September 2002

LEE ANN WALLING
Senior Adviser to Governor Minner
Liveable Delaware

Mike Castle had "Quality of Life," Tom Carper had "Shaping Delaware's Future," and Ruth Ann Minner has "Liveable Delaware." All have promised to manage growth and make Delaware a better place to live. All have, initially, caused angst in the business community.

The Castle Administration introduced its Quality of Life initiative by unveiling an already-prepared package of legislation, none of which passed the General Assembly as unveiled. The Quality of Life Act which eventually passed was completely rewritten.

The Carper Administration assembled a Cabinet Committee of State Planning Issues and created a Citizens' Advisory Council as well as a series of issue-related Advisory Panels to study issues and prepare positions. The Shaping Delaware's Future report was to be the blueprint for all planning, infrastructure, and land-use decisions.

The Minner Administration's Liveable Delaware built upon Shaping Delaware's Future via Executive Order 14, which required that state departments and agencies submit implementation plans for meeting the Shaping Delaware's Future goals. The Liveable Delaware agenda also proposed the creation of an Advisory Council on Planning Coordination as well as legislation focusing on graduated impact fees, annexation standards, improving the LUPA process, and changing the open space formula.

Where does Liveable Delaware stand? What has been accomplished as originally proposed, what modified, what discarded, what added? Lee Ann Walling, Senior Adviser to Governor Minner, is the Administration's point person on Liveable Delaware. She will outline the goals of Liveable Delaware, note what has been achieved to date, and discuss remaining issues and how the Administration plans to address them.

Beverley Baxter