Delaware

Carney declares candidacy in Wilmington mayoral race

Published

2 years ago

April 29, 2024

Carney declares candidacy in Wilmington mayoral race

Gov. John Carney has announced he is officially running for mayor of the city of Wilmington. | DBT FILE PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS

WILMINGTON — With the clock ticking on his last year in office, Governor John Carney has formally declared he has eyes set on a new act for his political career — Mayor of Wilmington.

The governor legally filed for the mayoral race on Monday morning, shortly after he appeared on DETV for a sit-down interview. He has long been exploring the idea, forming a campaign committee for the endeavor last November.

Carney had $107,900.59 in his campaign account between November and December 2023.

“We’ve driven new job creation in Wilmington, invested more than ever in affordable housing, expanded the Port of Wilmington, and built the first new public school in 50 years. As Mayor, I would stick to those priorities and focus on the future of our city,” Carney said in a press announcement late Monday morning.

Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki announced last fall that he would not seek a third term in office come November, citing a desire to spend time with his family. That leaves the ballot for Delaware’s largest city set with former city treasurer Velda Jones-Potter thus far.

While not a surprise, Carney’s announcement for the mayoral race confirms a historic run in Delaware politics. If elected, he will be the first governor to move to Wilmington’s mayor. Many governors have gone on to be congressmen, senators or federal appointees if they stayed in public service.

Carney served as Delaware’s representative between 2011 and 2017. Other notable stops on his resume include Secretary of Finance, Deputy Chief of Staff for then-Governor Tom Carper and Lt. Governor to Gov. Ruth Ann Minner.

Carney said he was not considering a run for the Senate. When he talked with the Delaware Business Times in the past, he indicated his next move had to work for his family. The governor has lived in the city for 40 years with his wife Tracey Quillen Carney.

Looking to the future, Carney said he wants to ensure Wilmington’s strength not only as a financial hub but also as a cultural center where families want to raise their children. In the last four years, he’s aimed to improve education, notably through the Wilmington Learning Collaborative, a network of courses across the city that improve outcomes through students as well as educator retention rates.

As governor during the early years of the COVID-19 pandemic, Carney was also tasked with allocating a strong portion of the state’s American Rescue Plan Act $925 million funds. He’s allocated $117 million for affordable housing projects throughout the state.

“I will work with state officials, school districts, and community leaders to improve public education in city schools. I will prioritize expanding affordable housing in Wilmington. I will invest in small and minority-owned businesses across the city,” Carney added. “And as we’ve done at the state level, I will protect taxpayer dollars and make sure the city has a strong, sustainable financial position. I’m running for mayor because I love our city – and I believe Wilmington needs an experienced leader to move us forward.”

While the governor embarks on a mayoral campaign, he still has lingering day-to-day business in Dover as the legislative session is still in session.

Carney has already signaled he’s not looking to quietly end his last year in the governor’s mansion. He’s opened negotiations with the U.S. Wind to bring transmission lines to the Indian River Substation in Dagsboro in exchange for possible credits and millions in community causes. Carney has also thrown his support recently behind legislation that would create a framework for Delaware to participate more actively in the offshore wind farm market, be it building a wind farm or partnering with a neighboring state in a power purchase agreement.

Carney has also supported the controversial House Bill 350 which would set up a statewide board focused on evaluating financials for the six major hospital systems in Delaware to ensure that costs fell within the state’s health care spending benchmark. He has repeatedly shared his concerns about the rising health care costs in the state budget; this year’s budget included $200 million to address health care inflation.

Carney will host a campaign kick-off event Monday evening at Delaware Technical Community College in Wilmington.

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Delaware

Thomas Jefferson University to run Delaware’s first medical school

Published

7 hours ago

June 3, 2026

Press Room

Thomas Jefferson University to run Delaware’s first medical school

Thomas Jefferson University is opening a regional campus of its Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Delaware, an effort that will result in the state’s first medical school.

Jefferson beat out three other bidders to establish the four-year program in partnership with the state. The other bidders were the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, the consulting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Ponce Health Sciences University in Puerto Rico, Spotlight Delaware reported.

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The inaugural class of 40 medical students will begin instruction in July 2028. Initially, the campus will be based at the University of Delaware in Newark, with Jefferson faculty providing instruction. A permanent home for the campus is still being finalized, the Inquirer reported.

The medical students will receive 18 months of preclinical training on campus before receiving clinical training from healthcare providers in Delaware’s southern counties, where the state’s physician shortage is most deeply felt. That shortage is compounded by an aging population, Delaware officials said.

“Jefferson is committed to being part of the solution to Delaware’s physician shortage,” Jefferson CEO Dr. Joseph Cacchione said in a statement. “We are proud to help build a future where every Delawarean has access to the care they deserve. Jefferson is all in.”

The school’s creation is being supported by $157.4 million from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Delaware is one of three states without a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program. Since the late 1960s, Jefferson and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine have reserved seats for Delaware students.

“Sidney Kimmel Medical College has trained generations of physicians for more than 200 years, more than any other medical college in the country,” Said Ibrahim, dean of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, said in a statement. “It is a privilege to bring our mission to Delaware’s patients and communities.”

Jefferson has announced several expansions recently. The university is establishing a full-time doctor of nursing practice-nurse anesthesia program and several online graduate programs at the Lehigh Valley Health Network Center for Healthcare Education in Lehigh County. It also is opening a satellite respiratory therapy lab at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest in Allentown.

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Delaware

Delaware is getting its first medical school, with classes set to start in 2028

Published

18 hours ago

June 2, 2026

Press Room

Delaware is getting its first medical school, with classes set to start in 2028

Delaware officials said medical students will start their classroom instruction at UD and then do their clinical training at offices and health care systems in Kent and Sussex counties, where the shortage of doctors is most acute.

However, ChristianaCare, which has its own partnership with Jefferson, is not participating. The state’s largest health care system was part of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s unsuccessful bid to operate the school. In a joint statement from ChristianaCare and PCOM, the two organizations expressed disappointment with not being part of the consortium of higher education institutions and healthcare organizations.

“The path forward raises genuine questions about whether the school’s goals can be fully realized without ChristianaCare’s meaningful participation in its clinical training mission,” it said. “The success of any four-year medical program depends not just on an academic institution, but on a true and committed partnership with its clinical partners — one built on shared mission, mutual investment and trust developed over time.”

Students in the first class can get their tuition subsidized, covering all of their education costs, in exchange for an agreement to work in rural Delaware for five years.

Running the medical school is expected to cost Jefferson $78 million over the next five years. The money is from a federal rural health grant through the Rural Health Transformation Program, which congressional Republicans created in the so-called “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.”

The program will give $50 billion to every state over five years, though exactly the total each will eventually receive is unclear. Half of the money is to be distributed equally to states and the other half is awarded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services based on a variety of factors.

The state applied for $1 billion late last year to improve health care in Kent and Sussex counties. The Trump administration has so far allocated Delaware $157 million. Delaware is expected to receive at least $500 million over the life of the fund.

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