ISSUES

I believe education is the foundation of any successful community. A public school system that addresses both struggling urban and rural schools is essential. There are many issues, like wages for teachers and teacher retention that affect all districts. We must have public education that is fair and funded to address specific school district needs.

Our schools need to be physically safe for students and staff as well as safe spaces for students to express themselves. I will fight to increase mental health resources for schools and fight against any legislation that seeks to limit access to knowledge or resources so that students can learn to evaluate information and make decisions on their own.

I believe good paying jobs and strong local businesses build a successful community. I also believe that Unions provide workers with essential bargaining power to ensure they are not taken advantage of.

I grew up understanding the value of Union membership, with my grandfather working on the railroad and saw first-hand how his union negotiated benefits helped him and my grandmother after he was hurt on the job and had to retire.

I grew up understanding the value of successful small businesses, with my other grandfather starting his own residential and commercial glass business and seeing how hard he worked both mentally and physically to build it into a company that lasted 50 years.

I will fight for any group that feels they need a Union and I will also fight to ensure our local businesses have the resources and support to be successful.

My bottom line on health care is that whether the topic is reproductive rights or gender rights or general health care, the government should not have any say in private decisions between doctors, patients and their family.

We as human beings cannot ignore the complexities of these issues, nor the mental health implications that patients who make these difficult decisions deal with. Above all, government should ensure the privacy of these patients and their families instead of instituting penalties for patients, patient families and health care providers.

Along these lines, I will also fight for a robust mental health system that is available regardless of income or insurance, so that we can actually solve the problems of addiction and violence instead of passing laws that only deal with the aftermath of these things.