The Committee of 100 | Meeting Notes

Since New Castle County switched from the old Levy Court to the current County Executive/County Council form of government nearly 40 years ago, major players in New Castle County government have managed to keep themselves on the front page for dubious reasons. From County Executive Mel Slawik and Councilperson Ron Aiello going to jail, and Chris Roberts pleading guilty, to Tom Gordon and Sherry Freebery under indictment, New Castle County has had a long history of turmoil.

Enter Chris Coons. From the moment he was sworn in as County Executive, when he said, "Times have changed, and the old ways of doing things in this government are over," things have, indeed, changed. While Chris remains impatient at the pace of change and is frustrated at how difficult and time consuming it is to enact the changes he wants, he is, nevertheless, making a difference.

In spite of the difficulty of getting quality people to commit to public service, Chris has been able to attract good people in his appointments. In spite of the precarious financial state he inherited, Chris has built consensus on the first steps towards getting the County's financial house in order. In spite of years of animosity between County government and the State, Wilmington, and Middletown, Chris has built bridges that have led to cooperative agreements, e.g., with Middletown on sewer and, most recently, with the State, municipalities, and school districts on development of a master plan for Southern New Castle County.

But issues persist. What will the revised Comprehensive Plan look like? Will the draft Water Management Code undermine goals of the Comp Plan? What will the Task Force on the Financial Future of New Castle County propose? Will real changes impacting County finances be politically possible? What will the Storm Water Advisory Team propose regarding a stormwater utility? With New Castle County's strict LOS requirements, will the insufficient funding of the Transportation Trust Fund stall economic development in the County?