Dr. Michael Katz says he has a prescription for change in Delaware’s 4th Senate District.
Katz, a Wilmington-based anesthesiologist, said he is running for state senate because he believes his background in the healthcare industry and as a small business owner makes him uniquely qualified to deal with what he described as the state’s looming health care crisis.
“I deal with patients everyday and learn about the issues they face. They’re seeing more and more stresses in life, with a lack of jobs and the economy, with rising energy and food costs,” he said. “I thought I can either sit on the sidelines and watch this happen or try to get involved.”
He said he would work to provide healthcare to all Delawareans by ensuring residents had a greater choice of plans, by providing pre-tax savings for employers and employees, and through a simpler premium payment. He said he also supported creating purchasing pools for small businesses, so they could purchase policies in greater bulk thereby reducing the cost of premiums.
Calling the local economy the “engine that allows everything else to work,” Katz said one of his major focuses would be on increasing the number of high-wage jobs in the state by supporting small business through low-interest grants and loans for new equipment, technology and training.
“Small start-up companies are the future of our state and I have ideas for how to help them grow,” he said.
Katz said his small business experience has taught him a great deal about budgeting – experience he said he will bring to Dover to help cut spending.
On the education front, Katz said he wants to set up a committee to study the state’s public education system and make suggestions about best practices from other states that could make Delaware more efficient without compromising the quality of education. In the meantime, Katz said he believes the state needs to make sure its salaries and benefit packages for teachers ware competitive with surrounding areas so Delaware could attract top-notch instructors.
He also said he believes the Delaware State Testing Program needs to be overhauled and said he’d like to see the state increase scholarship and financial aid opportunities for prospective college students.
Katz, 46, will face fellow-Democrat Dee Durham in the September 9 primary. The winner will face the winner of a three-way Republican primary between Richard Abbott, John Clatworthy and Michael Fleming. Incumbent Charles Copeland is vacating the seat in favor of a run for lieutenant governor.
Katz lives in Centreville with his wife Trish. They have three children: Abigail, 10; Emily, 9; and a 6-year-old son named Sander.
