Schwartzkopf faces off against Peterson in primary

In the 14th Representative District, Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, will face off against Don Peterson in a Democratic primary. It is the first time in 14 years as district representative that Schwartzkopf has to face a primary challenger.

The 14th District includes parts of the Lewes ZIP code area and Long Neck, as well as all of Rehoboth Beach, Dewey Beach and Henlopen Acres.

The winner will face off against Republican and Long Neck resident James DeMartino in the Tuesday, Nov. 13 general election.

Name: Don Peterson

Age: 63

Education: B.S. Accounting; MBA Business, Economics and Public Policy

Occupation: Retired

Residence: Rehoboth Beach

Family: Jeff Richman, husband

Relevant experience: senior executive, federal government; 30 years’ experience in government budget and finance; leadership coach helping leaders lead through consultation, communication, and collaboration; social justice advocate working to repeal the death penalty, bring clean water and affordable housing to Sussex County, fight racism and reform the criminal justice system.  

Name: Pete Schwartzkopf

Age: 61

Education: B.S. Human Resource Management from Wilmington University; Associate Degree Criminal Justice DTCC; Indian River High School 1972

Occupation: 14th District State Representative; Speaker of the House of Representatives  

Residence: Rehoboth Beach

Family: Wife Carol, 4 children, 5 grandchildren, 6th is due in September

Relevant experience: 14th District representative since 2002; Speaker of the House since 2013; Delaware State Police, retired (25 years)

Questions:

1. What are the three biggest issues facing the district?

Don Peterson: 1. A failure to bring state agencies (e.g., DelDOT and DNREC) together with the Sussex County government to ensure that adequate infrastructure (roads, utilities) are planned to support the explosive growth in residential and commercial development. This need is critical if we are to maintain a good quality of life and protect our fragile environment.

2. The lack of good, well-paying jobs and affordable housing. Too many jobs are minimum wage. The lack of affordable housing pushes the workforce out of the area.

3. The lack of adequate funding for social services that are desperately needed, including heroin addiction treatment, resources for aging-in-place for our growing senior population, and physical and mental health care facilities.

Pete Schwartzkopf: Our community is a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family, and we have a unique set of important challenges we must face. For me, that list includes adjusting to an aging population of residents, many of whom are making our community their retirement home. As a result, medical and transportation services are not keeping pace with the increased growth of our retirement population. Another major concern is preserving and protecting the characteristics of our area that make it special, including the hundreds of small businesses that support our vibrant tourism economy and making sure that we are constantly upgrading our infrastructure such as Route 1; and, an issue that is rapidly growing is protecting our children and families from the growing threat of dangerous drugs that can destroy lives, families and futures.

2. The economic driver of the Cape Region is tourism, bringing millions of people to the area’s towns. What role can state legislators play in helping town officials, and business and property owners navigate the issues associated with the influx of visitors to areas with aging code and ailing infrastructure? For example, should the state assist Rehoboth to improve stormwater outfalls?

DP: The Cape Region economy generates significant tax revenues for the state. As such, the state should be both a partner and a regulator by playing a major role in assisting local stakeholders to fund needed infrastructure based on stricter standards for building codes, new roads, water quality (including improving the stormwater outfalls) and public safety. When the only motivator is to keep costs low and profits high (as it has been too often), local government and business and property owners will not fully meet the needs of the public and protect our environment. A true partnership is essential. My opponent, with close ties to big developers and corporate interest, has not been an active voice on this issue.  I will be.  

PS: I've advocated tirelessly for greater state infrastructure investment in the Cape community, and I have been very successful in securing tens of millions of dollars for pedestrian and traffic safety improvements on Route 1 and with assisting our towns with the critical projects they need to remain welcoming to visitors and hospitable to residents. The state should be assisting Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres by helping to secure funding from state and federal sources to modernize and otherwise upgrade their infrastructure. The entire area has been impacted by the tremendous growth that has occurred over the last 15 years and the increased population, which has placed enormous demands on the local municipalities’ infrastructure and we should all be part of the solution.

3. This district is represented by the only Democratic state legislator in Sussex County. How important is it to keep this district Democratic?

DP: It is very important to maintain the Democratic majority in the General Assembly, so every Democratic seat is important. But it is just as important that we have a Democrat Representative who consistently votes in support of the Democratic values of fairness, equity, justice and compassion. We need a Representative who truly is a Democrat, not one who votes like a Republican by favoring big corporations over the needs of the people, continues to believe in the false promise of trickle-down economics, blocks or buries legislation to raise the minimum wage and provide for a more progressive income tax, and kowtows to the corporate interests that govern charter schools at the expense of traditional public schools.

