Their Declaration of Dependence

For thirty-six years (the last six as president of the Delaware Senate), David Sokola has served his Newark-area district in Dover. On Tuesday, he reflected on those decades and on the enduring meaning of his Oath of Office. On the 4th of July, we boast of our independence but, as Senator Sokola noted on Tuesday in his final remarks as a senator to the Senate, Delaware’s public officeholders do the opposite. Their Oath, from the Delaware Constitution, is a solemn Declaration of Dependence to the people they represent:

“As we look to our nation’s 250th anniversary in just a few days, it’s hard not to get a little sentimental. The architects of our democracy believed that the people of this nation would be best served by electing representation from within.

So many years later, the 21 of us in this chamber are a testament to “The Great Experiment” that is our representative democracy.

Throughout its history, our nation has weathered many storms — but it has survived, because it was built on a strong foundation of democratic principles and a resounding rebuke of a society governed by kings and the wealthy few.

Without spending too much time juxtaposing the important work we do on behalf of the people of Delaware with the chaos coming from the White House and Congress, I’ll simply say this:

I believe that as a state, and as a nation, our best days are still ahead.

But we cannot simply sit around and wait for things to improve. As public servants, it’s our obligation to make things better for the people we serve.

During some of the toughest times of my career, I’ve found comfort and guidance in the words of our oath of office.

“I solemnly swear to carry out the responsibilities of the office of state senator to the best of my ability, freely acknowledging that the powers of this office flow from the people I am privileged to represent. I further swear to always place the public interests above any special or personal interests, and to respect the right of future generations to share the rich historic and natural heritage of Delaware.”

In moments of darkness or doubt, I hope you’ll spend time with these words — and perhaps one of the pocket constitutions that I’ve handed you over the years — and use them as your North Star.

Power is a temporary loan that we hand to people to lead us. It is an unarguable fact of history – and of the present moment – that we sometimes make very poor loan decisions. But in an era where public servants are routinely ridiculed as either liars or fools, Senator Sokola’s thirty-six years of principled and honest public service are a profound rebuke to that blinkered cynicism. Sometimes, we make very good choices.