My Vision
Change requires a long-term vision, not quick fixes that are temporary. My hope for Delaware (and Sussex County) is to provide the economic, social and environmental environment that will give all people the ability to live in a healthy community that can provide essential services for everyone. If we do not support everyone we will not be able to support our residents over the long term.
First and foremost, I do not support the cruelty being brought upon us by the current federal government and I want to ensure that Delaware protects our citizens and residents alike. We are all connected socially and economically. We must:
- Ensure the rule of law and the Constitution are fully supported
- Address the needs of those lacking the “essentials of life”, food, clothing, shelter, education, and healthcare
- Support agriculture, an essential part of Sussex County
- Provide the needed infrastructure to ensure that professionals, skilled labor, and those that provide for the needs of the community are in place
- Manage growth by requiring developers to provide the upfront costs for the needed infrastructure to support the communities they are building.
- Provide a healthy natural environment
About Me
I am a retired U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist. Most of my career I worked as a research geneticist on tree breeding programs (in the Pacific Northwest, New Zealand, and Brazil) and restoration efforts of native ecosystems. In these efforts I predominantly worked with “cooperatives”, groups of companies, and state and federal partners to achieve breeding results. Through these efforts I helped coordinate organizations with different perspectives and goals.
I moved to DC in 2008 to become the National Program Leader (NPL) for U.S. Forest Service genetics research and later acquired the NPL job for climate change research. Over the years I helped start ,and initially led, the USDA Climate Hubs, an organization whose goal was to make science more readily available to farmers, foresters and range managers. Throughout my time in DC I regularly worked with other government agencies to coordinate our research efforts to improve efficiency and not waste taxpayer dollars. Once again I was working with organizations with different missions to make our work benefit all.
Most of my career was spent coordinating efforts across organizations with different missions, but similar goals. I envision doing similar work in the Delaware Senate as we work to improve the lives of those living here.
Since retiring to Delaware, I have been involved in a number of activities to keep me in touch with life here. I served on the Board of Delaware Interfaith Power & Light. I volunteer with my church and am on the HOA board. I also served on a federal advisory committee for the Department of Energy and for a few years provided training for the USDA. I am an active member of the 38th Representative District Democratic Committee.
Education:
BS Forestry - University of Illinois, Champaign IL 1978
MS Forest Soils - North Carolina State University, 1980
PhD. Forest Genetics - North Carolina State University, 1984
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Provide our needed infrastructure
We must ensure that professionals, skilled labor, and those that provide for the needs of our community have the infrastructure in place to ensure that all can flourish in Delaware, with emphasis on Sussex County. This includes:
- Maintaining and improving our educational system to attract needed professionals and craftsmen to provide for our needs
- Ensure our youth are prepared for their futures by improving our school systems.
- Provide adult programs to help those needing to enter or reenter the workforce
- Work on affordable housing options
- Better coordinate state DOT and Sussex county to address local desires and needs
- Ensure our emergency services are fully funded and staffed
Controlled Growth
Controlled growth calls for developers to provide the upfront costs for the needed infrastructure to support the communities they are building. These include:
- Roads
- Schools
- Utilities
- Emergency response
- Parks
- Environmental protections
Protect our Environment
Human wellbeing is a function of a healthy environment; an environment that provides the diversity needed to keep our lands and water from degrading. Maintaining and establishing healthy environments requires planning and resources. Needs include:
- Reexamining the building on EPA wetlands (restrictions are already in place for Army Corps of Engineers wetlands)
- Funding to maintain and develop critical green environmental infrastructure
- Support for green energy development and appropriate legislation to keep our energy bills down and reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Prepare for and mitigate the impacts of climate change with the goal of better protecting our beaches and farmlands
- Appropriate planning for beach management
Support Agriculture
Agriculture is key to the economy of Sussex County. Farmers must be supported to enable them to maintain productivity and profitability in a changing environment. In the past, USDA programs have helped incentivize farmers to adapt to changing climate/weather patterns and threats from saltwater intrusion. These federal programs have been reduced during this administration; thus reducing the ability to modify farming practices when needed. Markets have also been lost and farmers, who typically carry considerable debt, must be supported to maintain our agricultural capabilities. How can the state step up and keep our farmers profitable and environmentally conscious?
Contact me:
Email: randi@Johnson4Sussex.com