Lt. Governor Denn discusses impact of federal stimulus dollars in Kent County
Lieutenant Governor Matt Denn told the first Kent County Economic Summit today that the federal stimulus package had not solved the state’s economic problems but had served its purpose by “helping us get our sea legs back”. Denn also outlined the administration’s approach to restoring jobs to Kent County.
Denn noted that the over $200 million in funding provided by the stimulus package to help Delaware’s state government, public schools, and public colleges and universities close their budget deficits allowed them to avoid sweeping pay cuts or employee layoffs, and that this portion of the stimulus package had a significant impact in Kent County because it is home to many of the state’s employees along with Delaware State University and Delaware Technical and Community College campuses. Denn also noted that tens of millions of dollars in improvements to the Dover Air Force Base, a $5.7 million improvement to the DART hub in Kent County, and millions of dollars of energy efficiency work on state buildings located in Kent County would provide a significant boost to the region.
Denn noted that the unemployment rate in Kent County, while still unacceptably high, had actually slowed since the beginning of the calendar year, running counter to both statewide and national trends. “The numbers are higher than they have been in the past and certainly higher than we want them to be,” Denn said, “but we are happy to see them stabilized and moving for now in the right direction.”
Finally, Denn told the conference that the administration’s approach to creating jobs in Kent County would be to (a) create the best atmosphere in America to run a business by streamlining government and improving public schools, (b) use the fact that we are a small state to outhustle other states for business opportunities, and (c) refuse to be seduced by the temptation to pursue quick fixes.
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