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A Better Delaware Celebrates the Holidays and Looks Back on a Successful Year

ABD logoFrom: Kathleen Rutherford, Executive Director

WILMINGTON, Del. — As A Better Delaware celebrates the holiday season, our thoughts turn gratefully to those who have made our success possible throughout the past year. It’s in this spirit that we say thank you and send best wishes for the holidays and New Year. As we look back on 2022, we’d like to acknowledge those who have supported our organization’s efforts to promote pro-growth, pro-jobs policies and greater transparency and accountability in Delaware state government.

It’s been a groundbreaking year for A Better Delaware. Since last Christmas, our organization’s grassroots campaigns have shown tremendous success, with many of our digital advocate efforts going viral, accumulating more than a million cumulative impressions. Additionally, 98% of our in-house issue-focused blogs have been published across various Delaware news outlets.

Over 98k YouTube subscribers viewed ABD’s video release this past October WHAT NOT TO DO which explores the disastrous impact of Delaware’s COVID policies on the state’s small business community.

– 2022 By The Numbers –

1.4 M interactions on Facebook99% blogs and press releases published72K impressions on twitter55k visits to our websiteOver 50 unique emails delivered to 1.6 million inboxesOver 98K video campaign views

That’s in no small part thanks to the guidance of A Better Delaware’s Advisory Board, which has grown from two-distinguished leaders to six in the past year. In addition to veteran business leader Sam Waltz and beloved former Gov. Mike Castle, four new members have joined our organization: renowned elder law attorney Bill Erhart, accomplished obstetrician Dr. Greg DeMeo, nationally recognized climatologist David Legates, and public safety expert Dennis Godek. All of our board members have been and will continue to be invaluable assets to our organization.

Sam Waltz, Vice Chair, November 2022, Business and Communications AdvisorHon. Mike Castle, January 14, 2022, Government and Policy AdvisorWilliam W. Ehrhart, February 28, 2022, Elder Law and Veteran Benefits AdvisorDr. Gregory DeMeo, March 31, 2022, Healthcare AdvisorDavid Legates PhD, November 14, 2022, Climate and Renewable Energy AdvisorDennis Godek, November 25, 2022, Criminology Advisor

A Better Delaware will continue to build an advisory board with professionals in Education, Finance, Family Health, and Criminal Law experts to advise on school choice, mental health substance abuse issues, state budgetary matters and crime issues all of which influence Delaware’s economic growth.

Thanks to your support, A Better Delaware’s policy advocacy was seen and heard within Delaware’s Legislative Hall. Our organization worked tirelessly to promote legislation that would aid the state’s recovery from pandemic-era lockdowns, ensure transparency in government, reduce Delawareans’ taxes, ease the state’s regulatory burden, and limit wasteful and unnecessary spending. Those bills include Senate Bill 338, which proposed an Office of Legislative Ethics; House Bill 405, which would create an independent Inspector General’s office; House Bill 445, which would reduce the gross receipts tax by 50%, House Bill 71, which would increase the realty tax credit; and many more.

While we’re so proud of the strides we’ve made in the past year, there is more work to be done to create A Better Delaware for us all. To remain part of the movement, be sure to stay informed on our work by looking out for our emails, blogs, and posts on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.

There’s no greater joy for us than the opportunity to express season’s greetings and a very happy holiday and a peaceful and prosperous New Year to all Delawareans!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE; A Better Delaware Welcomes a New Executive Director


Kathleen Rutherford

Wilmington, Delaware – May 4, 2021 – Chris Kenny, founder of A Better Delaware, Inc. (ABD) has selected Kathleen Rutherford as its new Executive Director to lead his political advocacy organization which supports pro-growth, pro-jobs policies and overall transparency in state government.

Rutherford will succeed Zoe Callaway who for two years was at the forefront of driving over a dozen advocacy campaigns, including raising public awareness about a possible soda tax and income tax hike. ABD was also a frequent critic of the Health Resources Board, the authority of which was recently stripped by the state Legislative Oversight and Sunset Committee. Currently, A Better Delaware is advocating for more rapidly opening up our state completely so our families, kids, and businesses can heal mentally, emotionally, socially and financially from the disastrous effects of the prolonged lockdown during the pandemic.

Callaway has accepted a position at the highly regarded Tax Foundation in Washington, DC as Manager of Education and Outreach and will hand over the reins to Kathleen in the beginning of May. Kenny and Callaway have worked seamlessly together to build the ABD brand. Kenny commented, “While I am saddened to see Zoe leave after such an incredible performance launching ABD to become a formidable presence in Delaware, I am very happy to see her land a much larger role in such a prestigious national organization in DC.”

Over the past six years, Rutherford has directed several major political campaigns in Delaware helping to raise over one million dollars in donations, recruited hundreds of volunteers, and consistently lead a record number of voters to the ballot box in support of her candidate clients. During this time, Rutherford also formed Rutherford Consulting, Inc. offering communications and marketing strategies to advance her clients position with the Delaware General Assembly and the regulatory bodies of the State of Delaware. Kenny is looking forward to ABD’s continued success with his new hire stating, “Kathleen brings that seasoned Delaware political experience coupled with fundraising prowess that will bring ABD to new heights. I am excited to see what we can achieve with her at the helm.”

“The work at A Better Delaware is consistently in motion and the organization is affecting change. This is where I want to be,” said Rutherford. “My goal as Executive Director for A Better Delaware, is to continue their year-round communications which promote policies benefiting Delaware’s economy, and enhance their grassroots efforts, which have to date earned 10,000 Facebook followers and over 13,000 email subscribers. I am extremely excited to carry forward A Better Delaware’s mission of advocating for a transparent government with common-sense policies that benefit all Delawareans.”

