A Lieutenant-Governor shall be chosen at the same time, in the same manner, for the same term, and subject to the same provisions as the Governor; and he or she shall possess the same qualifications of eligibility for office as the Governor. The second ranking executive office in the state after the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor presides over the state Senate and chairs Delaware’s Board of Pardons. The office also serves as a resource to help Delawareans connect with various state agencies and divisions. The specific responsibilities of the Lieutenant Governor’s constitutional duties are as follows: Presides over the 21 members of the Delaware State Senate, which is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly. Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the Delaware Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions, boards, or justices to the Delaware Supreme Court. The Lieutenant Governor only casts a vote to break a tie. Presides over the Board of Pardons, on which the Lieutenant Governor serves with the Chancellor, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and Auditor of Accounts. The Board oversees all of Delaware’s pardons, reprieves, commutations of sentence, and executive clemency.
Salary: $89,892/year
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Party: Democrat
Neighborhood/area of residence: West side of Wilmington/Hilltop
Community Involvement: She is actively involved with West Side Grows Together and Rodney Reservoir. Dorsey Walker is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Additional Information: Additionally, Dorsey Walker is the Co-chairwoman of the Delaware Teen Warehouse Board and vice-chair of the Board of Directors of Kind to Kids. She is also a board member of Camp Bliss, The Delaware Agriculture Board, and #TeamJalil. Her extensive community involvement highlights her commitment to improving the lives of Delawareans through various leadership and mentorship roles.
Campaign Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/DorseyWalkerDE
Campaign Twitter Handle: dorseywalkerDE
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCtGHnnkDqL84tNeY1FCwwYg
Campaign Website: www.sherrydorseywalker.com
Campaign Phone: (609) 792-2147
Campaign Email: info@sherrydorseywalker.com
Education: Dorsey Walker holds a master’s degree in film production from Howard University and a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from the University of Delaware. A product of St. Elizabeth School, she attended the school for 12 years.
Work Experience: In 2001, Sherry founded SWAP Productions LLC, an independent film production company. Elected to the Wilmington City Council in 2012 and the Delaware House of Representatives in 2018.
Q: What are your policy priorities for Delaware if you are elected in 2024?
A: Education: Dorsey Walker will continue collaborating with community partners and elected officials to create free education for K-3 students in Delaware. She sponsored the bill adding Black history to the state’s education curriculum and legislation prohibiting public and charter schools from preventing students with school lunch debt from participating in extracurricular activities. Workforce Development: Dorsey Walker has worked with churches and community centers to train workers. She will expand these efforts to help more citizens gain hireable skills before being released from incarceration. Agriculture: Dorsey Walker will continue to work with legislation to protect farmers and farmland.
Q: What specific steps can Delaware take to improve public schools?
A: Dorsey Walker believes improving public schools involves enhancing the environment and experience for educators and students. By starting public education at the K-3 level, the learning process begins during core developmental years. Collaborating with community partners is essential to ensure students have access to the resources they need for an enriched learning experience. Increasing pay rates for staff will attract top educators. Partnering with farms and healthy food advocates ensures students access to nutritious foods. Dorsey Walker aims to bridge the $600 million funding gap by implementing equitable funding mechanisms, optimizing resource allocation, and enhancing accountability and transparency.
Q: How do you envision Delaware meeting its goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions under the Climate Change Solutions Act?
A: Dorsey Walker envisions reducing emissions as essential for human health and addressing the climate crisis. She will strengthen emissions standards and incentivize the purchase of electric vehicles for public transportation, state government fleets, and Delaware residents. Improving Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) to increase the percentage of energy from renewable and low or zero-emission sources is also a priority.
Q: What are your steps for addressing the unhoused/homelessness in Delaware?
A: Dorsey Walker supports the tiny homes model adopted in parts of Delaware to combat homelessness and aims to implement it statewide. Providing necessary resources in each county is crucial. The Hope Center model, which involves renovating older hotels into affordable housing, is another strategy she supports. Dorsey Walker will work with public and private sectors to expand these solutions, ensuring comprehensive support and resources for the unhoused.
Q: As Governor/Lt. Governor, would you publicly support targeted measures to increase police transparency and accountability? (Yes or No). Please explain.
A: Yes, Dorsey Walker sponsored HB-195, which would add body-worn cameras to police officers to increase safety for both officers and citizens. She also supports increasing incentives for police to live in the neighborhoods they serve, fostering better communication between law enforcement and the community. By promoting transparency and accountability, Dorsey Walker aims to build trust and ensure justice in Delaware’s communities.
Q: Latinos are the fastest-growing minority in Delaware, yet they are underrepresented in leadership roles in state government. If you are elected, how would you address this situation?
A: Dorsey Walker has partnered with and mentored The Latin American Community Center. She is committed to furthering these initiatives to guarantee adequate representation of Latinos in elected positions by providing mentorship, fostering partnerships, and offering leadership training.Two of her current mentees are pursuing public office in Delaware. Dorsey Walker will continue to advocate for inclusive representation and provide opportunities for leadership development within the Latino community.
Q: A traditional patchwork of public and private agencies are working to solve the consequences of drug addiction. This approach has yet to break a cycle of addiction, homelessness and economic insecurity. What measures would you recommend to make this effort more successful?
A: Dorsey Walker recommends addressing the lack of beds for drug addiction treatment and revamping efforts around inpatient treatment. She will collaborate with the public and private sectors to provide comprehensive support, including expanding treatment facilities, increasing access to mental health services, and improving community outreach programs. Dorsey Walker will also advocate for policies that address the root causes of addiction, such as economic insecurity and homelessness, ensuring a holistic approach to breaking the cycle of addiction.
