Berry, Miller offer positions on tax brackets, housing at District 20 forum

Why Should Delaware Care?
In June, Rep. Stell Parker Selby resigned from her legislative seat following a prolonged absence that came after suffering a stroke. Now, Democrats and Republicans are vying to replace her in the district of more than 20,000 Milton and Lewes-area residents. The race could be an opportunity for Republicans to flip the seat and cut into Democrats’ majority in the statehouse.

With early voting for the State House of Representatives District 20 special election already underway, Democrat Alonna Berry and Republican Nikki Miller have begun offering sharper contrasts to their candidacies, particularly around income tax bracket reform.

In one of their few side-by-side interactions, the candidates spoke to business leaders in a July 25 forum hosted by a coalition of chambers of commerce. 

They spoke separately and were not in the room together, but both answered questions about statewide economic policy and issues impacting the district, like the proposed offshore wind farm.

Oftentimes, Berry did not firmly come down on one side of hot-button policy issues.

“I think we really have to dig into what the policy says, line by line,” Berry said when asked about proposed changes to Delaware’s income tax brackets — an effort that Gov. Matt Meyer and some statehouse Democrats have publicly supported but the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce has opposed.

Berry said it was important first to understand who would be impacted by the policy and to garner constituent buy-in. 

She also said it was important to factor in how tax policy will affect the state’s future revenue streams and its “Rainy Day” reserve fund.

Miller, on the other hand, said she was against raising taxes, saying the state should instead focus on cutting spending.

“We are overspending, and we continue to overspend, and I believe the definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results,” she said. 

Although Miller said she supports fiscal responsibility, she separated herself from the national Republican Party.

“My No. 1 reason that I am running as a Republican is fiscal responsibility,” Miller said. “There are many things that the federal government is doing that is hurting me as a Republican.”

Candidates differ on wind farm 

Michael Quaranta, the president of the state chamber of commerce who led the forum, asked both candidates about their stance on the proposed off-shore wind farm that sparked debate earlier this summer between Sussex County and state officials. 

Berry said she was hesitant about the wind farm, while Miller said she was firmly against the project.

“That is not the answer for us,” Miller said of constructing the farm. “We have options for nuclear energy or other green sources of energy, and it is not in our best interest to put wind turbines off of our coasts.”

Berry, in softer language and without explicitly saying no to the wind farm, discussed power usage more broadly.

“I think that this work requires a multi-pronged approach,” she said. “I think that we can’t just lean on one singular solution.”

Find agreement on housing

Quaranta also asked the candidates how they would address Sussex County’s housing affordability issues. 

Berry drew on her experience as a housing policy adviser in the Carney administration, saying that the lack of dense and affordable housing in Sussex County is “missing middle.”

She supports building more townhomes, apartments, and housing that is affordable for residents at different income levels.

Miller agreed, adding that more apartments and townhomes coming into the area is good for the community.  

Both candidates have already filed to run for the District 20 seat in next year’s election cycle, potentially setting up an electoral rematch no matter who wins the August special election.