Inaugural Thoughts
By John C. Carney, Jr.
Last week, I was privileged to take the oath of office as I began my second term as Delaware’s Lt. Governor.
On that day, I rededicated myself to continuing the work I started four years ago. I’ve learned that being Lt. Governor is a tremendous opportunity to make a difference and serve the people of this state every day. And serving the public is the reason I chose to run for public office in the first place.
I think about the oath that I took almost every day, particularly the part that reminds me that I take the oath “freely acknowledging that the powers of this office flow from the people I am privileged to represent.”
In the years ahead, I intend to continue working on the issues that Delawareans have said are important to them, issues that I have been working on over the last four years.
Issues like health care. Too many Delawareans have been forced to make difficult choices between going to the doctor to stay healthy or paying the rent. In Delaware, we can do better, and as Chair of the Healthcare Commission I’ll work hard to make sure we do.
The reforms in our public education system have shown good progress, but too many of our children, particularly those in the African-American community, still lag behind. In Delaware, we can do better, and I will continue the efforts I began three years ago to bring the best and brightest of our educators together to share best practices and promote continuous improvement in our schools.
Our economy has remained strong even during recession, but many jobs cannot support families. In Delaware, we can do better. As Lt. Governor I will continue working to foster the growth and development of Delaware’s biotech industry, an important part of the future of our state’s economy and good paying job for Delaware families.
These issues and many others present significant challenges for us in the years ahead. It will take all of us working together in a bipartisan way, as has become our custom in Delaware, to make progress.
I hope we can maintain that spirit of cooperation. Like many of you, I have been discouraged by the increasingly partisan divide in our nation’s capital. And I have started to see evidence of the same thing here in Delaware.
To surrender the strength we have created from our common purpose for the petty politics of the day would be a terrible mistake, and one we must avoid.
I begin my second term of office more optimistic about our state’s future than ever before, and with good reason: I have come to know the people of this state – their hard work and their determination to make this state even better for their children. As I think about my own family – my sons Sam and Jimmy – I can’t think of any better motivation to make Delaware the place we all want it to be.
As I travel around the state, I meet a lot of people along the way. What strikes me most about what I hear is that we all have similar hopes and aspirations for our families and our state, whether we are Democrats, Republicans or Independents.
I was born here and I’ve lived here most of my life, as many of you have. Others came here later. But however we came to call Delaware home, we can all agree that our small state is a very special place. I want my sons, and your children and grandchildren, to think of Delaware as a special place as well – a place they too will love to call home.
It was with a strong faith in God and a loving family that I embarked on this new journey last week. I am confident that by working together we can meet the challenges we face and, in the end, we can “preserve for future generations the rich, historic and natural heritage of Delaware.” I will work hard every day to that end.