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Party: Democrat
Neighborhood/area of residence: Heatherbrooke
Community Involvement: I have volunteered with several Delaware nonprofits, led multiple professional and civic organizations and served on Delaware’s Public Integrity Commission. I am a past president of the Junior League of Wilmington and a founding member of Spur Impact Association, an organization that encourages civic engagement among young professionals. I currently serve on the board of the Delaware Bar Foundation.
Additional Information: I began my professional career as a Deputy Attorney General in the Delaware Department of Justice before clerking in Delaware Superior Court. I have worked in private practice since 2014, and I volunteer in Family Court representing children in foster care. After becoming a vocal advocate for the successful Equal Rights Amendment to the Delaware Constitution, I was elected to the Delaware Senate in 2020, becoming the first Democrat to represent the Fifth Senate District in more than 40 years. I currently serve as chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Vice Chair of the Senate Legislative Oversight & Sunset Committee, and a member of the Senate Education, Elections & Government Affairs, Rules & Ethics, and Veterans Affairs committees.
Campaign Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/KyleEvansGay/
Campaign Twitter Handle: kyleevansgay
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/@kylefordelaware
Campaign Website: kylefordelaware.com
Campaign Phone: (302) 428-9614
Campaign Email: info@kylefordelaware.com
Education: Brown University and Boston University School of Law
Work Experience: Attorney
Q: What are your policy priorities for Delaware if you are elected in 2024?
A: I will continue to lead the fight to make reproductive freedom a reality in Delaware, and I will work to keep communities safe by supporting common-sense gun laws. There is an urgent need to improve outcomes and reduce stark disparities across our state. I believe that opportunity for all requires strong investments in education, increased access to primary and specialty healthcare, and continued criminal justice reforms with a focus on returning citizens. If elected, I will continue to focus on the working people who keep our state strong; I will invest in our workforce through legislation that promotes economic mobility for working parents, creates jobs equipped for our future, and helps small businesses grow and thrive in the First State
Q: What specific steps can Delaware take to improve public schools?
A: Children with access to high-quality early education attain higher academic achievement and economic advancement. Increasing investments in early childhood education – including the workforce – is good for all: it sets kids up for success and enables parents to stay in the workforce. Delaware must have competitive educator salaries. Securing funding to increase minimum teacher pay, adjust salaries for veteran teachers, and to reflect the contributions of educational support professionals will not be easy, but not acting is no longer an option. Students’ academic challenges don’t end at the classroom door. In order to promote learning inside the classroom, we must connect students and their families with resources outside the classroom.
Q: How do you envision Delaware meeting its goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions under the Climate Change Solutions Act?
A: As the nation’s lowest-lying state, Delaware is at particular risk of climate change impacts. The Climate Change Solutions Act aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate these effects, and the state must meet targets set by the Act. Above all, Delaware should accelerate its adoption of various renewable energy sources – including wind, hydroelectric, hydrogen, and solar power. The state can expand energy efficiency and tax credit programs, create incentives for new construction projects that meet reasonable energy efficiency requirements, and continue to promote sustainable transportation options like public transportation.
Q: What are your steps for addressing the unhoused/homelessness in Delaware?
A: Addressing homelessness in Delaware requires an interdisciplinary approach that focuses on addressing the needs of the whole person or family. The state should invest in building an effective crisis response system that involves community outreach to connect unhoused individuals and families to services. Also critical is the development and support of a robust rapid rehousing program that offers wrap-around supports like educational, employment, and mental and physical health services to ensure all the needs of formerly homeless individuals are met. On a larger scale, Delaware must also invest in the creation and preservation of affordable and accessible housing to ensure the availability of permanent, stable housing for all Delawareans.
Q: As Governor/Lt. Governor, would you publicly support targeted measures to increase police transparency and accountability? (Yes or No). Please explain.
A: Yes, I have consistently supported police reform measures. During my time as a state senator, I have voted to require the use of body-worn cameras, limit deceptive policing tactics and the use of chokeholds, and increase data collection and record transparency. Measures like these help to build trust between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve, leading to better policing and increased community support, while also combating systemic inequities. As Lt. Governor, I will continue to advocate for evidence-based reforms. Our law enforcement system should be based on trust, create space for officers to effectively do their jobs, and uphold values of fairness and equity.
Q: Latinos are the fastest-growing minority in Delaware, yet they are underrepresented in leadership roles in state government. If you are elected, how would you address this situation?
A: Government works best when it is inclusive of all the people it represents and serves. I was proud to vote to codify the Hispanic Commission this year, and as Lt. Governor, I look forward to partnering with the Commission and leaders in the Latino community to enhance outreach and recruitment efforts for all positions in state government, with a particular focus on leadership roles. Communication and outreach are key, and I will promote the use of Spanish-language materials and translation resources across the state government. In addition, inclusive employment policies and practices can ensure a state working environment that is supportive of the diversity of all employees.
Q: A traditional patchwork of public and private agencies are working to solve the consequences of drug addiction. This approach has yet to break a cycle of addiction, homelessness and economic insecurity. What measures would you recommend to make this effort more successful?
A: I’ve seen the devastating consequences that addiction has had on Delawareans, which is why I voted for legislation to support our state agencies and community prevention partners. Still, gaps exist in our system of care. Increased funding should be provided to evidence-based treatment opportunities, including those integrating mental health and addiction services and expanding Medication Assisted Treatment access. Treatment programs should support the whole person by offering wrap-around supports addressing social determinants of health barriers. And above all, we need to work to break the stigma and silence that surrounds addiction, as well as educate our communities to strengthen addiction prevention and early intervention efforts.
Party: Democrat
Ms. Harrington did not respond.
The Delaware Journalism Collaborative is a project of the Local Journalism Initiative.
