Earlier this year Carney took office as mayor of Wilmington, Delaware’s largest city. Previously governor for eight years, he could not run for that office again because of term limits. His former seat in Congress and a seat in the U.S. Senate were open, but he opted for city hall and became the first sitting governor in the country to be elected a mayor. 

“The mayor’s office is really where the rubber meets the road,” he says. “For me, it’s always been about service.” Carney was the state’s lieutenant governor and completed three terms in the U.S. House but says he can make more of a difference in his new role. “In Washington you’re about as far from street level as you can get,” he says. 

An English major, Carney played football, earning All-Ivy League and MVP honors. He later coached freshman football at the University of Delaware while earning his master’s in public administration. A longtime advocate for wellness, he combines health initiatives with community service. “Getting out, walking, picking up trash at the same time—politics here is a job down on the streets,” he says.

That hands-on approach helps shape his priorities. Based on conversations he had when he knocked on about 11,000 doors during his campaign, Carney decided to focus on neighborhood stabilization. “That’s No. 1. Homelessness has been a big issue for us. It’s critically important to strike a balance between compassionately providing services and not disrupting neighborhoods.” 

“John Carney defines public service,” says Claire DeMatteis, an attorney and member of the former governor’s cabinet for eight years. “His dedication to making people’s lives better continues to make an impact.”