PS: It is true, I am the only elected Democratic official in state government from Sussex County.  In the eyes of the Democratic Party, it is very important to retain this seat. But, much more importantly, I’m also the Speaker of the House and in the eyes of all of the people residing in the district, it is vitally important to keep the position of the Speaker in Sussex County, because it helps the entire county and gives the 14th District an opportunity for its fair share of funding and resources.

I believe that the 14th District reflects the character of our community, which is one of openness, inclusion, respect for others' differences and an emphasis on helping the most vulnerable among us. These are the values of the Democratic Party.

4. In terms of population age, Sussex County, and in particular this district, is one of the oldest in the country, and growing older because of new retirees. That said, new schools are being built because families are attracted to what the area has to offer. In many ways, the two groups don’t have the same needs. Can a balance be found or is it inevitable that one group will be left out?

DP: We absolutely can and must find the right balance. It starts with taking a more balanced approach to the state budget. We need to be smarter about how we spend our scarce revenues by re-examining our past policies. For instance, treating drug addiction and mental health issues in significantly cheaper and more effective ways than criminalizing and incarcerating people. We also need to create more stable and sustainable revenue streams by implementing policies that have been proven successful in other parts of the country, such as a more progressive income tax policy and fewer corporate tax breaks. With smarter cost reductions and higher revenues, seniors (with more aging-in-place services) and students (with higher-quality education) both can thrive.

PS: There is no reason why our community, with all it has to offer for families and seniors alike, would ever have to leave anyone out. I would argue that families and retirees share many of the same needs, such as good infrastructure, access to healthcare, and a vibrant culture that contributes to our quality of life.

5. According to the state health department, heroin use has reached epidemic proportions. Why has the legislature been so slow to respond to this problem? Should opioid addiction use be reported as a cause of death so these deaths can be better tracked?

DP: 125 Delawareans died of a heroin overdose last year – 1 every 3 days. The state's rate of overdose fatalities is the ninth highest in the country. Deaths tripled between 2009 and 2014. Heroin-related crime in Delaware increased nearly 2,000 percent since 2011. But for next year, the state budget allocated no new funds to fight heroin and opiate addiction! Why not? Ask our current representative. I suspect he'll say, "We just didn't have the funds."  But they had $60 million to give away to corporations. They had funds to prosecute and incarcerate drug-related crime rather than treat addiction. While it may be important to track opioid overdoses, the real solution is to treat the problem as the public health epidemic that it is.

PS: State government can and must do more to get a grip on the scale of this problem and help aid the victims it touches. The General Assembly passed legislation in 2014 which drastically improved access to the anti-overdose medication naloxone. I supported House Bill 388, which gave peace officers access to the medication and mandated training for its usage, and Senate Bill 219, which allowed family members, friends, and other members of the community to purchase the medication after being properly trained. Countless lives have been saved from these changes in our laws. I would also like to lead the effort to change the way that society looks at drug addiction and move toward in-house drug rehabilitation instead of incarceration in most cases.  

6. GOP lawmakers plan to introduce legislation keeping the death penalty in Delaware. Will you support it?

DP: No, I will oppose any such move! The one thing we should kill in the name of the people of Delaware is the death penalty. Liberals, libertarians, conservatives and thoughtful people in between are all coming to the same conclusion: the death penalty should be abolished. It is not a deterrent, it is inordinately expensive, and it is applied unjustly and disproportionately to people of color and the poor. My opponent believes that the death penalty keeps police and correctional officers safer. In fact, the deadliest states for law enforcement officers in recent years are all states that actively use the death penalty. In the name of justice, heinous crimes should be met with severe punishment. I support sentences of life in prison without parole.  

PS: I have not talked to the GOP lawmakers about this issue but I have read the newspaper articles detailing their intent. Let's be clear about what the State Supreme Court said in their ruling. They did not strike down the death penalty itself as being unconstitutional. They ruled that the relationship between the jury and the judge was unconstitutional. I suspect that, when the General Assembly convenes in January, there will be a bill introduced by the supporters of keeping the death penalty to make the law constitutional again by directing the jury to make the final decision. If that bill is introduced, I would push for it to be a unanimous jury making that decision. I also suspect that the repeal supporters will introduce legislation to remove the death penalty entirely from the code like they tried and failed to do this past year.