What an O'Mara administration would look like if elected as Delaware governor

As Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long and New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer go on the defensive, attacking each other in ads and interviews, the third Democratic candidate for Delaware governor asks: Who's looking out for Delawareans?

As the race for Delaware governor enters its final weeks before the primary election on Sept. 10, former state environmental secretary Collin O’Mara said he’s trying to stay above the negativity and contentiousness that has absorbed this year’s gubernatorial election.

“As they’re killing each other, who’s actually looking out for you?” O’Mara told Delaware Online/The News Journal’s editorial board on Wednesday. “They're not serious people right now.”

Differentiating himself from the other Democratic candidates – where Hall-Long has been dogged by campaign finance issues and Meyer has capitalized on that – has worked to O’Mara’s advantage, the Bear resident said, pointing to recent polls showing Hall-Long's favorability dropping while O’Mara sees small gains.

A poll paid for by the Citizens for a New Delaware Way PAC and completed by Slingshot Strategies the week of Aug. 8 shows O’Mara polling at 11%, behind Hall-Long's 23% and Meyer’s 27%. That poll showed 31% of respondents were still undecided, which O’Mara noted is high for being weeks away from the primary.

A more recent poll shared with Delaware Online by O’Mara, which was conducted by Trailblazer Opinion Strategies on the governor’s race and released Aug. 27, shows O’Mara polling at 17%, with Hall-Long at just 19% and Meyer at 33%. Those who are undecided remain at 31% in that poll as well.

There are also three Republicans vying for the GOP line for governor: state House Rep. Mike Ramone, former New York City police officer Jerrold Price and lifelong Bridgeville resident Bobby Williamson .

WHO IS O'MARA?: After decade in D.C., Collin O’Mara aims to build a legacy in Delaware in run for governor

O’Mara, who is the CEO of the nonprofit National Wildlife Federation, faces an uphill battle with voters knowing who he is. He has been out of Delaware politics and governance since his departure from the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control in 2014. O’Mara was appointed by then-Gov. Jack Markell in 2009 to be DNREC secretary.

These are the takeaways from Delaware Online’s recent editorial board meeting with the gubernatorial candidate:

Not a ‘one issue’ candidate

It could be easy to dismiss O’Mara as being a “one issue” candidate given his decades of experience in the environmental and energy sectors.

But O’Mara, who has the backing of the Working Families Party and several environmental groups, stressed that his priorities go beyond one issue – starting first with education.

FIRST STATE EDUCATION: Gubernatorial candidates weigh in on reforming education in Delaware

"The funding recommendation for how we’re actually funding the schools, and the funding formula, those conversations have to start immediately,” he said. “If you do that, then all of a sudden, funding pre-K, funding free school meals, equal teacher pay, reduced class size, everything fits into that.”

O’Mara said he’d also focus on improving access to affordable housing; widening access to health care; expanding voting rights while also pursuing campaign finance reform; modernizing state infrastructure and economy; and supporting working families and older Delawareans.

Clean energy jobs

If elected, O’Mara would look to the clean energy sector to “diversity the economy” in Delaware, pointing out the fields typically offer well-paying jobs.

O’Mara is co-chair of the Mid Atlantic Hydrogen Hub (MACH2) – a federal push to grow the region into a hydrogen producer – which organizers aim to be completely emission-free by using renewable and nuclear energy sources to power the hydrogen plants.

Hydrogen power is seen as a boon for shifting energy-intensive industries, like DuPont, to cleaner, greener solutions.

HYDROGEN ENERGY: What to know about Delaware's hydrogen-powered future

O’Mara also supports Delaware’s plans to pursue offshore wind as an energy source.

“We can be the first state to get to 100% clean electricity if we have a couple gigawatts of offshore wind off the coast,” he said. “Electrification is the first piece. The next piece is decarbonizing the industrial and agriculture sectors,” which is where hydrogen energy comes in.

Natural defenses

O’Mara also emphasized a need for continued focus on restoring and protecting Delaware’s wetlands and beaches as strong storms hit the region causing flooding and erosion.

As DNREC secretary, he said the state spent a lot of time and money focusing on restoring the wetlands, shoreline, dykes and dams.

“When Hurricane Sandy hit, those systems all worked,” he said. “So, we didn’t have the level of devastation in Delaware that we had in New Jersey. Part of that was the storm track, but part of it is that these natural systems held a lot of the water” back.

O’Mara said some communities will have to have hard conversations, especially to ensure equity and environmental justice within those neighborhoods, but solutions are out there.

“I would much rather see the natural solutions that have that bladder capacity than sea walls and some things that have shown not to really work” during strong storms, he said.

A hands-on governor

O’Mara opined on why legislation and progress moves slow in the First State, promising to take a hands-on, proactive approach that doesn’t shy away from conflict or opposition.

“There’s not a will to get it done here if there’s pushback,” O’Mara said. “We don’t look at the benefits, so everything looks more expensive but that’s weaponized.”

For example, legislation to create an Office of the Inspector General did not make it through this session, in large part because of a nearly $1.5 million annual cost for its creation and ongoing operation.

The office would provide an independent arm of government to examine issues of potential fraud, waste and abuse and restore the public’s trust in Delaware transparency and accountability.

“Gov. John Carney’s view of governing is that you don’t intercede early,” O’Mara said. “You kind of wait to see what comes out of the process. You wait to receive the sausage.”

The gubernatorial candidate said he’d approach things differently, instead including the funding in a proposed executive budget, thereby ensuring “the fiscal note doesn’t kill the legislation.”

Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com, or by calling or texting at 302-598-5507. Follow her on X at @mandy_fries.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: What an O'Mara administration would look like if elected as Delaware governor