The Delaware General Assembly is wrapping up another session, and if you’re a business owner or local government official watching from the sidelines, you should be concerned.
Very concerned.
What we’re witnessing isn’t just routine lawmaking. It’s a systematic dismantling of local control by Democrats – who hold a supermajority in the Senate and close to one in the House – that seems to believe they know better than the communities they’re supposed to serve. The final weeks of this session could cement a troubling pattern of state overreach.
Take House Bill 350, which created a state-appointed board with the power to review and modify private hospital budgets. Hospitals now face government bureaucrats second-guessing their financial decisions. ChristianaCare filed a lawsuit arguing this represents an unprecedented government takeover of private governance and luckily Chancery Court has ruled ChristianaCare will have its day in court.
Think about that for a moment. A private organization, successfully serving Delaware for decades, suddenly needs Dover’s permission to manage its own finances. If they can do this to any hospital or health system, what’s stopping them from targeting your business next?
Overruling the Voters Who Actually Live There
Senate Bill 159 offers an even more brazen example. When Sussex County Council—elected by Sussex County residents—voted to deny a permit for a US Wind substation, the General Assembly simply decided to override them. The bill would strip counties of their authority to deny conditional use permits for large renewable energy projects.
This isn’t about whether wind energy is good or bad. It’s about whether local elected officials have any real power, or if they’re just window dressing for decisions made in Dover by legislators who don’t even live in these communities.
The Pattern Emerges
Senate Bill 75 limits counties’ ability to regulate marijuana businesses, mandating operating hours and restricting local discretion near places of worship. House Bill 135 would create a Homeless Bill of Rights, preventing local governments from enforcing conflicting ordinances even when they’re developing their own solutions. HB 119 would prevent local school boards or libraries to set community standards for school libraries. The General Assembly has pursued statewide mandates on renewable energy, electric vehicle adoption, and energy fund allocation, often overriding local or county-level preferences and policies.
Notice the pattern? Local governments study issues, hold hearings, make decisions based on what their constituents want, and Dover steps in to tell them they got it wrong – particularly if the decision was pro-business.
This isn’t just bad policy. It’s bad democracy. When you vote for county council members or city officials, you expect them to have actual authority. What’s the point of local elections if the General Assembly can simply override any decision they don’t like?
The Democrats’ legislative dominance makes this particularly dangerous. With enough votes to ram through whatever they want, there’s no meaningful check on their power. Conservative communities find themselves subject to liberal policies they never voted for, imposed by representatives from far away districts.
If you own a business in Delaware, you should be asking hard questions. Today it’s hospitals and energy projects. Tomorrow it could be your industry. The precedent being set is clear: If Dover doesn’t like how you operate or what your local government decides, they’ll simply change the rules.
Time to Push Back
The session is ending, which means these bills could become law within weeks. This is when legislators make deals, trade votes, and rush through legislation without proper scrutiny.
Business leaders and entrepreneurs employ people, serve customers, and understand your communities better than any state-appointed board ever will. Make it clear to your elected representatives that local control isn’t just a talking point. It’s fundamental to how democracy works.
Rob Martinelli is the president and CEO of Today Media, the parent company of Delaware Business Times.
