I am responding to a recent letter that appeared in the Cape Gazette that took issue with my performance as state representative. I'd like to address those concerns.
First, in the interest of full disclosure, I am familiar with the 21-year-old letter-writer, and many of his peers, since he attended Cape Henlopen High School at the same time as one of my children.
In his letter, he criticizes me because our local economy includes many retail and seasonal jobs; because I am not a proponent of the latest legislative attempt to increase the state's minimum wage; and he falsely charges that I do not support job creation.
Only a part of the district is geographically blessed to be part of the coastal economy that provides abundant retail and seasonal employment, including summer jobs for local youths. Our area's economy also contains hundreds of year-round small businesses; a substantial agricultural base (including local landmarks Hopkins Dairy Farm and Nassau Valley Vineyards); and high-profile employers such as the Dogfish Head Brewery and the University of Delaware College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment. Regarding minimum wage, I voted in favor of the last successful hike. I backed that law after personally speaking with constituents and several dozen of our district's business owners, and then I cast a vote reflecting their collective interests.
I am a job creation advocate, and I support the work of Cape Henlopen School District and Del Tech to prepare local residents for today's employment opportunities. I also co-sponsored the Angel Investor Job Creation and Innovation Act, which was signed into law late last month. This new law will increase the availability of capital to small, high-tech start-up companies positioned to create high-quality jobs in emerging fields.
I expect to be critiqued as part of my public service, but those making such assessments have a responsibility to be truthful and accurate. The letter to which I am responding fell short of those obligations. It appears to be more a product of political mischief than legitimate criticism, and a sign that the election season has unfortunately started early.
State Rep. Steve Smyk
20th District
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