Delaware
Candidates for Delaware governor debate education, infrastructure and integrity
Rotary Club of Wilmington hosts Meet the Mayor’s candidate forum
Former City Treasurer Velda Jones-Potter and Gov. John Carney make closing statements at the Rotary Club of Wilmington’s Meet the Mayor’s candidate forum.
Candidates battling to become Delaware’s next governor laid out their plans Thursday for education, infrastructure, immigration and other key issues.
The Rotary Club of Wilmington hosted a state gubernatorial debate on Thursday afternoon. The debate followed a similar Wednesday night event held by the Delaware Journalism Collaborative.
Five of the six candidates facing off next month in the Delaware primaries participated in Thursday’s debate: Democrats Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and former Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Collin O’Mara; and Republicans Delaware House Rep. Mike Ramone and businessman Bobby Williamson – met to discuss key issues surrounding the First State.
The third Republican candidate, Jerrold Price, did not attend.
What did the candidates talk about?
After opening remarks, each candidate faced questions on a variety of topics.
Candidates were asked what actions they would take as Governor if federal deportation of immigrants was implemented. The question referenced a recent WHYY report regarding the difficulties many immigrants in both the First State and the country face in obtaining citizenship
O’Mara said he would take steps to help Delaware become “the most welcoming state” for immigrant communities, including providing access to affordable housing and quality education.
Ramone stated he would “go to the problem itself” and find new ways of amending and modifying different pathways to citizenship to be more attainable and achievable via bipartisan support.
Candidates were asked what policies or initiatives candidates would implement to expand early childhood education across the First State.
Williamson advocated for private, charter and vocational schools as additional choices for children and parents alike.
Meyer talked about the importance “quality [and] top-notch” education, proposing working alongside businesses to provide incentives for on-set childcare and initiating early nursing programs and partnerships for low-income families.
Another question focused on candidates’ strategies for updating and restoring statewide infrastructure.
Williamson noted the importance of community input when making improvements to infrastructure and overall efficiency, such as addressing which roads and pathways need repair.
Citing his past experiences lobbying for the passage of legislation such as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, O’Mara said we need to preserve the framework of the past while also “building the infrastructure of the 21st century,” such as utilizing clean and renewable energy resources like solar power and offshore wind.
Candidates were asked how they would best reflect the core values upheld by the Rotary Club – which include service, leadership, diversity, fellowship and integrity – in their respective administrations.
Hall-Long said she has embodied these same values throughout her years in public service, and how, as a self-described “innovator,” plans to invest in fair, equitable solutions that work for all.
Meyer said he abides by those same values in his role as New Castle County Executive, establishing this expectation for all employees and members of his team on day one to be “a government of principles” that best serves the needs of all people – an expectation, he says, he plans to take with him to the Governor’s office.
Candidates also were asked how they would contribute to the presence of arts and culture throughout the First State.
Citing the influence of his own family, Ramone explained how continued investment of the arts across Delaware will not only help preserve the value and appreciation for the field, but also unite people across different political lines together.
Hall-Long stressed how supporting the “creative economy” of Delaware, specifically uplifting the presence of women and BIPOC-owned businesses, as being “absolutely paramount.”
For their last question, candidates were asked why Delawareans should vote for them in the upcoming primary elections, set to take place on Sept. 10.
Hall-Long reiterated her intentions to better strengthen state education and healthcare systems, saying “innovation [and] new ideas is what you’ll get” under her leadership.
Meyer said, in order to better prepare for the future of Delaware, change must start in the present, including electing leaders that “have public service, not self-service.”
O’Mara noted how his campaign is about making “significant changes” that provide hope and opportunity for the next and for future generations.
Ramone stated how his experiences as both a businessman and state House Representative has shaped him into the kind of “problem-solver” who will do their best for the First State.
A third-generation Bridgeville resident, Williamson credited his knowledge of the area and his belief in granting everyone a voice will lead Delaware into a brighter, more equitable future.
Olivia Montes covers state government and community impact for Delaware Online/The News Journal. Reach her at omontes@delawareonline.com.
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The piping plover is still endangered on Delaware’s beaches, but it is holding steady in the First State.
The birds could always use extra protection, though. A group of volunteers went to the Officers Club at Cape Henlopen State Park on May 2 to learn how they will help keep the birds’ sensitive habitat free from human disturbance. Signs, chains and posts close off The Point, a sandy peninsula that spits out to the Delaware Bay. Piping plovers nest there and need that exact habitat to emerge from their endangered status.
The volunteers will station at those posts to let people know they can’t go through to The Point. If the visitors do, law enforcement might be contacted. Human disturbance, trash and development are some of the most pressing threats to nesting shorebirds on the Atlantic coast, including the piping plover.
The plovers nest on sandy beaches with limited vegetation.
There are more threats to the birds besides humans. Red foxes, dogs, cats and bigger birds like seagulls and crows can harm them. Ongoing sea-level rise doesn’t help either.
