Delaware is a beautiful state, my favorite state, and I will forever call Sussex County home. Every year, we see new neighborhoods and new families in our hometown. I remember a time when there was nothing on Cave Neck Road and even Five Points did not exist. With a rise in new residents, we need to have a strong economy for careers, not jobs.
Let's start with the statistics, courtesy of Statistical Atlas and Policy Map. Since 2012, when Smyk took office, the median household income in Milton has been declining. The U.S. and Delaware averages both increased by thousands (roughly $6,000 and $2,000 respectively). Imagine if we had a state representative who kept us progressing: what would you do with that extra money?
After reading my piece, I want you to look up jobs in Milton and jobs in Lewes. You will find a series of retail and seasonal jobs. It is inevitable to admit that this area's economy has a tourism dependency, but why is that the only option? With the increase in families and working-age people relocating to our area looking for jobs, who is going to employ them?
Better yet, who is going to employ locals who are looking for careers to support families? And what incentive will the children who go away for college have to come back to an area with a career scarcity? I love the Dollar General as much as the next person, but someone trying to raise two children cannot be financially secure with a job there.
And what has Steve said about job creation? "Get out of the way." He also repeatedly vouches that he would not even support a penny increase in the minimum wage. I understand a limited government ideology and not mandating everything in the world, but the business world is cutthroat. Bloomberg reports that 80 percent of new businesses fail within 18 months. And the biggest reason for this is that businesses don't receive the support they need. The government needs to help prevent so many failures and create a career-building environment. Steve Smyk has never supported any sort of this legislation in his 72 months in office.
Smyk constantly testifies his office should not support job creation, and to not even raise the minimum wage a penny. As someone who was raised in Delaware, it sickens me that our legislator is not pushing to support this area. The brain drain epidemic is real, and it is unlikely that my peers will want to return to this area after college, simply because there are no career opportunities in this region.
I urge Delaware residents to yearn for change in this system.
Ali Mahdi
Lewes/Milton
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