Duties: The Michigan Senate shares responsibility with the Michigan House of Representatives to enact new laws and amend or repeal existing laws.Qualifications: Senators are elected at the same time as the governor and serve 4-year terms concurrent with the governor s term of office. They must be at least 21 years of age and a registered voter in their district. There are 38 State Senate districts which are re-apportioned after each census.Term: 4 years
Occupation / Current Position
State Representative, District 22
Education
Bachelor's of Arts in Secondary Education from SVSU. Masters in English Studies for Teachers from EMU
Qualifications and Experience
8 years serving as State Representative in Western Wayne County. 12 years as a public school teacher of U.S. History and Government.
The majority of issues that we're facing in Michigan stem from Snyder-era cuts to our public schools. We are still reeling from a teacher shortage due to the degradation of the pension system, pay freezes, and a general lack of respect for educators.
As chair of the Education committee in 2023 & 2024, we made strides to right those wrongs, as well as tackle the literacy crisis. This year, I worked across the aisle to reduce unnecessary standardized testing.
We need to continue supporting teachers and we need to see these literacy programs through without flinching.
We need to continue to support free community college as well as supporting students who want to go into the trades. We need to also ensure that workers are properly classified and aren't being taken advantage of by large corporations.
While the legislature doesn't have a direct influence over utility rates, the Senate should absolutely be using their screening powers over anyone who would be appointed to the Michigan Public Service Commission.
Michigan's energy policy should prioritize reliability, affordability, and environmental responsibility. We need a modern, resilient grid that can withstand extreme weather and reduce outages. At the same time, energy costs are already too high for many families, so any transition must be cost-effective and protect consumers from unreasonable rate increases.
Expanding renewable energy can create jobs and reduce pollution, but when taxpayers subsidize major energy projects, the public should receive a return on that investment through public ownership, revenue sharing, or a long-term public stake.
Anyone who is on U.S. soil deserves due process. This is a fundamental tenant of our nation. In that same vein, the right to free speech and against unreasonable searches are rights that should be afforded to anyone within the country.
In the same way that Stop & Frisk was found to be unconstitutional in New York, I think the random ID checks that are being conducted mostly against non-white Americans will be found unconstitutional.
Any law enforcement agency that is receiving state funds should not be using their resources to support the federal government's efforts unless there is an immediate threat to public safety.
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