Delaware
Former DNREC Secretary O’Mara plans governor run
![Former DNREC Secretary O’Mara plans governor run Former DNREC Secretary O’Mara plans governor run](https://assets.delawarebusinesstimes.com/2023/12/Collin-OMara-new-crop.jpg)
WILMINGTON – In the latest twist in the 2024 election, Collin O’Mara, a former Delaware Secretary of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and current CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, is exploring a run for governor.
Collin O’Mara | PHOTO COURTESY OF O’MARA FOR DELAWARE
O’Mara, who has kept a home in Bear despite working out of Washington, D.C., for nearly the last decade, has formed a campaign committee to run in the 2024 Democratic Primary.
He joins a gubernatorial campaign that already features New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer and Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall Long, who has been endorsed by Gov. John Carney but also been hamstrung by prior campaign finance issues.
O’Mara said that he was “encouraged to run by a growing number of Delawareans who want a campaign focused on real solutions to the immense challenges we face.”
“Delaware needs a new generation of leadership. The serious challenges we face — from not enough well-paying jobs and underperforming schools to the existential threat of climate change and the interrelated crises of poverty, unaffordable housing, inaccessible healthcare, and crime — demand not only serious debate, but sustainable and equitable solutions for our future,” he said in a statement announcing the campaign.
The campaign has been the subject of the state’s rumor mill for a few months, but still comes as a surprise because O’Mara has largely been out of the local public eye since taking over the NWF. He also now has less than nine months to begin fundraising and setting up a campaign team and infrastructure before the 2024 primary election on Sept. 3. According to the campaign’s statement of incorporation, O’Mara’s treasurer is J. Brett Taylor, who is director of finance for the city of Wilmington.
As governor, O’Mara said he would work to improve “the Four E’s” – the economy, education, environment, and equitable access to housing, health care, and public safety.
“He is particularly focused on creating 40,000 family-sustaining jobs by implementing President Biden’s historic Inflation Reduction Act, Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the CHIPs and Science Act, building 21st century infrastructure, and growing key economic sectors, including financial services, life sciences, sustainable chemistry, agriculture, and tourism/hospitality,” the campaign said. “Collin has a plan to rebuild Delaware’s middle class as we become the first state to achieve 100% clean energy, first to net-zero emissions, and a national leader in advancing environmental justice. This includes aggressively removing pollution from our water, air, and soils, leading on offshore wind and solar, repowering industrial facilities and heavy transportation vehicles with green hydrogen, and investing in energy efficiency.”
O’Mara was the youngest cabinet secretary in the nation when then-Gov. Jack Markell appointed him to serve as DNREC secretary in 2009 at the age of 29. Prior to leading DNREC, he served as economic development officer and clean tech strategist for the city of San José, Calif., and as assistant budget director for the city of Syracuse, N.Y.
He graduated from Dartmouth College and Oxford University as a Marshall Scholar, before serving as a university fellow at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. His wife,Krishanti “Krish” O’Mara Vignarajah, served as policy director for First Lady Michelle Obama and currently leads one of the nation’s largest immigration nonprofits, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service. They have three daughters.
Vignarajah notably ran for governor of Maryland in 2018, finishing fourth in the Democratic primary.
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Delaware
O'Mara sees progressive change for Delaware's economy, schools & more
![O'Mara sees progressive change for Delaware's economy, schools & more O'Mara sees progressive change for Delaware's economy, schools & more](https://assets.delawarebusinesstimes.com/2023/12/Collin-OMara-MACH2-web.jpg)
With the Delaware Primary Election weeks away, 350,610 registered Democratic voters will have the opportunity to decide between three candidates for the governor’s office. While the state continues to grow, its demographics shift, too. Older and out-of-state residents are increasingly retiring in Delaware while the Black and Hispanic populations continue to grow, as well. The
August 19, 2024
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Delaware
Citizens for a New Delaware Way Release a TV Advertisement to Urge Delaware Voters to Reject Hall-Long’s Nomination Over Ethical Issues
With less than a month until the September state elections and polling showing a close four-point race, Citizens for a New Delaware Way is airing a new ad – “Fantasy” – urging voters to reject Hall-Long’s candidacy
WILMINGTON, Del., August 19, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Citizens for a New Delaware Way, a political action committee (PAC), is continuing its million-dollar campaign just weeks before the Delaware Democratic Primary, urging voters to reject Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long at the polls this September. The television advertisement – Fantasy – which will run on cable and streaming across Delaware, features a powerful sequence where children make innocent wishes, contrasted by politician Hall-Long snapping her fingers to make voters forget about her corruption – a clear critique of political ethics and accountability. The PAC has dedicated more than $700,000 on cable, streaming, and direct mail to ensure voters receive this critical information.
In a recent CNDW survey by Slingshot Strategies, a majority of Democratic Delaware voters indicated that Hall-Long should suspend her campaign due to ethical scandals involving her campaign finance practices. These include accepting donations beyond legal limits, receiving funds from unregistered organizations, diverting campaign money to her husband, failing to submit financial audits, and illegally obtaining Section 8 housing recipients’ contact information to pressure them into voting for her. As a result, 51% of voters believe she should end her campaign for Governor after hearing of the illegal behavior.
The survey revealed that Hall-Long has the highest unfavorability rating among the candidates, with 26% of respondents expressing a negative view of her. If the primary were held today, 27% of Democrats would vote for Meyer, 23% for Hall-Long, 11% for Collin O’Mara, and 31% remain undecided.
Said Chris Coffey, Citizens for a New Delaware Way Spokesperson, “This election has dire consequences, we are doing all we can to reach people directly—and that includes connecting through television. People need information to make an informed decision. Our focus this election cycle is making sure that voters are showing up to the polls with the resources they need to ensure their vote is representative of their values and goals for a better Delaware.”
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240819585404/en/
Contacts
press@citizenspac2024.com
Delaware
Delaware County jury finds Indianapolis man guilty of molesting charges
![Delaware County jury finds Indianapolis man guilty of molesting charges Delaware County jury finds Indianapolis man guilty of molesting charges](https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2021/05/17/PMUN/2da2ab8d-b035-49cc-9a0c-b3f6edf038b4-Delaware_Circuit_Court_1.jpg?auto=webp&crop=2015,1133,x0,y302&format=pjpg&width=1200)
MUNCIE, Ind. — A Delaware Circuit Court 5 jury on Thursday found an Indianapolis man guilty of three counts of child molesting.
Jamarris Harrison Lewis, 43 — also listed in court documents at an address in Tennessee — was convicted of two Level 1 felonies carrying up to 40 years in prison, and one Level 4 felony with a maximum 12-year sentence.
The guilty verdicts were returned after about five hours of deliberations. Judge Thomas Cannon Jr. set sentencing for Sept. 16.
Lewis had been accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a girl under the age of 14 in Delaware County in 2019. The charges against him were filed in June 2021.
“Abuse of children, no matter what form it may take, will not be tolerated in Delaware County,” Prosecutor Eric Hoffman said Thursday in a release.
Court records reflect Lewis had earlier convictions in Marion County for crimes including battery domestic battery and trespassing.
Douglas Walker is a news reporter at The Star Press. Contact him at 765-213-5851 or at dwalker@muncie.gannett.com.
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