In January, Lt. Gov. Denn spoke to the Greater Kent County Committee about how Delaware moves ahead after coming back from the worst economic crisis to hit the state since the Great Depression. In three editorials over the next few months, he will share his thoughts regarding the economy, controlling business costs and education.

The national Bureau of Labor Statistics put our unemployment rate in Delaware at 6.5 percent in November. That’s the best it’s been in five years — it essentially puts us back to where we were when the national economy crashed in late 2008. Some people say that number is deceptive because the labor force is smaller now, but the labor-force number goes up and down over time — our state labor force today is larger than it was in November, 2010.

How does that unemployment rate compare to our neighbors? Maryland is right around where we are at 6.4 percent — but with a full 25 percent of its non-farm workforce in recession-proof government work, compared to 14.7 percent of ours. Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate is 7.3 percent. New Jersey’s unemployment rate is 7.8 percent. New York’s is 7.4 percent. Connecticut’s is 7.6 percent. Rhode Island’s is 9 percent.

Are we the best in the country? No. Are we even close to satisfied with being the best in the region? Absolutely not — we won’t be satisfied until every Delawarean who wants work can find it. But as we look ahead to determine how we will build on our success, we should appreciate how far we’ve come and the better place from where we start.

When we are at our best in Delaware in creating economic opportunity, we are doing three things well. First, we are making our state an attractive place for anyone to do business. We recognize that no one — least of all government agencies — bats a thousand guessing winners and losers in these unpredictable economic times, and we have to make sure that the fundamentals of our economy are such that we are an attractive place to move and grow for all types of employers.

Second, while we are strengthening our overall profile as a state to do business, we need to be smart about those economic areas where we have, or could work to have, strategic advantages, and pay special attention to those areas.

And third, when there are particular companies that are interested in locating or expanding here and offer the real prospect of putting Delawareans to work, we need to be extremely responsive to them. We can’t lose our focus on any of these three areas — it doesn’t matter, for example, how nimble or responsive we are to potential new employers, if the underlying economic environment in our state isn’t attractive to them.

Working with Chairman Gary Stockbridge, I recently announced that the state’s Workforce Investment Board is seeking permission from the federal government to implement a new program that would dramatically increase the workforce training funds made available to small businesses willing to hire and train new employees, and all businesses willing to hire and train Delawareans who have been unemployed for long periods of time.

If approved by the United States Department of Labor, the new program will allow the state to pay 90 percent of a new employee’s wages if that employee is hired by a business of 50 or fewer people or the new employee has been unemployed for over 26 weeks.

The program would be funded with existing federal workforce investment funds. The subsidy would last as long as the employee was receiving specialized training from the employer, and employers participating in the program would be required to demonstrate a commitment to keeping employees in the workplace after the expiration of the grant.

The program already exists in Delaware, but because it requires a 50-percent salary match from employers, it is not widely used.

It is a great opportunity for us to give our small businesses another tool to hire new workers and give them valuable training, and also a way for us to incentivize hiring of some of our neighbors who have been out of work for a long time. The best part is we can do it using job-training money that we already receive from the federal government.

The fundamentals are easily stated but hard to do. The governor and I hear them over and over from employers. Employers want a well- educated and trained workforce — students graduating from high school, college graduates, and adults who have learned skills after finishing school. Employers want a low cost of doing business. They want to be in a state that has a good quality of life — where they and their employees will want to live. And they want a supportive government, not one that necessarily gives them everything they want but one that listens and understands that for business, time is money.

On those fundamentals, we have solid progress to report but still a lot of work to do together.

Matt Denn
Lieutenant Governor

Six individuals receive the Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service

DOVER – Governor Jack Markell today recognized and celebrated the efforts of the 2012 recipients of the Delaware Award for Excellence and Commitment in State Service. The award winners and nominees were recognized for their exemplary efforts in service to the State of Delaware.

“These individuals truly exemplify what it means to be a public servant,” said Governor Markell. “Their commitment and dedication have driven them to provide excellent service to Delawareans.  I want to thank them for the work they do every day.”

The 2012 recipients are:

• Brian Forte, Department of Correction, Bureau of Prisons – In the past year, Sergeant Forte, a supervisor at the Howard R. Young Correctional Institute, has displayed courage and heroism in the face of three major emergency situations. These situations included providing assistance to a visitor who went into medical distress while at the facility, resolving a dangerous domestic confrontation on the facility grounds in which one of the parties was suspected of being armed, and coming to the aid of a coworker attempting to take a violent suspect into custody. His courage and quick action to these emergency situations protected the lives and well being of others and inspired his coworkers.
• Arline M. Fisher, Department of Finance, Division of Revenue – Arline, a 26-year employee of the department, is well known for her approachability, friendliness, and dedication to serving the citizens of Delaware. Her experience and knowledge, as well as an extensive network of resources, enables her to serve the division’s customer needs, no matter how complex they might be. Over the years, she has been the most complimented person on the Public Service staff, and customers come in and ask for her by name nearly every day. In 2011, she was directly responsible for the collection of over $125 million in cigarette stamp revenue for the State. She was also a key member of the team that developed an automated process for vendors to purchase and receive cigarette stamps. Arline’s high ethical standards and vast experience have made her a role model who is held in the highest esteem by those who work with her.
• Stacy Watkins, Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families, Division of Prevention and Behavioral Health Services – In addition to performing her regular assignments, Stacy demonstrates exceptional leadership skills and personal initiative which have had a direct impact on the daily operations of her agency and on the youth in their care. During this past year, her detailed analysis of invoices from a medical vendor for the Brenford Residential Treatment Center program saved her agency over $14,000. She also took on voluntary responsibilities to help the youth develop independent living skills and learn about making choices that will ultimately give them a better chance for success in the future. Stacy is dedicated to her work and committed to doing the right thing.
• Anna Bellantoni, Department of Transportation, Delaware Transit Corporation – Anna’s alert driving and rapid response to an accident she witnessed while she drove her paratransit bus earlier this year was exceptional. While travelling on Route 1, Anna noticed a car in front her beginning to swerve back and forth. The car then blew out one of its tires, spun out of control, and flipped over onto the road. Although shaken by what she had seen, she calmly and professionally stopped her bus at safe distance behind the disabled vehicle, checked on her passenger’s welfare, contacted emergency authorities, and then got out to help. She worked with other motorists to help the family out of their vehicle and checked for any injuries. Anna instinctively and competently assisted the family while being continuously mindful of the safety of all the people, including her passenger. Anna’s alertness and quick reactions helped make a difference that day.
• Bruce Furry and Sinath Sam, Department of Transportation, Division of Maintenance and Operations – Driving back from a job site on a hot, humid summer’s day, Bruce and Sinath noticed a person lying on the ground behind a house. When they turned around and stopped to see if the person needed help, they found an elderly woman lying on the hot driveway. She had what appeared to be a gash on her forehead and was unable to get up. They helped her get out of the heat and into her house. Although the woman said she was feeling better, Bruce and Sinath remained concerned for her safety. They insisted on staying with her until they could reach someone who could stay and help her more. They reached the woman’s daughter and stayed until she arrived. The woman was later hospitalized for heatstroke. By taking the time and effort to see if the woman needed help and making sure that she was not left alone, Bruce and Sinath probably saved her life.