Life on the Ave
Sit down with Delaware's hottest Real Estate Team to enjoy discussions on local events, being young entrepreneurs, our real estate shenanigans, and hear from special guests on their own businesses and specialties.
Life on the Ave
Episode 121 : Mayor John Carney
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This week, Vince sits down with the Mayor of Wilmington and former Governor of Delaware, John Carney.
Mayor Carney’s career has taken him through nearly every level of public service — from Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for New Castle County, to Delaware’s Secretary of Finance, Lieutenant Governor, Delaware’s lone member of Congress, and eventually the 74th Governor of Delaware. In 2025, he returned home to lead the city where he and his wife Tracey raised their family.
But outside of government, there’s another side to the Mayor that a lot of people love talking about — sports. He quarterbacked the football team at St. Mark's High School, leading the school to its first state championship in the 1970s. From there he headed to Dartmouth College, where he earned All-Ivy League and MVP honors as a defensive back and even walked on to the lacrosse team.
When he returned to Delaware, he stayed close to the game, even spending time coaching under legendary Harold 'Tubby' Raymond at the University of Delaware. These days, he’s still a huge sports fan (especially when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles) and he also proudly cheers on his nephew, Brian O'Neill of the Minnesota Vikings.
At home, he and his wife Tracey raised their two sons, Sam and Jimmy, nearby in Wilmington’s Triangle neighborhood, the same community where they still live today. He often talks about some of his favorite years being spent coaching youth sports, cheering from the sidelines, and raising a family in the city he now leads.
