2018 Update—November 10th to 23rd

On Sunday the 11th, I attended the Veterans Day event at the veterans park by the Delaware Memorial Park. On Monday I had a meeting regarding area homelessness, another meeting with a UD student focused on health policy, and I joined a conference call on End of Life Options policy. On Tuesday I attended and spoke at the ribbon cutting for the Drip Café’s new Newark location. I participated in a second conference call of the Compassion & Choices (national Medical Aid in Dying advocacy organization) Strategic Impact Committee, on which I serve, attended a workshop on public transportation priorities for Newark, and attended and addressed the Christina School Board meeting at Stubbs Elementary School in Wilmington. On Wednesday I chaired the manufactured housing task force meeting in Dover. That evening I attended the information workshop on the redevelopment proposal for the parcel at the corner of Casho Mill and Elkton Roads. On Thursday morning the 15th I attended the Thrive Newark conference at the Newark Marriott Courtyard hotel. On Friday morning I taped two segments for the Comcast Newsmakers program, and had a conference call to make improvements to our End of Life Options draft legislation.

On Saturday morning the 17th I drove to Stubbs Elementary School in Wilmington to join Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester to ‘send off’ students from Stubbs and Bancroft for their field trip to the National Museum of African American Heritage and Culture in Washington DC. I then stopped by the annual Newark Turkey Trot, and then to a UD football game tailgate.

On Monday the 19th I attended the ribbon cutting celebration for Preston’s Playground. That afternoon I attended a Shop Small event with the Small Business Administration on Main Street. That evening I attended an event at the Newark Arts Alliance, and then served on a panel with a local Boy Scout troop at the United Methodist Church to discuss public service. On Tuesday I met with two UD students who are part of the Horn Entrepreneurship program, to discuss their business plans. Later that morning I met with advocates for regulating, taxing, and legalizing adult-use marijuana in Delaware. That evening I attended the annual Interfaith Thanksgiving Service at the Newark United Methodist Church.

Emails—I have emails about a wide range of topics in the past two weeks. The topics have included strengthening environmental protections, an ‘Article V Convention’ to propose constitutional amendments, healthcare policy (community health interventions, vaping), public education (PTAs, Christina’s Wilmington School plan, other Christina School District matters), climate and food security, pension policy for law enforcement employees, the level of UD tuition for the child of a long-term Delaware resident with a green card, minimum wage change timing, possibilities for the next elections commissioner, a local resident’s application to serve on one of the Governor’s councils, expected timing for the work at Thompson Station and Hopkins Road, training for Delaware law enforcement for new laws related to temporarily removing firearms from individuals confirmed by a court of being of danger to themselves or others, making a recommendation to DSU for an honorary degree, two issues with related to the White Clay Creek State Park, when property tax exemptions are available in New Castle County to tax-exempt organizations, and a drainage/culvert issue in Christine Manor.

I have had emails about specific legislation, including on a Share the Care bill, an updated End of Life Options Act, a plastic straw bill, a direct wine shipment bill, and a voting machine audit bill.

I have had emails about the community: the upcoming Main Street reconstruction project, speeding on Wedgewood Road, UD student housing needs, the proposal to redevelop the Dickinson dorm complex, a local restaurant’s challenges with the city’s special use guidelines, a local business’ ongoing concerns with a particular city fee, when a DelDOT traffic impact study is required, UD’s plans to shut down the Christiana Towers complex, a senior citizen resident’s need to utilize the city’s home repair program, speed limits in the city, and the upcoming boost in the stormwater fee rates.

I worked with the DSHA (Delaware State Housing Authority) to review the adjustment to their implementation of their semi-monthly calculation of consumer inflation. I have had some other emails regarding uncollected county and school taxes for manufactured homes.