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Susan Clifford
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
Susan Clifford (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Delaware House of Representatives to represent District 39. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.
Clifford completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Susan Clifford was born in Stamford, New York. She earned an associate degree from Lasell University in 1980, a bachelor's degree from Russell Sage College in 1997, and a graduate degree from Sage Graduate School in 2002. She is a retired teacher. [1]
Elections
2022
See also: Delaware House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Delaware House of Representatives District 39
Incumbent Daniel Short defeated Susan Clifford in the general election for Delaware House of Representatives District 39 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Daniel Short (R) | 70.5 | 4,343 |
 | Susan Clifford (D)  | 29.5 | 1,818 | |
| Total votes: 6,161 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Susan Clifford advanced from the Democratic primary for Delaware House of Representatives District 39.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Daniel Short advanced from the Republican primary for Delaware House of Representatives District 39.
Campaign themes
2022
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Susan Clifford completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Clifford's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I was raised in rural New York state, and I was the first from my family to graduate from high school and from college. Now I am a retired educator (elementary education and special education) living more than 20 years in the rural Delaware district I hope to represent: the communities of Seaford and Blades. Over the years and still currently, I have volunteered with the city’s Public Library (raising funds as a Board member), with the Food Bank of Delaware (collecting and transporting food to neighbors in need), and with a Code Purple program (cooking and serving meals to veterans experiencing homelessness). Last year, I participated with petitioning and canvassing for an increase to Delaware’s minimum wage and for changes to a law enforcement officers’ bill of rights to address and reduce racial injustices. I do not sit on the sidelines when there is a need in my rural district, the county, or the state, and I intend to bring that action-oriented, problem-solving approach to the Delaware General Assembly in the House of Representatives.
- This House District deserves a stronger voice representing all of us to ensure laws and policies are constructive for us and future generations. As Representative, I will be able to speak for all of us and help the Assembly see that the voices of Delaware’s black, brown, and white residents: immigrants, retirees, farmhands, small-business owners in rural towns should be considered and valued in Delaware’s decision-making, particularly around three issues: education, environment, and homes.
- I intend to work with colleagues and partners to strengthen programs that ensure clean air and water in my District; reduce PFOAs in well systems; and require proper compost labeling. I also intend to collaborate with those above and others to identify moderately-priced homes for veterans, families, and retirees currently renting in the District.
- I will propose that mental health counseling – 30 minutes weekly in the classroom – be required for students in grades K-8 to address pandemic-provoked emotional and socialization issues and to decrease bullying and violence.
As a retired educator, mother, and grandmother, I am most passionate about educational policies, sensible gun-safety policies, and policies affecting bodily autonomy/independence.
The most important characteristics for an elected official are being organized, being approachable, and being a good listener. An elected official cannot be effective without being able to prioritize the work and the schedules to ensure the work is accomplished; without having a temperament that is welcoming, kind, and warm; and without being a skilled active listener. It is also key for an elected official to establish and maintain a few different types of balance: balance between legislating for the “now” and legislating for the “future”; balance between meeting the needs of residents and the needs of local businesses; balance between doing and delegating; and balance between work life and family life.
The qualities that will make me a good officeholder are the values I try to live by on a daily basis: demonstrating integrity and honesty in my relationships and work; resolving differences, without resorting to conflict and confrontation, through collaborative action and dialogue; working diligently with others to achieve community-centered goals; respecting, celebrating, and amplifying equality within my communities; and proactively looking for ways to serve the greater good.
I vividly remember the assassination of President Kennedy when I was only 4 years old. I was not old enough to truly understand death. However, I could understand the emotional impact this event had on my parents as I watched and listened (hidden behind their chairs in the living room) to them and the voices on the television. Like most Americans, they thought political assassinations happened “elsewhere” and worried what this meant for the future of our country.
To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) because the author does an excellent job of shining the harsh light of reality on gender, racial, educational, vocational, and religious disparities within a community. With her substantive plot and good writing, she challenges the reader to reflect on presumptions of “good vs. evil” in everyday life.
In my perception, the most significant challenges facing Delaware during the next 10 years are ensuring that legislation, regulations, policies, and programs have built-in flexibility and resilience to continue serving an ever-changing and more-diverse population; pro-actively implementing ways to bring residents together within and across all levels – neighborhood, town, county, state – to work out issues and conflicts in respectful and value-added ways as a means of counteracting the current polarization; and slowing down the negative impacts of being an environmentally-fragile coastal state through rigorous oversight and productive and creative public/private partnerships.
It is always beneficial to build relationships with colleagues, no matter the field of work, but especially in the realm of legislating on behalf of residents in the district, county, and/or state. My colleagues know their own districts’ assets/advantages, challenges, and needs – of residents and businesses – and I know those of my district. If we do not have sound, working relationships among ourselves, based on honesty, integrity, and ongoing communication, we cannot legislate effectively for anyone in the state.
I think compromise is necessary for policy-making and in many other facets of living and working; it is not a derogatory word or concept. Many times, what people indicate as “need” are actually “want”, and the ability – and willingness – to listen to and learn from others helps me and all involved determine how to move forward with decisions and actions that benefit everyone and respect everyone’s values and beliefs. In a legislative environment, collaboration leading to consensus would be ideal; however, collaboration leading to compromise would be an excellent outcome as well.
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.
See also
2022 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 31, 2022
Current members of the Delaware House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Melissa Minor-Brown
Majority Leader:Kerri Harris
Minority Leader:Timothy Dukes
Representatives
District 1
District 2
Stephanie Bolden (D)
District 3
Josue Ortega (D)
District 4
Jeff Hilovsky (R)
District 5
Kendra Johnson (D)
District 6
Debra Heffernan (D)
District 7
Larry Lambert (D)
District 8
Sherae'a Moore (D)
District 9
Kevin Hensley (R)
District 10
District 11
District 12
Krista Griffith (D)
District 13
DeShanna Neal (D)
District 14
District 15
Kamela Smith (D)
District 16
Franklin Cooke (D)
District 17
District 18
Sophie Phillips (D)
District 19
District 20
Alonna Berry (D)
District 21
Frank Burns (D)
District 22
Michael Smith (R)
District 23
Mara Gorman (D)
District 24
Edward Osienski (D)
District 25
Cyndie Romer (D)
District 26
District 27
Eric Morrison (D)
District 28
William Carson (D)
District 29
William Bush (D)
District 30
Shannon Morris (R)
District 31
Sean Lynn (D)
District 32
Kerri Harris (D)
District 33
Charles Postles (R)
District 34
District 35
District 36
Bryan Shupe (R)
District 37
District 38
Ronald Gray (R)
District 39
Daniel Short (R)
District 40
Timothy Dukes (R)
District 41
Richard Collins (R)
Democratic Party (27)
Republican Party (14)
