DOVER, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Citizens for Transparency and Inclusion PAC slammed Delaware Governor John Carney as he campaigns for the Democratic nomination to secure his re-election, citing new statistics showing the state’s economic disparities and stagnation.
Since Governor Carney took office in 2016, Delaware’s Income Inequality Ratio has grown steadily, as the state has dropped 11 spots from 13th to 24th in the nation in the Talk Poverty Organization’s income inequality rankings, a precipitous decline.
Meanwhile, this week the New York Post and City Journal ran a scathing article highlighting Delaware’s decline and calling the economic health of the state “out of balance.” The article followed up on reports that in 2018, that while other states are seeing economic growth, Delaware is one of only two states where poverty is rising.
“Governor John Carney has fueled ‘The Delaware Way’ where a few elite and mostly white men stay in power while communities of color and low-income residents lose ground,” said Chris Coffey, spokesperson for Citizens for Transparency and Inclusion. “As we know well, a company can headquarter in Delaware, and then be at the mercy of an underhanded process where Andre Bouchard’s Chancery Court can charge companies millions to assign old colleagues new court fees. John Carney has presided over and encouraged this despicable behavior, all while claiming to support an economy that works for every resident.”
According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), just 31 percent of Delaware’s public school eighth graders are deemed “proficient” or “advanced” in reading, and just 29 percent in math. Black students’ average scores in 2019 in the NAEP were 25 points lower than their white classmates.
“When it comes to Covid-19, economic health, and education, John Carney has failed Delaware’s most vulnerable residents time and time again,” continued Coffey. “The days of a small group of unaccountable elites ruling over Delaware and hoarding all its wealth on the backs of low-income workers and residents must come to an end. Delaware needs equity and an economy that works for all, which starts with voting Governor Carney out of office this fall.”
Citizens for Transparency and Inclusion is a Political Action Committee that promotes transparency, accountability, diversity, and inclusion in Delaware's state government and court system. Learn more at CitizensPac.DE.