“Less beach means less space for them to go,” said Shawn Sullivan in a presentation to volunteers, beach-nesting bird biologist with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Fish and Wildlife Division.
The piping plover is a small shorebird with a gray back and a distinct black “eyebrow” above its eyes and beak. The birds can be found from Canada through the Mid-Atlantic in the summer months, including here in Cape Henlopen State Park. They usually arrive around March, and fledging birds are usually migrating south in August and September. Plovers have a incubation period of about 25-28 days in their eggs.
Adults grow to about 7 inches, so the chicks are tiny.
“The payoff is the fuzzballs you get,” Sullivan said about the chicks.
Plover populations in Delaware are concentrated at The Point and at Fowler Beach near Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge. In 2025, there were nine pairs of plovers at Cape Henlopen, 21 pairs at Fowler Beach and 30 chicks, 27 of which fledged. That’s more pairs than in 2024, but 10 fewer fledging chicks than in 2024.
Protecting the piping plover
The regional goal for the piping plover population is to get 2,000 pairs of plovers and 1.5 chicks per pair for five straight years. Delaware has an advantage in plover protection that other states don’t, Sullivan said.
The ability to close the Point and Fowler Beach completely from March through the fall helps the birds, Sullivan said, and other states don’t have large beach habitats closed like that. The creation of Fowler Beach is a “saving grace,” Sullivan said, because the Cape Henlopen population is small, but steady.
The bayside of The Point is closed until October, and the ocean side is closed until September.
Nests are surrounded with fences and netting so only the plovers can get in or out, which Sullivan said works. It protects from foxes, coyotes, larger birds and more.
Sullivan said Southern states, New York and New Jersey are struggling with piping plover population maintenance, and New England states like Massachusetts are faring much better.
Sullivan said the birds receive color-coded bands when they hatch so the population can be tracked. Eight adults and 63 chicks have been banded. If you see a piping plover with a colored band around its leg, let the state know at deshorebirds@delaware.gov so they can keep a track of the population.
How to help piping plovers
Volunteers will be stationed at the rope that is closing The Point off from the Cape Henlopen State Park bay and ocean beaches. Do not walk past that rope, and listen to the volunteers.
Most of the volunteers are older in age, which is representative of the area’s population. But some younger people showed up to the May 2 meeting to learn about how they can keep The Point pristine. Kathryn Lienhard, a 27-year-old from Lewes, said she is volunteering because she cares about shorebirds and their habitat and wants to support them. Seeing a few of the birds would be cool, too.
“We all share in the benefits of our natural resources. It’s up to all of us, including young people, to take care of them,” she said.
If interested, fill out the form that more than 100 people already signed at DNREC’s website. They are looking for volunteers who can stay out there in a beach chair during peak daytime hours, weekends and holidays.
Shane Brennan covers Wilmington and other Delaware issues. Reach out with ideas, tips or feedback at slbrennan@delawareonline.com.
Delaware’s lengthy quest to return to the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Tournament was thwarted on May 2 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Jacksonville topped the Blue Hens 16-11 in the Atlantic Sun Conference title game, earning an automatic NCAA berth, at the rainy Rock Lacrosse Center.
The 29-team NCAA tourney bracket will be unveiled at 9 p.m. May 3 on ESPNU. Delaware was 33rd and Jacksonville 35th in the latest RPI, meaning the Blue Hens are likely a long shot for one of the 14 at-large berths.
Regular-season ASUN champ and top-seeded Delaware (13-5) had won a school record 12 in a row, including nipping Jacksonville 14-13 on March 26 at Delaware Stadium, where the Hens rallied from a four-goal third-period deficit.
In the title game, Delaware trailed 4-2 after the first quarter, 8-5 at halftime and 13-7 after the third period and couldn’t complete another comeback against the Dolphins (13-5).
Maggie Porter had three goals and Sophia Muscolino scored twice for the Blue Hens. An 18-11 edge in draw controls keyed the Dolphins.
Delaware was once a women’s lacrosse national powerhouse under coach Janet Smith. It won AIAW Division II national titles in 1981 and 1982. With the NCAA taking over women’s sports, Delaware was 1983 Division I champion and then finished third in the 1984 tourney.
But the Blue Hens have made just one NCAA Tournament appearance since. That was in 2000 as an America East member, and the Blue Hens lost a first-round game against Loyola.
After a subsequent move to the Colonial Athletic Association, Delaware reached just one conference title game over 24 seasons, losing in 2009 to William & Mary.
Delaware left the CAA this year because of a move to Conference USA, which does not sponsor women’s lacrosse. Several sports landed in the Atlantic Sun, including women’s lacrosse, and gave Delaware better opportunities for success. The Hens’ regular-season conference title was their first since 1999.
Cape Henlopen High graduate Ella Rishko was the Atlantic Sun’s offensive player of the year for Delaware, which is led by seventh-year coach Amy Altig.
Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.
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