George S. Frankel (New Castle County Council President, Delaware, candidate 2024)

George S. Frankel

Democratic Party

Candidate, New Castle County Council President

Elections and appointments

Last election

September 10, 2024

Education

High school

Archmere Academy

Bachelor's

College of Charleston, 2020

Personal

Birthplace

Newark, Del.

Religion

Catholic

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal LinkedIn

George S. Frankel (Democratic Party) ran for election to the New Castle County Council President in Delaware. He was on the ballot in the Democratic primary on September 10, 2024.^[source]

Frankel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

George S. Frankel provided the following biographical information via Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey on August 5, 2024:

• Birth date: April 5, 1997
• Birth place: Newark, Delaware
• High school: Archmere Academy
• Bachelor's: College of Charleston, 2020
• Graduate: Lingnan University, 2022
• Gender: Male
• Religion: Catholic
• Incumbent officeholder: No
• Campaign slogan: a fresh set of eyes and a new voice for New Castle County
• Campaign website
• Campaign Instagram
• Campaign YouTube
• Campaign YouTube video
• LinkedIn

Elections

General election

General election for New Castle County Council President

Monique Johns and Melissa S. Brayman ran in the general election for New Castle County Council President on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Monique Johns (D)
		Melissa S. Brayman (R)

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	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for New Castle County Council President

George S. Frankel, Val Gould, Jason Hoover, Monique Johns, and Robert A. Williams ran in the Democratic primary for New Castle County Council President on September 10, 2024.

		Candidate
		George S. Frankel
	Submit photo	Val Gould
		Jason Hoover
	Submit photo	Monique Johns
	Submit photo	Robert A. Williams

---

	Incumbency information for this election was not available.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Frankel in this election.

Campaign themes

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

George S. Frankel completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Frankel's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a fifth-generation New Castle County resident. I am the son, grandson, and great-grandson of former NCC public school teachers. I received an undergraduate degree from the College of Charleston and a master's degree from Lingnan University in Hong Kong.

I served as a United States Senate Page, appointed by Delaware Senator Christopher Coons. While attending school, I worked on and off for the United States Senate from 2015 to 2019.

I have spent the past two years as the director of business engagement for the Delaware Workforce Development Board. During that time, I spent thousands of hours interviewing business owners and employers alike to discover their needs and the barriers to their workforce.

We must focus on retaining our young working-age population and encouraging more people to move to our county. Being the 3rd oldest state in the US with a growing retiree population means we have a high demand for a workforce without the supply of workers. We cannot sustain our growth without addressing quality of life issues and maintaining property residential and commercial development.

I hope to bring fresh eyes and a new voice to our county government.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Delaware is 49th in the nation for reading proficiency and 47th for math. Yet we are in the top ten states for spending per student on education.

  County government does not have the authority to change our school system that is the job of the school boards and the state.

  We do however have control over all 15 NCC libraries.

  My plan is the fill these libraries with science of reading specialized reading tutors for afterschool reading tutoring. The school buses would drop the kids off after school and the actives bus would pick them up around 5pm.

  If we can make it work for football we can make it work for reading.
• Land-use: Delaware needs to focus on redeveloping areas in our formerly industrial or office zones. We need to redevelop blights and focus on communities were infrastructure already exists as opposed to areas of the county such as farmland. We need to be more transparent with residents about developments. An opt-in text program for residents so they can get a message saying the time date and place of a re-zoning hearing could help with transparency and cost the county nothing.
• We need to focus on sustainability. Our sewage system and water treatment facilities pump harmful waste into our water and burn it into our air. We need to follow the lead of other counties like Pima County CA, or Washington DC who have turned there sewage waste into bio gas using digesters. Recycling our waste into natural gas that we can use to run our water treatment facility both saves the planet and saves money.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I'm passionate about leveraging our underutilized infrastructure (libraries) to solve a dire situation in our education system.

I'm passionate about the council's ability to change our routine to promote a better NCC.

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

Unlike the other county-wide position of County Executive, this office is not in charge of running the county and its thousands of employees every day. This gives this person who serves as council president the ability to research and explore new ways to help the county without distracting them from their daily tasks. This position can be the perfect role for someone willing to put in the extra work to find solutions for this county and argue to the council and the residents that this is the way forward.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to my father. He is a man who has been there for me my whole life. He has taught me right from wrong and given me a life safe from harm but not sheltered from reality.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

Trading Places:

This is my favorite movie. It's all about two men unknowingly switching lives as part of an evil bet. The movie shows how one's environment shapes the outcome of their life.

This is important because it relates to quality of life. Ensuring that the quality of life for residents of NCC is the best it has ever been and that the environment in which we all live is thriving is important to all our happiness and success.

I also love the book "Green Lights"

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

You need to be honest, reasonably intelligent, and have good intentions.

The best thing an elected official can have beyond that is common sense.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have good critical thinking skills and common sense.

If you follow the golden rule I can't see how you'll fail.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

New Castle County Council President is the title for the at-large elected seat on the county council. As such, they are the voice for the entire county. They speak for the interests of not just one of the 12 districts but the entire county as a whole.

The council president must be well-versed in how to run a legislative meeting. They must also have a firm grasp of how the legislative branch of government works.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave New Castle County, my home, better than I found it.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I remember the day Steve Irwin died. I was 9. He was always an idol of mine as a child. I watched his show on Animal Planet and had his movie on VHS. I was at the beach, and it was Labor Day weekend. He was a great soul, and the world would be worse off without him.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I worked as a lifeguard and swim coach at Vicmeed County Club from 15-18, three summers. I also had a small furniture moving company during the school year.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Brave New World might be a little depressing, but I was also just so blown away by Aldous Huxley's ability to predict much of the future when writing this dystopian future novel in the 1920s.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

Captain Ron

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Lovers Rock by Sade

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I am a dyslexic. I had to spend years in reading tutoring at the Brandywine 100 library just so I could make it through elementary school. I've gone on to earn multiple degrees and thrive academically, but sometimes it takes me a little bit more time than most to read a book.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

To my knowledge, the power in this office lies in the president's ability to run the point at the meetings.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for holders of this office to have previous experience in government or politics?

All who held this position for several decades were not former elected officials. There are better prerequisites for this role. However, the individual needs some experience. I have spent over a year working with the clerks and parliamentarians in the United States Senate, so I am familiar with the workings of a legislative body. I have two degrees in government studies and have worked for the state of Delaware for two years.

What kind of skills or expertise do you believe would be the most helpful for the holders of this office to possess?

Understanding how a legislative body functions is essential, and I have that experience.

Understanding the community and vested interest in that community is fundamental.

Patience, kindness, and critical thinking are very important qualities that I believe should be possessed by whoever holds this office or any public office.

Tell us your favorite joke.

This survey is too long and serious I can't think of anything lol

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I am the mom's demand action gun sense candidate. I am also supported by the Delaware Can Action Fund.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

As transparent as possible. We should have a big sign in front of every government project that itemizes every dollar of tax payer money spent.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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