Brandywine East Community News, October 21, 2008

Hockessin, Del. — With 15, maybe 20 debates under their belts, the candidates for lieutenant governor have been asked just about everything.

So it’s no surprise that both Republican Charlie Copeland and Democrat Matt Denn seemed well-rehearsed for their 40 minute face-off Monday at Hockessin Memorial Hall.

In the forum, sponsored by the Community News, both focused their remarks on education and the economy, and both touted their experience and achievements in their previous roles – Copeland as state senator and Denn as Insurance Commissioner.

On the subject of education, Denn said the state had to do more to recruit and retain teachers, and said he would support financial incentives for teachers whose students excel and for those who are willing to teach in troubled schools.

If elected, he said he’ll convene a group of parents, teachers and administrators to help define what are considered classroom expenditures and what are administrative costs. Only after that is determined, can the state set criteria as to how much of its funding must go directly to the “classroom.”

“We need to tell the local school districts ‘you need to meet that [percentage] and then you can have some discretion as to where to use that money,’” he said.

But Copeland said he thinks there have been enough meetings, and said the next governor and lieutenant governor need to take the lead on pushing legislation that solves the problem. He said its time the state began implementing tenants of the Vision 2015 education proposal.

“We’ve heard from a number of teacher and administrators…and now its time to get something done,” he said.

Asked about development, Copeland said it was important for lawmakers to strike a balance between individual property rights and their responsibility to regulate uses and zoning. He said one of Delaware’s biggest shortcomings has been its failure to adequately fund open space preservation efforts.

“We’ve seen our budget frittered away on so many other areas and the growth of our personnel to 31,000 employees,” he said.

Denn said the state’s budget crunch is going to force officials to change the way they approach preservation.

“The days when we can buy our way out of the open space program if not over, are on hold for a while,” he said.

He said state planners have to do more to coordinate with county officials to make sure growth is slated for areas which already have the necessary infrastructure.

Perhaps the biggest contrast between the two candidates came on the subject of healthcare. With Medicaid costs rising by 14 percent per year in Delaware, Copeland said the state has to look at ways to make the program more affordable and more user-friendly for those who are enrolled.

He said Delaware should consider models like those in Oklahoma and Rhode Island, where Medicaid can pay an individual’s share of a policy when his or her employer is willing to pay the other portion.

Copeland called for less government regulation on health care and said instead, the state should be fostering competition that could drive premiums down.

Denn rejected that approach.

“I don’t think deregulation will help reduce costs, and it raises questions about how people who don’t get their claims paid will be able to have recourse,” he said.

Denn said he has a plan to cover every child in Delaware, by increasing enrollment in the federally-funded Children’s Health Insurance Program and by allowing families who may not be able to purchase a plan for their entire family to be able to purchase a policy for their children individually.

Throughout the evening, Denn linked himself closely with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jack Markell, while Copeland never mentioned Bill Lee, the Republican candidate. Copeland addressed that divergence in his closing remarks. He pledged to be independent, and said he would oppose “bad legislation” no matter who else supported it.

“I’m not going to be Bill Lee’s lieutenant governor or Jack Markell’s lieutenant governor,” he said. “I’m running to be Delaware’s lieutenant governor.”