I Opened the Doors. I Stayed Through the Storms.

​I didn’t just chair the meetings. I opened them up. I made County government visible, accessible, and accountable.

 

Every Council meeting streamed. Every voice heard. No matter how long it took. I opened the records. I pushed for transparency. And I made sure the public had a seat at the table—not just in theory, but in practice.

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Because trust starts with access. And credibility begins with consistency.

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But I didn’t stop there. I led through what history will remember as one of the most turbulent decades in local government. A global pandemic. Record-breaking floods. Hurricanes and tornadoes. Economic upheaval that tested every family and every fiscal line item.

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And through it all, I stayed focused: delivering the core services that keep a county standing and a community thriving.

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I fought for stronger public safety—not just with rhetoric, but with results. We increased pay for first responders, improved emergency coordination, and invested in the kind of infrastructure that saves lives when seconds count. I supported modernized 9-1-1 systems, secured mobile units for disaster response, and pushed for real-blood-carrying EMS teams that put New Castle County on the national map.

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I advanced smart investments in parks, expanded our libraries, and funded what makes communities not just livable—but better connected, healthier, and more resilient.

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And I did it all while protecting our financial integrity.

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I oversaw billions in public funds without voting to raise taxes—balancing budgets while absorbing crisis after crisis. We didn’t slash services. We strengthened them. We didn’t spin shortfalls. We solved them. That’s not just policy. That’s stewardship.

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Because when families were hanging on by a thread, they didn’t need slogans.
They needed someone who showed up. Who stayed. Who governed like every decision mattered.

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And I did. Every single day.

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 – Karen Hartley-Nagle

President, New Castle County Council (2016-2024)