A Better Deal for Delaware

Born into a working class family in New Castle County, Delaware, I learned during my formative years the values that have both guided my life’s direction and influenced my decision to run for Governor of Delaware in 2008: self-reliance, freedom, leadership, integrity, and family love and support. Although my parents had limited financial resources, they believed that a solid education leads to success and made sure that I graduated from William Penn High School (1975). Unfortunately they couldn’t financially support my decision to attend college, but they did provide emotional and spiritual support for my determination to find the means to graduate from the University of Delaware (1979) with a B.A. degree in International Relations. After college, joining the United States Marine Corp. to serve our country provided outstanding opportunities for me to develop exemplary leadership and operational skills. As a US Marine, I served for 10 years as a Ground Officer, commanding a platoon of 20 Marines, as a Naval Aviator, working in many operational and maintenance billets, and, finally, as an Executive Officer in the Philadelphia Recruiting Station, with responsibility for enlisting over 1,000 Marines a year and covering 44 offices in three states. Throughout my military years, I learned from numerous brave heroes who dedicated their careers to preserving freedom and demonstrated many values that helped shape my character.

One particular moment during my career in the Marines had a significant impact on how I now understand leadership. In 1984, our Amphibious Ready Group of seven ships was sailing in the Western Pacific and I was flying off of the USS New Orleans to conduct an exercise off of Iwo Jima. I was and aircraft commander responsible for flying a Cobra Gunship and landing it on Mt. Suribachi. The mountain was only 562 feet high, but it overlooked the entire island where the famous World War II battle took place. Standing on the exact place where US soldiers raised our flag on February 23, 1945, I realized the harrowing experiences that men at war confront daily to preserve the freedoms we enjoy in our country and in our state. This realization instilled a sense of awe and respect in me for those leaders who place their values above their fear of death. Although I left the Marines in 1989 and became a commercial pilot, my admiration for these men stays with me every day. Since becoming a pilot in the military and a civilian pilot, I have flown 15 types of aircrafts and accumulated over 11,000 accident and incident free flying hours. Whenever I board a plane, I know that my passengers have placed their trust in me to secure and protect them while transporting them to their final destination. Responsibility and trust are the leadership qualities that I admire in not only those men on Iwo Jima, but in any person whose life is guided by these values.

As parents, Mary Ann and I wanted our two sons, Clinton (27) and Kevin (17) to be guided by the same principles that our parents instilled in us—integrity, self-reliance, community and family support. To make sure that I was a strong role model for not only my children but also for other dads, I volunteered to be a homeroom dad, president of the parents’ club in Middle school, to coach a variety of sports teams and to be a Boy Scout Troop leader. Mary Ann and I wanted our sons to experience a variety of activities that would bring them into contact with diverse groups of people in order for them to form a basis for making informed choices about how they wanted to live their lives. Having attended both private and public schools, our sons were introduced to a wide variety of family structures. Being actively involved in my children’s activities provided numerous opportunities for me to understand the challenges they were facing while growing up, the lifestyles they were being exposed to, and to help them realize that the choices they made today would affect who they would become tomorrow. The time that Mary Ann and I spent with our children to teach them the values our parents taught us and the strength that they drew from our love and involvement to be able to cope when their mother was diagnosed with cancer have had a profound impact on their life choices. Today, Clinton who is married will finish medical school in Rochester, NY, in the spring of 2008 and Kevin is a senior at Archmere Academy, DE. Both are committed to their educations, to being involved in their communities and to maintaining close contact with their parents.

As an involved parent, I gained firsthand understandings of the impact of today’s educational environment on the next generation. Through my involvement, I learned how the state educational system needs to be transformed so that our students receive the skills they need to live productive and fulfilling adult lives. My family’s struggle against cancer gave me a clear understanding of the inadequacies of Delaware’s current healthcare system. When Mary Ann was fighting cancer, I learned that our state government’s inability to develop a comprehensive, affordable healthcare program for all residents not only affects the uninsured but also adversely affects those who have health insurance coverage. Participation in a variety of philanthropic organizations (Rotary Club, Boy Scouts of America, and the American Legion) and affiliation with Ducks Unlimited and the National Rifle Association provided me with a deep understanding of how the decisions made at the top level of state governance affect the residents. Although I wish to believe that those we have entrusted to administer our state government are guided by their sense of responsibility to act in accordance with the trust we have placed in them, I am losing confidence in the decisions our current Delaware leaders are making on our behalf.

2008 presents the opportunity to make significant changes in our current leadership and to restore to Delaware citizens a sense of trust and responsibility in their government. To earn that trust, our elected officials need to be in touch with and involved with the people they represent. Elected officials need to understand how the daily lives of their constituents are affected by the decisions they make. Knowing that Delaware needs a leader who listens to his constituents while working alongside of them, who promotes changes from which the majority of residents will benefit, who challenges the status quo to effect the necessary changes, and who is not afraid to fight for what is right, I have decided to run for Governor in 2008.