Kenneth L. Branner, Jr., was elected Mayor of the Town of Middletown on March 6, 1989. While at the helm of the mid-state town, the population has grown from 3,800 in 1989 to 23,000 today. Key accomplishments achieved by the town during his tenure have been: construction of a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility and electric substation in 2000, to be able to handle the future infrastructural growth; formation of the Middletown Police Department in 2007; and unprecedented economic development growth with big employers Clarios (Johnson Controls), Amazon.com, Bayhealth, Christiana Care, Encompass Health and Datwyler in the past decade. The Mayor looks forward to working with the Town's newest and largest economic development success, WuXi STA Pharmaceutical Company, which is under construction now and will occupy 190 acres and seven buildings comprising 1.74 million square feet of floor space. More than 500 employees will be hired at this campus.
A lifelong Middletown resident, he attended East Carolina University and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Today, he is the Director of Development for Artesian Water Co. In 2007, he retired as a chemist with the DuPont Co. after 40 years of service. Prior to becoming Mayor, he was a member of the Town’s Planning and Zoning Commission for 10 years, eight years as its chair. In his free time, he serves on the board of directors of the M.O.T. Senior Center and for the M.O.T. Little League as treasurer. On the state level, he was recently appointed by Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long and Attorney General Kathy Jennings to chair the local government committee of the Delaware Prescription Opioid Settlement Distribution Commission (POSDC). He has served on the Board of Directors for the Delaware League of Local Governments for 14 years, two years as its President. He has also coached and served on the board for the M.O.T. Youth Football League. He served as Chief of the Volunteer Hose Company for four years and is a Life Member of the department. He and his wife Nancy have two grown children and four granddaughters. Click here to contact Mayor Branner