DNREC nominee not confirmed
State legislators avoided voting on one of Gov. John Carney's cabinet picks during confirmation hearings at Legislative Hall Jan. 25.
No vote was taken on Carney's nomination of Shawn Garvin, a former Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator, to lead the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, said Delaware Senate Republican Caucus communications director Kim Hoey Stevenson. Carney's office did not respond to requests for more information.
Two other agency leaders – Department of Labor Secretary Patrice Gilliam-Johnson and Department of Economic Development Director Bernice Whaley – will remain at their posts pending ongoing reviews at each agency.
Jan. 26 marked the last day of legislative session before state leaders go into break for Joint Finance Committee meetings. That means another confirmation hearing for cabinet nominees will not be scheduled until March 14 at the earliest, Stevenson said.
DNREC Secretary David Small will continue leading the agency until the Senate takes a vote on Garvin’s nomination in mid-March, a department spokesman said.
The following nominees were confirmed during hearings Jan. 18 and Jan. 25: Secretary of State Jeffrey Bullock; Mike Jackson as director of the Office of Management and Budget; Richard J. “Rick” Geisenberger as secretary of the Department of Finance; Department of Transportation Secretary Jennifer Cohan; Perry Phelps as commissioner of the Department of Correction; Dr. Kara Odom Walker as secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services; Josetee DelleDonne Manning as secretary of the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families; Brigadier Gen. Carol A. Timmons as the next Adjutant General of the Delaware National Guard; Anas Ben Addi to continue serving as director of the Delaware State Housing Authority; former Indian River School District Superintendent Susan Bunting as secretary of the Department of Education; Robert Coupe as secretary of the Department of Safety and Homeland Security; James Collins as chief information officer at the Department of Technology and Information; and Michael Scuse as secretary of the Department of Agriculture.