ABOUT A BETTER DELAWARE A Better Delaware is a non-partisan public policy and political advocacy organization that supports pro-growth, pro-jobs policies and greater transparency and accountability in state government. A Better Delaware can be found on Facebook @abetterdelaware and at www.ABetterDelaware.org.

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Contact: Kathleen Rutherford
kathleen@abetterdelaware.org

Delaware launches new ‘One Stop’ business registration site

From Delaware State News

DOVER — After about three years of collaborative multi-agency work and an approximately $1 million investment, the state launched Delaware One Stop — a website that pulls all the business registration, licensing and other obligations and resources into one place for companies looking to open their doors in the state.

Dana Rohrbough, the director of Government Information Center, says they’re still making tweaks to the site, which is in a soft-launch phase that started mid-August, as they receive user feedback. Ms. Rohrbough says the site is technically a full revamp and relaunch of an earlier “one-stop” resource from 2005.

Read more:

https://delawarestatenews.net/business/delaware-launches-new-one-stop-business-registration-site/

Robots show up in Delaware’s Walmarts

From Delaware State News

MILFORD — Over the past month, Delaware Walmart shoppers may have caught a rather surprising glimpse of a floor scrubbing machine driving itself up and down the aisles.

In July, the Camden, Milford and Middletown Walmart stores all got autonomous floor cleaners, or “Auto-C,” as they are known.

According to Walmart spokesman Ragan Dickens, these are just the most recent robots the retail giant has introduced in its stores in the state. Walmart began testing several types of robots in their stores across the country in 2018.

Read more:

https://delawarestatenews.net/business/robots-show-up-in-delawares-walmarts/

A proposed tax, just for one nonprofit: Behind the DE Turf bill

From Delaware Online

A new hotel tax in Kent County, if it gets final approval, would benefit the DE Turf athletic complex. Reporters Karl Baker and Sarah Gamard looked into this story with a series of articles.

Connections don’t mean conflict of interest, brothers say

Pushed by Dover Sen. Trey Paradee, the tax law that could inject nearly $1 million a year into DE Turf in Frederica has a notable beneficiary – a private development championed by Paradee’s brother. They both strongly object to any idea that this was intentional.

Read more:

https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/local/2019/08/22/behind-de-turf-bill-new-tax-just-one-nonprofit/2060073001/

Gov. Carney announces new Downtown Development District designations

From Delaware Business Times

Clayton, Delaware City, Middletown and New Castle on Monday were designated Downtown Development Districts, joining Dover, Georgetown, Harrington, Laurel, Milford, Seaford, Smyrna and Wilmington.

Private construction projects within these districts can receive rebates of up to 20 percent of their capital construction costs,from this year’s $8.5 million pool of state funding.

“The workforce of the future wants interesting places to live in and cool things to do,” Gov. John Carney said at a Aug 19 announcement ceremony in Delaware City, also calling the state program “one of the most successful” that he has known in his nearly 30 years in state and local government.

Read more:

https://www.delawarebusinesstimes.com/downtown-development-districts-auguest-2019/

Viewpoint: Why Delaware’s economy will remain constrained

From Delaware Business Times

Editor’s Note: The authors participated in our first Delaware Dialogue, published in the July 23 issue, and offered to write the following on the state of Delaware’s economy.

Over the past 10 years, using the standard measures — e.g., output, employment, personal income, annual wages and median household income — the Delaware economy has been performing poorly. Even Delaware’s low unemployment rate, the 11th-lowest among the states, is due primarily to slow growth in the state’s labor force.

Will these slow times pass? After all, the Delaware economy has been hit with some major blows: the closing of two automobile plants, the downsizing of DuPont and AstraZeneca, and the impact of the 2008 Recession on the financial services industry.

Read more:

https://www.delawarebusinesstimes.com/economycaesarrodneyview/

First State begins looking at sugary drink tax

From Delaware Public Media

The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services is in the early stages of examining the possible effects of a statewide tax on sugary beverages.

Cities like Philadelphia, Seattle and Berkeley, California have passed soda taxes. Chicago passed and then repealed one.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association earlier this year issued a joint statement supporting a tax on sugary beverages, limiting marketing to children and financial incentives for choosing healthier options.

Read more:

https://www.delawarepublic.org/post/first-state-begins-looking-sugary-drink-tax

Proposed Dover lodging tax takes big step forward

From Delaware State News

DOVER — Dover Councilman Tanner Polce called it a “call to action and a full-court press.”

That’s after he learned the General Assembly had authorized legislation to allow Kent Levy Court to establish a tax on hotels and similar establishments — and to then direct that revenue to the DE Turf sports complex.

That bill, which passed on June 30, enables Kent County to place a tax of up to 3 percent on hotels, motels and tourist homes — including those in the city of Dover — with the proceeds designated for the Frederica-area sports complex.

Read more:

https://delawarestatenews.net/news/proposed-dover-lodging-tax-takes-big-step-forward/

Study: Delaware ranked 7th worst state to start a business

From Delaware Business Times

Is Delaware among the 10 worst states to start a business?

A new study from WalletHub ranked Delaware as the 7th worst state to launch a new enterprise. The personal finance website, which generates a near constant stream of economic rankings, compared 26 indicators across 50 states to determine the best place to launch and grow a business in the U.S.

Read more:

https://www.delawarebusinesstimes.com/delaware-ranked-7th-worst-state-to-launch-a-business/