Hockessin is represented by three different state senators, each of whom serves a jigsaw-puzzle-like piece of the unincorporated community.
That presents unique challenges for Republican Liane Sorenson, the only one of Hockessin’s senators who actually has a Hockessin address (Democrat Patricia Blevins lives in Elsmere and Democrat Michael Katz lives in Centreville).
“My challenge is that people assume I represent everyone in Hockessin and I don’t,” said Sorenson, whose district includes a sliver of northern Hockessin and her Yorklyn home, but mostly consists of greater Newark.
And the amount of Hockessin she represents actually shrank when the district was redrawn in 2002, adding to the confusion.
Sorenson recalled one instance where a constituent wrote a letter to the editor blasting her, even though he was represented by a different senator.
But the challenges go further than misunderstandings – Sorenson must balance representation between two different areas, Newark and Hockessin.
Having worked in Newark for many years, Sorenson said she understands that area well, however it is always tough to decide how to distribute her limited community transportation funds among her large and diverse senate district, she said.
For example, she chose to help fund the Old Lancaster Pike Streetscape project, even though the Old Lancaster Pike does not lie in her district, because she felt her constituents in greater Newark would also benefit from the project.
That’s a good example of the main benefit of being represented, in part, by three different senators, said Ken Murphy, president of the Hockessin Planning Partnership.
“For a project like the Old Lancaster Pike Streetscape, it’s easier for our representatives to share their contributions,” he said.
All five of Hockessin’s legislators, including the two representatives who split the community, offered up $6,700 a piece to help fund a drainage study that would have struggled to get off the ground without their contributions.
Since Hockessin is an unincorporated subset of New Castle County, the extra representation from three separate senators is a good thing, said GHADA President Mark Blake, particularly because the greater Hockessin area is nearly as large in size as the city of Wilmington.
“Frankly there’s a lot of tax revenue that comes out of this area, so the more representation in Dover we can get as an unincorporated community, the better,” he said.
