Governor’s Debate — Wilmington Neighborhood Issues
The latest Democratic Governor’s debate was held this morning at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington. It was hosted by the Interfaith Coalition Building Blocks for Wilmington. The ICCBW is an ambitious group of ministers and other stakeholders who are looking to develop and implement strategies to work with at-risk kids and get them on a path away from the streets. Their current focus is Wilmington’s West Center City. The debate was moderated by John Watson who I gather is a host on WILM.
There was a good crew of both Markell and Carney people outside of the venue with many signs and literature. My guess is that the Carney crowd outnumbered the Markell crowd here. The same inside, I think that there was a Carney edge in the room, but both sides made a decent amount of noise after answers. Mike Protack was wandering around and I thought that this was one of the debates that would include him, but I was mistaken.
This debate was mostly focused on issues of poverty and violence in the City of Wilmington (which is not unique in this in Delaware) and to my mind the most unsatisfying of the debates I’ve gone to. Much of that dissatisfaction has to do with the nature of this conversation — poverty, violence, drugs, crime recidivism — do not lend themselves to easy policy or program wonkishness. Plus I think that these two politicians know that political interest and will is relatively low. Where the people who came to this wanted to hear how a new Governor would support the city (or any Delaware community acing these problems), what I heard was alot of careful concern about the problems, invocations of relationships with folks who are working on these issues (Carney was especially strong on this), and references to pieces of other programs promised (health care). This would be just fine — this really is complicated stuff — but as a forum lacked the specificity and strength of conviction of the other debates I saw.
Carney talked about all of the programs and the commissions he worked on with people in Wilmington, acknowledged how hard these issues really are, invoked some small, successful programs (The Way Home) and promised to work with the Mayor and City Council to support their work. Markell talked about capturing kids very early to get them on a better path, his work leading the Wilmington Urban League, joining forces with communities to help them better themselves, and bettering a business climate that might create more and better jobs. Both spent a good deal of time discussing support (but few specifics) for programs that would help transition people coming from prison back into their communities in a productive way (this is a current high priority issue for Wilmington churches). And both talked about individual and community involvement, but I heard Markell discuss this as a central point, not as a program adjunct.
Carney gave alot of push to the Hope Commission Report — not just because he was one of its co-chairs. The Hope Commission was supposed to help define Wilmington’s worst social issues and develop strategies (including implementation) to address those issues. I think that it did a fine job in defining much of the problem, but (my opinion again) is weakest on the solutions proposed. There simply isn’t much that is new in this report (and seems to be biased towards faith-based solutions that require taxes to fund) and there is little in it that will spur some political action to get some of these programs funded and implemented in some accountable way. Southbridge is the current pilot Hope Zone. (And ICCBW largely exists as an alternative path from that of the Hope Commission.) City politicians are pretty deftly using the Hope Commission as their front for answers to urban issues of poverty and so on.
This debate was different from the others in that both candidates had sharper elbows and directly critiqued each other’s job performance and experience (and Carney really hit Markell on the health insurance proposal noting that it has been a disaster in MA). It was still pretty civilized, and the real negativity towards each other seemed to come in the closing statements.
On balance, I do think that Carney did better here than did Markell, but mostly because he was able to do more substitution of relationships with folks in the room for serious solutions. That was a signal that more of the same (which is not much) would be forthcoming. I don’t know that Markell would do more, but I do think that a climate the is going to encourage more entrepreneurial spirit for businesses and communities has a better chance to change the game (he just needs to be clearer about his thoughts here).
There is another debate on Tuesday morning between these two to discuss housing issues. This one is hosted by the Delaware Hosing Coalition and is at 9:30Am at Theater N in Wilmington. If you want to go, you should register here: By phone at 678-2286, ext. 2, or by e-mail (with name) to dhc@housingforall.org.
Tags: Jack Markell, John Carney
Yes, unfortunately the group decided not to include Republican candidates.
I was able to the meet and greet with a lot of people but I think the members would have liked to hear about technology to reduce gun violence, mandatory/minimum changes and health care.
This fall the event will be repeated, I look forward to appearing at that time.
The fact that we incarcerate more of our citizens than any other nation on earth is a pretty good sign that our society is very sick. And I tend to view faith-based initiatives the same way I see foreign aid. The theory is great but the practice rarely works for the truly needy. They are still at the bottom of the feeding cycle and not much gets down to them.
Cassandra, I agree with Jack. Education is the silver bullet and early education is the platinum bullet. It is the only thing that empowers the individual to effect his or her life for the rest of his or her life. Everything else that happens to us builds on that early education. All of our choices and all of our actions are molded by this. We are either equipped to deal with a bewildering and sometimes dangerous world or we fail. The failure that leads to jail time or, worse still, a bullet in the streets.
Rob Reiner heads up a group that is convinced that a child’s path is set by what happens to that child between birth and three years old. There was a popular book a few years back that said all your necessary life skills were learned in kindergarten.
Headstart, the Childrens’ Television Workshop (Sesame Street) and other programs have tried to address this over the years with varying degrees of success. Success seems to be related to funding and commitment by the government.
I agree too, Rebecca, that education is the silver bullet and combined with a thriving, diverse economy with available jobs that can reasonably support a family is the best social program there is. (I still wonder why no one, especially in this small state, has stolen Howard Dean’s Success by Six program from Vermont.)
That is the long term and needs to be the goal to work towards, but you are still left with the now and that is what still seems to confound people (generously) or is of little concern to voters (not so generously) which is why leadership on this is slow in coming.
If you asked the citizens of Wilmington what they want, (which obviously no one has, they want jobs, jobs! They want 24 hour bus service 7days a wk to get to work all over NC!
They want a Community Partnership with the empty churches in Wilmington, from Mon to Sat open those churches up for appropriate, safe socialization. (Computer cafes, dances). Give the Neighborhood Planning Councils that money was delivered to the City of over $200,0000 for each planning council. (What happened to that money), only one council person received it!
Community Policing, not Homeland Security Policing. Citizens do not trust the police in Wilmington! A Citizens Review Board is absolutely necessary.
Summer jobs for young people! Stop arresting the youth for pot! Stop the repression on the neighborhoods by Jump Out Squads, and some jerks calling for more police….what do they want a Police State.
Why doesnt the city do a contract with the Uof D, Wilm College, Del. State and Widener and get a group of sociology/human services professors to take a look. The Hope Commission is and always been the Hopeless Commssion. Look at who is on that Commission. If those people couldnt get something done (and they are the insiders) why does anyone think they will suddenly be capable of “thinking outside the box”. Citizens are disenfranchised, they are tired of the same ole promises and no actions. If you want to know what the people want, “ASK THEM”, not the insiders who don’t have a clue.
Right on Sister Liz!! Tell it like it is…not how the permanent/shadow government officials want to tell it.
There was a few locals anyway…I still can’t figure out exactly WHAT the Hope Commission does…