wages. We need to make sure we have an incubator for those businesses and continue programs like the EDGE grants, but we need to focus on the resources to sustain those businesses. That means we have to focus on the small fish in emerging areas like medicine, agriculture and fintech. Then you have the big fish companies we need to bring in.
We’re very ripe for additional work around agriculture science, STEM work, particularly with Delaware State University and I think we’ve left behind aerospace. We have these airports that are ripe for additional investment
Gov. Carney had disbanded the Delaware Economic Development Office and formed a public-private partnership with the DPP to make decisions to attract, retain and grow businesses in the state. If elected governor, what do you envision your administration’s role with the DPP?
If you look at the 32,000 new jobs in this state, the DPP played an incredible role in that and it’s had an effective impact on the economy. But when I served on the Pandemic Resurgence task force, we did 12 stops on a listening tour, and we heard mostly from small businesses. And what I heard was that Delaware can do more around resource sustainability for entrepreneurs. There’s more we can do to tailor investment to a more interesting niche of innovation with arts, fintech, STEM and others. That doesn’t necessarily tie into the big picture with the DPP, it’s more of a small business sector.
Some of the discussion from the Kent Sussex Leadership Alliance and the Delaware Business Roundtable is to create a concierge to handle the work that’s needed from our small businesses, so we have that open, two-way communication to get quick answers on those resources where barriers are removed to get it done.
The DPP is an integral part, but we also have to have the grassroots movement of economic development, and we will continue that by leveraging more federal funding as well as more academic and public-private partnerships.
There have been several investments made in the past four years through state taxpayer-backed grants. Do you agree or disagree with this approach?
I love the idea of having incentives and carrots, and other states are doing it with workforce. We need to ensure we provide incentives because if we don’t, New Jersey or Maryland is, and we have to keep our personal tax low. But you also have to think about the other things in the ecosystem to support that. You have to have housing, day care, transportation and other support systems.
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Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long sees that each county has a unique place in Delaware's economy. If elected governor, she would work to boost each individual sector, while working on aerospace and other rising fields. | PHOTO COURTESY OF BETHANY FOR GOVENOR[/caption]
The U.S. Census projections have shown that Delaware’s senior population continues to grow while our younger residents are leaving. What plans do you have to attract, train and secure workers in our state?
We’re at an inflection point. We need a leader who can get results and understands the legislative process as well as the regulatory process. But it really starts with making sure some education reform happens. It’s a fact. We did opportunity funding, which moves us to the next step of reforming our funding formula so high-risk schools get that funding. We’re also focusing on higher pay for teachers. When the schools are stronger, people will want to come here.
Universal early education is also a game-changer. I’ve done a three-year collaborative on education with experts to come up with a roadmap to get that early learning available in every place where it should. This is not going to happen in year one. It’s going to take time, but we do have a plan. And when we do it, it can address some of the early trauma some of our children face and ensure they’re meeting milestones. And there’s ways to augment that funding that doesn’t take away from K to grade 12. For example, in Virginia, when they implemented early education, they used the marijuana tax.
Another big piece to the workforce issue is having a great quality of life they can afford. We have processes in New Castle County that log jam housing developments, and we have houses being built that people can’t afford. Sometimes, the state has to intervene and give direction on how to handle land use planning policy. The state has a role in bringing in workers for good-paying jobs, and it ties back to having places they can afford, be it in central Delaware, the beach or the Riverfront.
The Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council has reported tightening revenue projections. The once-in-a generation $1 billion American Rescue Act Funds must be committed by the end of this year, before the new governor is sworn into office. What is your plan when it comes to balancing the budget?
I’m the only person in this race who’s lived through six budget crises in the state, and I’m proud of the Carney-Hall-Long administration for working collaboratively with the General Assembly on the budget smoothing measure. It’s an imperative that we avoid volatility, and we will continue to do that. But we need to be competitive in our workforce development, so we can bring in more people who want to work and live here, which will address some of the revenue needed - and offset some of the older population.
Gov. Carney has also instituted policies such as the budget stabilization fund as well as passing “one-time” programs with a supplemental appropriation bill. Do you plan to continue this approach, or will you manage state finances in a different manner?
The budget stabilization fund has worked well, but it’s imperative to keep in mind there will be times we need to address crises. … the budget stabilization fund put in place has helped us keep our Triple A bond rating. But we have to focus on our Other post-employment benefits liability, our pensions, and making sure we come up with a formula to address that.
Depending how the stabilization fund grows, and within the needs that are met, I think there’s a balance to strike on how we can tap into that when necessary. I trust my relationships with the General Assembly, who listen to the constituency, on what the needs are. At the end of the day, the things that are happening this year will determine when and how that fund is tapped.
What, if anything, would you change about the tax policy here in the First State?
A third of the state budget is reliant on the corporate and franchise tax, and it’s important that we keep our corporate structure competitive here. I am the only candidate that has not stood with Transperfect, since it would really hit our budget hard and lead to a consideration of a sales tax and the potential for cuts.
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Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long said early education and improving education outcomes were critical to her campaign for governor. | PHOTO COURTESY OF BETHANY FOR GOVENOR[/caption]
Do you think Delaware has used the ARPA once-in-a-generation funding wisely and in a way that will solve significant challenges facing the state? If so, what example can you identify where this funding has made a major impact in our state?
I feel very strongly that we have invested that funding. We invested in a lot of key programs like the People's Settlement Association, food security and innovation lab space to grow the next scientists, among others. We’ve invested in workforce and educational development, which helps boost our science and health care sector. I’m very proud of the public health laboratory in Smyrna as well as our assisted living space for the chronically ill.
The most that was invested was in housing, and that touches our seniors, those with disabilities, veterans and every day people who may struggle to find housing they can afford. It also aided the opportunity funding so we can start to put more funding in our schools.
You’ve discussed this in previous answers. Delaware was recently reported to be ranked 45 in the country in third and eighth grade test scores. What specific policies do you have to improve public education in Delaware?
When you think about the first four years in office and the things you want to focus on, it’s mainly: health care, education, economics and quality of life. With early education, the goal is to make sure at least half the eligible kids in their first four years are getting that exposure since studies have shown that 90% of a child’s brain is developed in the first 1,825 days of their lives. And as a nurse who has sat on the pardons board, I’ve seen the consequences of that in the long run.
We have to focus on making sure these kids get eight hours of reading and relationship building with adults so when they show up to Kindergarten we’re at an equitable place and can start to address some of the trauma some of them may face. We need someone who’s been at the table who understands equalization of funds.
We have to make sure that every penny and every dollar that we're putting into school funding goes to the classroom that the child comes to class. We want to make sure that no child goes hungry at school. We've got a school nurse, school counselors in every school, we're working with wraparound services, we have to make sure that every penny gets into that classroom.
But it’s connected. To have the best teachers in the classrooms, we have to have the best resources and the best quality of life to offer them.
Much has been reported about your campaign finances, with donors contributing twice to previous discrepancies in your filings?
There’s been a lot of inaccuracies shared about this. I will tell you if there is an issue, you find it, you fix it, you report it, and you move on. We’ve reported everything publicly in the campaign finance records, and what I have found is that people want someone who will find and report those issues to the people.
The bottom line is that we have online systems that don’t always capture or delineate between husband and wife donors, as well as those from organizations. We have until September to clarify that, just like everyone. People have good intentions, but if you were to talk to every statewide candidate in state campaigns, refunds get issued all the time.
I don’t need to feed into desperate character assassinations. I just will focus on what I will do for this state.
