By Rachel Sawicki

DOVER — Two years ago, the word “coronavirus” meant nothing to most Delawareans, Gov. John Carney said in his State of the State address Thursday.

“Our plans did not include a global pandemic, I can tell you,” he said. “So while we canceled our plans and turned our attention to beating this pandemic, so, too, did the people of Delaware. These last two years have brought unprecedented challenges for every Delaware family.”

Most of Gov. Carney’s address was centered around the pandemic, similar to any press conference, speech or government action in the last two years. He spoke for nearly 30 minutes, receiving abundant applause from factions in between statements.

The governor spoke in Legislative Hall, where only members of the General Assembly were present. The public was not allowed to attend, given social distancing requirements. The speech was livestreamed.

“As we recover from this pandemic, it’s clear that expanding economic opportunity for all Delaware families must be job No. 1,” he said.

According to Gov. Carney, Delaware employers added nearly 20,000 jobs in spite of the pandemic, and the unemployment rate is now just above 5%, down from a high of 13.4% in April 2020.

Many companies have recently made their homes in Delaware, or deepened their current roots, bringing jobs with them, including Investor Cash Management, Prelude Therapeutics, Incyte, Miller Metal Fabrication and WuXi STA Pharmaceuticals.

Gov. Carney lightly touched on tourism opportunities, noting that being the home of the president of the United States doesn’t hurt, and that Joe Biden’s support and federal dollars will help the economy work.

“Using federal stimulus dollars, we’ll build and upgrade libraries in every county, we’ll help nonprofits modernize their buildings. … We’ll significantly increase resources for our gun violence prevention program in Wilmington and Dover,” he said. “We’ll use federal money to improve our state’s mental health services. We’ll supercharge our state’s largest infrastructure plan, repair roads and bridges, invest even more in public transit and build out electric vehicle infrastructure.”

Gov. Carney also applauded Delaware’s Climate Action Plan, released in the fall, that will address the effects of climate change. He said it is not only the “right thing to do,” but maintaining vibrant outdoor spaces will help attract new workers and families.

“Just look around. It is a mess out there,” he said. “‘Keep DE Litter Free,’ that’s our slogan. And I am determined, almost single-handedly, to clean up our highways and byways.”

Delaware State Parks are a particular champion of the environment in the state, one of only two to win the National Gold Medal for Excellence twice.

Gov. Carney will release his draft of the fiscal year 2023 budget next week, and he included a sneak peak in Thursday’s address. He announced an additional $30 million for open-space and farmland preservation, more than $400 million in Delaware’s clean-water infrastructure, with federal support, and a hyperfocus on small business inside state government.

Delaware is already on a course to a $15 minimum wage, and several employers are moving closer to that sum to compete for employees. But Gov. Carney said state government is leading the way in wages and that more is to be done to support employees on the lower end of the payscale.

He also said building up the workforce may be the biggest challenge for Delaware and the nation, so he plans to invest more than $50 million in federal stimulus funds to strengthen training programs. He also wants to expand Pathways programs in public middle schools and high schools.

“Delaware employers have more than 33,000 open positions right now, but only 26,000 Delawareans are actively looking for work,” he said. “Across the country, there are 10.5 million open positions but only 6.8 million applicants.”

The pandemic has not spared the education system, from bus drivers to teachers to school nurses. Over the next two years, Gov. Carney said the state is investing over $300 million in school construction. Additionally, he praised Wilmington Democratic Rep. Sherry Dorsey Walker’s bill, which he signed into law, that aims to ensure that a robust and accurate Black history curriculum is taught in Delaware public schools.

He laid a particular focus on Wilmington and said the children in the city are not getting the education they need for success. Close to 11,600 Delaware homes and businesses lack access to high-speed broadband. Delaware is investing over $100 million in federal money to make sure everyone has access to a hard-wired connection, mostly in Kent and Sussex counties.

Wilmington is also struggling through a housing crisis, but federal funds will help to rebuild the Riverside community, he said. And the Delaware State Housing Authority has made available $50 million in rental and mortgage assistance.

“And over the next three years, we will invest federal dollars to revitalize and develop more than 1,200 affordable housing units in Kent and Sussex counties. That’s in addition to expanding down payment and settlement assistance for homebuyers,” Gov. Carney said. “These investments will go a long way to support Delawareans who need it most — and strengthen our economy at the same time.”

Delaware, like many other states across the nation, is still battling an epidemic of substance abuse, but despite the national rise in overdose rates during COVID-19, Gov. Carney said Delaware was one of only four states to see a decrease in the rate of overdose deaths during that time.

He added that plans will stay true to several principals that the state has stuck to throughout the pandemic — no painful budget cuts, no tax increases and no layoffs of state employees.

He thanked many public servants for their work in delivering vaccines, conducting tests and implementing safety standards. Because of that, Delaware was one of 20 states to meet President Biden’s goal of a 70% vaccination rate by July 4, 2021.

“I can tell you confidently today that the state of our state is strong,” Gov. Carney said. “And we are eager for what lies ahead.”

Staff writer Rachel Sawicki can be reached at rsawicki@iniusa.org. Follow @RachSawickiDSN on Twitter.