I didn’t realize that I had failed to provide an update for more than two weeks—and what a period it was!
On the 14th I attended ‘Owners Day’ at Delaware Park. Delaware Park hosts thoroughbred racing, and this industry brings not only many jobs to Delaware, but it also enables our state to maintain a substantial amount of farmland that otherwise would have become developed, paved space. (I did lose my wager that day—no surprise there.)
On the 16th I met in Hockessin with GHADA, to review the proposal to develop Whiteman’s Garage on Paper Mill Road into a CVS. On the 17th I had a morning meeting with representatives from The Data Center. That evening, I went to Dover for a caucus meeting where we discussed several issues, including the Health Insurance Exchanges which launch this morning.
On the 18th I had a tour of the Salem Nuclear Facility in New Jersey, across the Delaware River. It was a very interesting tour and I learned a lot.
On the 22nd I attended a fundraiser dinner in Sussex County for DMHOA, the Delaware Manufactured Home Owners Association. The spaghetti was top-notch!
On the 23rd, I and Representative Kowalko met with members of the group which opposes the proposed data center and power plant.
On the 24th in the evening Representative John Kowalko and I hosted a town hall with the community to hear the community’s views on the proposed data center/power plant proposed for the UD STAR Campus. We had a great turnout, with a wonderful range of comments and concerns shared. I sent out robocalls for most of the district in advance, to let residents know of this opportunity.
On the 25th I took the DCAS, Delaware standardized tests, along with Senator Bryan Townsend. I took the 10th grade Math and the 10th grade Reading test, and received a score of 4 (exceeds expectation, on a 1-4 scale) on both tests. This was a very good experience for me, to see what our children face multiple times each school year. This was followed by a briefing on the test, its methodology, and its evolution, including changes that are coming due to the adoption of the Common Core Standards.
On Thursday the 26th I attended a public meeting in Clayton on midwifery. Delaware has a problem with homebirths, and legislation passed in June aggravated this. While I could not stop the legislation, I was able to reduce its impact, and to obtain a commitment to a public meeting process to identify needed improvements, and this meeting was the first visible step. We had very constructive comments from the medical community, and then the audience had a chance to speak up, and their comments were extremely illuminating, and a wake-up call. Much work remains.
On Saturday the 28th I had the great pleasure to attend the homecoming of the 153rd Military Police Company of the DE National Guard, in New Castle. This ceremony is SO MUCH BETTER than the deployment ceremony. The company did such a great job in Afghanistan in helping the local police better prepare for running their own government, and the families made such a sacrifice for so long. Thank you, Guardsmen and women.
That evening I attended the UD football game, and had lengthy discussions with members of the University and the city council, including much discussion on the proposed data center and power plant.
On Sunday I enjoyed the annual Taste of Newark, with incredible attendance and even more incredible weather.
Yesterday I met with representatives from DelDOT and the city to explore the city roads and speed limits. I learned a lot, and am very impressed with the dedication of these people and organizations. Expect to see a city council proposal to improve the speed limit on New London Road and on South Main/Elkton Road in the coming weeks. Paper Mill Road will take more time to address, due to the upcoming park development where the Paper Mill had been—the speed limit changes are expected to come after the park’s completion.
After door knocking in Chapel Hill last month, I asked DelDOT to initiate a speed study on Aronomink, and begin the process of considering the installation of speed bumps. DelDOT worked lightning-fast, installing the speed strips in 48 hours. WOW!
I worked with DelDOT to request that some fading stop signs in Nonantum Mills be replaced, and this is moving forward.
I worked to help a veteran obtain a DAV license plate after he had encountered problems at DMV. The DMV staff person looking into this got it fixed in a jiffy.
I sent a note congratulating a Hodgson Nursing Student who saved a woman’s life at Zingo’s (where the student works) using CPR skills she acquired at Hodgson. This story is incredible!
I have spent some time learning about the Health Insurance Marketplace (www.choosehealthde.com), which dramatically changes healthcare for those who do not have health insurance through their employers.
All for now!