PRIORITIES
Health Care
The last few years have been a stark demonstration of how public health touches every area of our lives and how a lack of access to health care can be catastrophic. I believe…
✔️ Health care needs to be accessible to everyone. We must reign in the costs of healthcare and prescription drugs.
✔️ We must also destigmatize mental illness and make care affordable and available when people need help, whether in times of crisis or for routine care.
✔️ In a woman’s right to make her own reproductive decisions.
✔️ That seniors have a right to retire with dignity and have the necessary supports to age in place.
Environment
The fact is, our current infrastructure wasn’t designed to handle the impacts of increasingly severe weather caused by climate change. Residents in HD14 are all too familiar with power outages and flooding. We need to upgrade infrastructure with climate resiliency in mind. In addition, we need to ensure that all residents have access to clean water at all times. We live in the Great Lakes State and must preserve this precious resource because we can’t live without it.
Education
Every kid in Michigan deserves a great public education and providing that is a priority. Our government has the potential to change all of our lives for the better, but it has to function well to do so. An accessible and effective government is key to seeing the changes we want in Michigan. Let’s make it happen. I believe…with
✔️ This starts with affordable or free childcare and preschool for all kids and continues on through making college and technical training affordable and accessible.
✔️ Too many young people are moving away from Michigan. We need to stop the so-called “brain drain” and make Michigan a place where young people want to live, work, and raise their families.
✔️Additionally, we need to recognize that the pandemic, as well as the threat of school shootings, has put a lot of strain on our educators and students and provide them with additional support including mental health care.
Economy
The economy is often spoken about in broad terms viewed from a national level. But what actually matters to individual people and families is much more local: are jobs in the area paying a fair living wage? Is health insurance affordable? Can they cover child care? Is housing affordable? Michigan needs an economy that works for everyone. I support...
✔️ Union rights and the ability of workers to bargain for better wages and benefits.
✔️ A strong safety net to help people get back on their feet.
✔️ Expanding public transportation options to increase employment accessibility and provide a safe and economical way to get to and from work.
Civil Rights
I am running to represent ALL people in this district and will be a champion of civil rights.
As a gay man, the ability to legally marry my husband was life-changing and I will strongly oppose any efforts to demean or take rights away from LGBTQ people in Michigan.
The 14th House District is incredibly diverse. I recognize that Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and white people often have different experiences and expectations for government officials due to the way racism has shaped our history and taints our present. I promise the people of HD14 that I will not lose sight of that thread and I will listen to my BIPOC constituents rather than making assumptions about what they need and want.
In addition, I will fight for voting rights and oppose every effort to disenfranchise voters or to place barriers between voters and their ballots.