We need a candidate for the people in lower Delaware

My name is Don Allan, and I am running for state representative in Delaware’s 36th District, which straddles Milton and Milford. I would like to introduce myself and explain why I am running for office as a first-time candidate.

I am a husband, father and second-generation carpenter. I understand the financial struggles facing hardworking Delawareans and their families. We are concerned about our present and our future, and our children’s future. Since last December, our campaign has knocked on over 4,100 doors. Time and again, parents have talked about what it takes to pay rent and put food on the table, and to raise children while working two or three jobs. Families fear that the government has stopped looking out for them, questioning if their voices and votes even matter.

We have listened to retired seniors, living on fixed incomes, filled with anxiety about the soaring costs of prescriptions, healthcare, food and utilities. Selflessly, many seniors are more worried about their children and grandchildren than themselves. How will their struggling children make it? How will their children afford to raise their grandchildren? What kind of world will their grandchildren inherit? Many of these seniors have lived in the same neighborhoods, even the same houses, for decades. They recognize how things have changed for them in recent decades, and for their family, friends, and neighbors. Sadly, things have not changed for the better.

Here are some things I believe. Delawareans working 40 hours or more per week should not struggle to survive. Hardworking Delawareans should earn enough to own a home, pay medical and utility bills, fund retirement, and save for a rainy day.

Our public schools should be much more equitable in their infrastructure, resources and quality of education. Two school districts so close together - like Milford and Cape Henlopen, which are both in my representative district - should not have such disparate funding and results.

Parents who want to send their children to colleges, universities and trade schools should be able to afford it, and their children should not be saddled with unbearable student debt for decades. Children should see a bright future for themselves, and not look ahead with hopelessness and dread. All Delawareans should have access to clean, safe drinking water. Seniors should not have to choose between medicine and food, healthcare and electricity. We should leave our grandchildren and their children a Delaware that is environmentally sound and still beautiful. 

We must reinvest in our citizens - including investment in volunteer firefighters, paramedics, after-school programs and services for senior citizens. We need additional personal income tax brackets for wealthier Delawareans. Currently, Delawareans earning $60,000 per year pay the same PIT rate as Delawareans earning $100,000, $500,000, and even $1,000,000 per year. Adding PIT brackets for wealthier Delawareans is the fair thing to do, and will generate millions of dollars in steady tax revenue.

All Delawareans deserve clean drinking water. We must stop giving corporations free rein regarding wastewater privileges. It is unacceptable to have contaminated water flowing out of so many Delawareans’ faucets.

Healthcare must be recognized as a right, not a privilege. People should not avoid medical treatment because they cannot afford it, in many cases leading to more serious health issues and even death. Delaware’s public school students, regardless of their socioeconomic status or abilities, deserve a quality education that prepares them for college, trade school, or the workforce. We must overhaul our public school funding and pay teachers the salaries they deserve.

We must acknowledge and address climate change. Delmarva sits on a coastal plain, and Delaware is the lowest-lying state in the nation. Immediately, we must invest seriously in renewable energy resources and the energy jobs of the future. I stand for full equality regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or national origin. We are much more alike than we are different. I support automatic voter registration, making it as easy as possible for Delawareans to participate in democracy.

Finally, our veterans deserve much better care. Delaware is one of the few states without a property tax exemption for disabled veterans, which I believe we should extend to disabled and honorably discharged veterans alike.

Despite our many challenges, I face the future with much more hope than anxiety. I firmly believe we can make Delaware what it needs to be for adults, children, seniors and everyone. If I did not believe that, I would not be running for a seat in the Delaware House of Representatives.

Don Allan is a Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives in the 36th District, which straddles Milton and Milford.  For more information, visit the campaign website or find it on social media.