By Joseph Edelen

WILMINGTON — Gov. John Carney has officially filed to run as Wilmington’s next mayor, his campaign announced Monday.

The term-limited governor submitted a campaign committee in October 2023 for the seat, signaling his interest in replacing retiring Mayor Mike Purzycki.

In his announcement on Monday, Gov. Carney said that his administration has invested more in the state’s largest city than any other in Delaware’s history, and that Wilmington’s success is directly correlated to that of the state’s.

“Our state can be successful only if our city is successful. It’s as simple as that. We’ve driven new job creation in Wilmington, invested more than ever in affordable housing, expanded the Port of Wilmington, and built the first new public school in 50 years,” Gov. Carney said in a statement.”

“As Mayor, I would stick to those priorities and focus on the future of our city. I will work with state officials, school districts and community leaders to improve public education in city schools. I will prioritize expanding affordable housing in Wilmington. I will invest in small and minority-owned businesses across the city.”

The governor signaled his commitment to protecting Wilmington taxpayer dollars ahead of his campaign kickoff on Monday, which was held at Delaware Technical Community College’s Orlando J. George, Jr. campus downtown.

Gov. Carney — who stated he was only focused on winning the upcoming election and did not elaborate on his future plans — said he planned to build off of Wilmington-specific initiatives kickstarted under his state leadership, such as the city’s learning collaborative.

This includes measures to reduce violence, promote affordable housing, implement community development initiatives and eliminating vacant housing.

“It’s one at the top of the list in respect to education and improving the public schools; we’ve created the Wilmington Learning Collaborative. The schools have to be strong… that’s going to be a priority — it’s been a priority — and I’m going to continue to focus on that,” he said.

Another Wilmington-specific issue that Gov. Carney offered insight on was a recently implemented mandate to require 5-years of residency before individuals can work for the city.

“It is possible that there are jobs that are hard to fill; you might have to have make some exceptions, but that would be an exception as opposed to the rule. I certainly want to see public safety jobs filled with people live in the city,” he said.

The mayoral hopeful said public safety would also be an issue of focus should he be elected, including crime and the rising population of homeless individuals.

As he finishes his final term as Delaware’s top executive, Gov. Carney did state that he has recently met with the Wilmington Police Department to discuss potential solutions to these issues in the city.

At the campaign kickoff event, Gov. Carney’s announcement was briefly interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters who advocated for Delaware to stop be complicit in its funding of Israel’s war against Hamas. The protesters were escorted peacefully, and attendees attempted to drown out their calls with a singing of “God Bless America.”

Gov. Carney joins another Democrat, Wilmington Treasurer Velda Jones-Potter — who has served in the role since 2017 — in the race for the city’s top office prior to the Sept. 10 primary election.

Department of Elections