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Bill Lee, Republican
Age: 72
Key Issues: Economy, education, environment
Occupation: Former prosecutor and Superior Court Judge and a two-time Sussex County Republican Committee chairman. Vice chairman of the board of directors at Beebe Medical Center. Mediator at Bifferatto & Gentilotti in Lewes.
Education: Graduated from Duke University and earned his law degree in 1960 from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
He has four grown children and six grandchildren. He lives in Rehoboth Beach.
Amount of money available 30 days prior to the election: $205,000
Quote: “Many of the remedial things Democrats are talking about today are things I proposed four years ago.”
Jack Markell, Democrat
Age: 47
Key Issues: Education, healthcare, jobs
Occupation: State treasurer since 1998. Created Money School to improve financial literacy. Helped grow a small company into what is now Nextel and served as chairman of Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League.
Education: He received his undergraduate degree in economics and development studies from Brown University in 1982 and his MBA from the University of Chicago. He lives in Wilmington with his wife and two children.
Amount of money available 30 days prior to the election: $2,347,000
Quote: “I’m running for governor because we need new ideas and new leadership to get Delaware back on top.”
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Democratic State Treasurer Jack Markell will challenge former Superior Court Republican Judge Bill Lee for governor in the Nov. 4 general election.
Both are popular candidates with statewide campaign experience.
Markell was re-elected to a third term as state treasurer in 2006 with 70 percent of the vote.
In 2004, Lee ran unsuccessfully against two-term Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, receiving 46 percent of the vote.
Markell has raised the most money for a campaign in the state’s history – $1.12 million this year alone.
Lee, who has raised more than $400,000 for his campaign, has said Markell is a Democratic extension of the current government that is broken and financially insecure.
Dr. Sam Hoff, a politics and law professor at Delaware State University, said the election cycle is more energetic than normal because it involves an open gubernatorial seat.
“It appears to be one-sided too, but we have to look at the whole election cycle, including the close primary in the Democratic race for governor,” Hoff said.
“Republicans were shocked when [Republican] Alan Levine dropped out of the race. They took at least a few months to recover from that,” Hoff said.
Hoff said many insiders say Republican lieutenant governor candidate Charlie Copeland recruited Lee to run for governor. He also said Republicans have been behind the eight ball since the start of election season in terms of momentum and finances. Hoff said most indicators point to one-sided results. He predicts Markell will win the election by 10 percentage points.
“The first question is, ‘Will Markell garner at least 50 percent of the vote?’ The other question is, ‘Can Judge Lee, in light of his 2004 percentage, still get the same amount of the vote?’”
The governor serves a four-year term and makes $132,500.
The Cape Gazette posed four questions to the candidates and their answers were limited to 75 words.
Leaving aside the testing issue, what specific steps would you take to ensure that Delaware students can compete in the global economy?
Lee: I support Vision 2015, a program created by educators, business leaders, our corporate philanthropists and the Rodel Foundation, which aims to build the best education system in the world in Delaware. We were chosen because our size creates a model for the other states. Performance of students would be the measure to evaluate students, teachers and schools. Principals and teachers would be encouraged to try innovations that have produced the best results around the world.
Markell: Delaware cannot have a world-class economy without a world-class education system. We must create an education system in which every child arrives ready to learn and every teenager graduates ready to succeed in college or in the job market. My comprehensive five-part strategy includes strengthening early childhood education, ensuring our schools have the resources they need and the accountability parents demand, recruiting and retaining quality teachers, expanding workforce education and broadening the reach of higher education.
Name three industries you want to bring to Delaware.
Lee: Until we restore a healthy business environment, low taxes, good schools and less business regulation, bringing in new businesses will be difficult. Industries already here offer great growth potential. Health sciences, encouraged by our medical centers, the University of Delaware and Delaware drug companies, continue to grow. Green energy companies are prospering and the potential for onshore support facilities for the wind farm is exciting. High-tech companies being incubated at the Delaware Technology Center and UD must be encouraged to stay here.
Markell: My economic development plan will create an economic climate that allows companies to thrive across a range of industries. I don’t believe state government should be picking favorites because none of us is smart enough to know what the next big thing will be. My philosophy starts with having the vision and know-how to attract the good, high-paying jobs that keep our economy vibrant – I am the only candidate with experience growing businesses and creating jobs.
Tourism is important to Sussex County’s economy. What other businesses could we attract?
Lee: The University of Delaware is planning a campus in Sussex and a vibrant university community will be a huge economic engine. Healthcare will continue to grow with our retired population. The state must increase aid to small businesses, largely ignored in recent years, since they provide 85 percent of all jobs. Since initial costs are lower, we can compete for the high-tech startups, particularly with UD’s southern campus plan.
Markell: We just do not have enough good jobs in Delaware, especially in Kent and Sussex counties. My TIME plan sets the goal of creating 25,000 good-paying jobs in a range of industries. We need to make Delaware hospitable to small businesses and entrepreneurs. I know what it takes to help entrepreneurs be successful. In a time of change and global competition, more-of-the-same won’t work. It’s time for change and bold leadership.
What music is most likely to be played in your home?
Lee: Jazz.
Markell: It depends: If my kids and wife are home, probably Lynyrd Skynrd or Led Zeppelin. If I’m home by myself, I would play Billy Joel or Neil Young.
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