John Carney is scheduled to step down next month after eight years as governor of Delaware (pop. 1.03 million). On January 7, he begins his four-year term as mayor Wilmington (pop. 70,000)the largest city in a petite state, after defeating the city treasurer Velda Jones-Potter in September’s closed Democratic primary elections. No Republicans ran.
It’s a sporadic career move: California Gov. Jerry Brown and Virginia Gov. Doug Wilder also served as city mayors, but only after absences of more than a decade.
Carney held the lone seat in the Delaware House of Representatives for six years; he previously served as lieutenant governor and finance chief for then-Gov. (later U.S. Senator) Tom Carper and advisor to then-Senator. Joe Biden after graduating from Dartmouth and playing quarterback for the St. Mark’s Spartans in the 1973 Delaware State Championships.
During two terms as state governor enhanced assistance for employers and struggled with closures related to the COVID pandemic, port management and funding schools, legalizing marijuana and restricting access to guns.
Democrat Matt Meyer won Delaware’s 2024 gubernatorial election over Republican opponent Mike Ramone and will take office on January 21.
Carney recently spoke with The Inquirer about his hopes for Wilmington, which is both the “corporate capital of America” as a legitimate business center and a post-industrial community – similar in many ways to Philadelphia but only 1/20th the size – struggling with poverty and trying to attract a modern generation of corporate employers
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Why not take your pension and retire now?
I’m 68 years ancient, I still have a few rodeos left. For two minutes I thought about running for the open U.S. Senate seat (instead, Democrats chose U.S. Republican Lisa Blunt Rochester, now Delaware’s junior senator-elect). But I’ve already spent six years in Congress. I didn’t feel like I had any influence on people here.
When I worked for Governor Carper and later when I was lieutenant governor, I worked on the redevelopment of the Christina Riverfront in Wilmington. I hired Mike Purzycki as the executive director of this effort, who has served as mayor for the past two terms. (Purzycki, who turns 79 this year, did not run for re-election.) I felt the impact we had by bringing jobs back to the city.
When we ran for mayor, we knocked on thousands of doors. It was heated. My feet hurt.
Many people knew me from my position as governor.[…]People said, “I voted for you, but not this time. But I appreciate your service. It’s an affirmation; service is its own reward.
What did voters tell you?
People were concerned about education and crime. But that wasn’t all they were thinking about. They brought a dead tree along the street. Or the utility company mining the North Side.
We entered the only porch in front of St. John’s Hospital. Franciszek. The lady said, “I have this dead tree in my neighbor’s yard, the storm will blow it into my house.” … It took us a month and a half, we cut down this tree. This woman couldn’t be happier.
That’s when I decided to do this work: you can have a real impact, instead of getting on Amtrak (at the Joseph R. Biden Station in Wilmington) and getting frustrated in Washington, D.C., where nothing is being done on vital, vital issues.
Wilmington has been reliant on a payroll tax, which has declined during the pandemic, and outside aid, which has been degenerating. How will you cope?
The state provided the immense majority of resources for the riverfront. And as we invested in housing in every neighborhood in the city, it was in part the result of federal money that was made available. Now we need to improve our neighborhood commercial corridors, fill restaurants and bars with community activities.
If one part of the city fails, the entire city will fail. We also have terrible problems with youth and newborn adult violence, just like in Philadelphia and Washington.
We have a grave homeless problem, even the county shelter doesn’t have enough beds, and some have mental health and substance abuse issues. We had camps on the overpasses on I-95 and had to move them. We must cooperate with social services and law enforcement agencies.
We have terrible school records in the city of Wilmington, dating back to the days of segregation. We need to make sure children have the tools to succeed and not go down a path of violence that ends in Gander Hill or Howard Young (state prisons).
What about Washington’s planned changes to homeless aid and public schools?
We won’t be able to get the funding we’ve had over the last few years. It wouldn’t matter who was president, the resources that emerged during and after the pandemic would not continue.
As the economy stabilizes, not only the federal government but also the state government will have fewer resources. We need to maintain home ownership in our neighborhoods that are on the brink. The city cannot afford to lose people.
Have immigrant leaders asked you to take a stand on Trump’s planned deportations?
Nobody asked me. I hope I won’t face such a dilemma. We have many foreigners who work challenging. We managed to maintain the status quo during the last Trump administration. I am a law-abiding citizen. I have no intention of picking a fight with the federal government. I want to lend a hand these foreigners in their daily lives in a compassionate way. Most of them had permits to work here. It’s risky when they start stereotyping people who are here illegally when that’s not the case.
Buccini/Pollin, the city’s largest taxpayers, are turning offices into homes, restaurants and hotels. This is your future?
We are a petite town with only so many locations where you can start a business. By converting office buildings into residences, you reduce the availability of employment centers. We must continue to seek balance. But landowners make these decisions.
We want to encourage more petite business development in our neighboring commercial corridors – North Market St., Union St., Maryland Ave. Longwood Foundation Plan (to move colleges into empty bank buildings in Rodney Square) and (local biotech developer) Incyte’s growth over the next three or four years means you’re going to have some really exhilarating developments in Rodney Square.
There was a statue of Cesar Rodney rushing to Independence Hall taken away from Rodney Square in the protests of 2020. For good?
Du Ponts and (their early CFO John) Raskob created Rodney Square. I would like to create a square centered around Joe Biden. I can’t think of a better way to honor the first Delawarean to become President of the United States, who served our country for 50 years.
