By Matt Bittle

DOVER — Gov. John Carney’s State of the State Address Tuesday avoided making many bold proclamations, focusing instead on the challenges Delaware has seen over the past year and what it must do to recover from the pandemic and come back stronger.

The address largely shied away from specific policy proposals, especially contentious ones, although it did offer a number of general ideas and goals.

Delivered virtually due to coronavirus restrictions, the speech touched on the devastation wrought by COVID-19 while offering an uplifting look at how Delawareans have responded and highlighting a few unrelated gubernatorial priorities.

Almost never deviating from his prepared remarks, Gov. Carney spoke for about 20 minutes from the Senate chamber. The speech was broadcast on the governor’s social media platforms and his official state website, per usual.

“Over the course of this pandemic, and especially over the course of the past few weeks, we’ve all wrestled with existential questions for the state of the state, here in Delaware, and of course across the country,” the governor said.

“What is the role of the state? What happens when life and liberty are in conflict? What does it mean when those charged with safeguarding our nation’s democracy threaten it?

“The past year brought us a once-in-a-lifetime public health crisis, civil unrest and racial tensions. A contentious — but free and fair — election and a violent attempt to overturn that election. It’s understandable then to feel concerned about the state of our state. Or that the state of our state is tenuous, weak, or even on the decline.

“But I am here today to offer a clear counter message. Over the past year, Delawareans have worked hard, kept our focus, strengthened our resolve and looked out for one another.

“As a result of the good work of so many, I stand here confidently, proudly, and gratefully to tell you that the state of our state is resilient. It’s determined. It’s strong. And it’s getting stronger.”

The fourth official State of the State delivered by Gov. Carney, who was reelected to a second term in November with 59.5% of the vote, it had the hallmarks of a typical address given by him. A number of words, phrases and themes from past speeches were reused, fitting with Gov. Carney’s tendency to particularly emphasize certain ideas.

The governor urged lawmakers to make mail-in voting permanent, provide funding for clean water initiatives, tackle racial inequities, support small businesses and provide extra funding for needy students.

Delaware has suffered as a result of the pandemic, he said, but it has not folded.

“This year has taken a toll on each of us. And our state has had to withstand enormous pressure and strain. But we as a state have survived,” Gov. Carney said. “We’ve proven that if we each do our part, together, we can get through this. Hope is here.”

“We’re getting the vaccine to as many Delawareans as fast as we can. And we have a new president who we all know so well, and we know we can trust. We will get through this. And with your help, in this next year, we will thrive.”

More than 75,000 Delawareans have tested positive for COVID-19. As of the latest update, 1,065 residents have died from it.

Priorities

Though unemployment has gone from 15.9% in May to 5.3% in December, the state’s economy is still far from back to normal, as many businesses continue to struggle to get by and some restrictions remain. Despite the hurdles, Delaware is climbing back, with its people refusing to give up, the governor said.

“This time last year, most of us had never heard of the novel coronavirus,” Gov. Carney told the virtual audience.

“Today, we’re testing 200,000 Delawareans a month. We’ve processed unemployment claims for 120,000 Delaware workers. We’ve allocated more than $900 million in CARES Act funding. And we’ve administered nearly 70,000 life-saving vaccines.

“There’s a long, long road ahead of us. But we have turned the corner. Thank you, Delawareans, for doing your part.”

He emphasized an informal budget stabilization created by his administration a few years ago has helped keep the state on decent financial footing, enabling it to avoid tax hikes and service cuts when the pandemic broke.

The budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 should focus on one-time infrastructure needs and rebuilding reserves, said Gov. Carney, who will unveil his budget proposal Thursday.

The state will continue to provide financial support and other assistance to companies, the governor pledged, in hopes of benefiting not just businesses based here but ones looking at settling in Delaware.

Decision-makers will also again give more money to school districts for low-income students, non-native English speakers and special education programs; and efforts to expand internet access across the state will continue.

Touching on the protests set off last spring by the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, Gov. Carney promised “to make fundamental changes to a system that for too long has denied the promise of equality and justice for all.”

Lawmakers banned police chokeholds last year in response to the protests, and Gov. Carney expressed hope Tuesday the General Assembly will approve a plan to provide body cameras for every police officer in Delaware (some are already using them). He also promised to make state government more diverse, highlighting the new positions of director of statewide equity and chief diversity officer in the executive branch.

After a proposal to make available $50 million for clean water initiatives was derailed by COVID-19 last year, Gov. Carney threw his weight behind the idea again, noting all elected officials in the state are required to swear to “respect the right of future generations to share the rich historic and natural heritage of Delaware.”

Likely the most controversial elements in the speech were calls to increase renewable energy and make mail-in voting permanent.

Legislation that passed the Senate last week against GOP objections would raise the share of energy from renewable sources to 40% by 2035. It currently stands at 21% and is set to max out at 25% in 2025.

The state temporarily adopted mail-in voting last year because of COVID-19, driving increased turnout. While many Republicans maintain the process is rife with fraud despite little hard evidence, Gov. Carney urged legislators to make it permanent, thus allowing more people to participate in democracy and with greater ease.

Republican reaction

The governor offered special kudos to “state employees in every corner of this government who’ve been asked to solve unimaginable problems, working punishing hours, and put themselves in harm’s way, to help us get through this pandemic.”

“Over the course of my 30 years in public service, and even during the course of this administration, I have seen government tackle countless, serious and complicated challenges. But nothing — absolutely nothing — compares to the last 10 months,” he said.

Leading Republican lawmakers acknowledged the unusual nature of the speech and the many obstacles Gov. Carney has had to grapple with since the start of 2020 while noting the address failed to answer some key questions.

House Minority Leader Danny Short, R-Seaford, described it as “sterile,” saying he would have liked to hear more focus on individual people battling just to get by. Sen. Ernie Lopez, R-Lewes, agreed, pointing to mail-in voting as an issue his constituents aren’t really concerned about right now.

“Lamentably, what we heard at the end of the day today was really a tale of two states,” Sen. Lopez said, noting Sussex County has some issues, such as internet deserts, not really present in the more populous New Castle County.

The governor should have spent more time covering the vaccination plan and other steps in the state’s fight against the virus, Republicans said, expressing a sense of frustration with the lack of information available to them from the executive branch. A specific action plan, as well as more about getting businesses and employees back to work, would have been reassuring not only to legislators but to constituents, they agreed.

“I’m left, I think, with a lot more questions than answers, but it is unprecedented times,” House Minority Whip Tim Dukes, R-Laurel, said.