Occupation / Current Position
State Representative for House District 38
Education
Carson Newman University (BA History & Music) | Wayne State University Law School (Juris Doctorate)
Qualifications and Experience
Biden Campaign Field Organizer, AFL-CIO Policy Analyst,
I believe Michigan’s education system needs improvements. We are sitting in the bottom 5th of the nation currently. I would like to see us increase funding for teachers and literacy and math programs specifically, reinvestment in the arts and cte (every kid needs classes they look forward to aside from strict academics), significantly increase funding for school counselors and mental health access for kids, and double down on the science of reading and tutoring for kids K-3 on reading and math skills. I would also like to see us reduce the amount of standardized testing and consolidate into fewer instances of high stress testing for students.
I would like to see the state re-evaluate how we do economic development and attraction so we are bringing in modern jobs that pay higher wages. I would also like to see us continue to invest in free community college and early college access which is closely correlated and tied to higher earning potential. I also support removing barriers to collective bargaining and union organizing to improve wages and benefits through union representation.
I support expanding solar, wind, and nuclear power in Michigan through continued incentives and investments in those technologies. I also would support a rebalancing of rate payer liability so commercial/industrial customers are bearing a higher percentage of the cost of the grid than residential customers. I also think we should build in stronger reliability standards to rate making, and look at how we could subsidize moving more infrastructure underground to increase durability against the increasingly erratic weather events we are facing from a changing climate.
I strongly support first and fourth amendment and believe the constitution applies to everyone in this country, citizens and noncitizens alike.
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Occupation / Current Position
Doordasher
Education
St. Joe High School
Qualifications and Experience
Seasonal Merchant Mariner, Line cook, and Field Organizer
Concerning K-12, teacher wages are just too low. New teachers need to make enough money to justify their career choice. Quality of instruction largely depends on the instructor's effort. We need to pay a fair wage for that effort. Additionally, I would support the expansion of free community college to counties and communities outside a community college district, permitting graduates in those areas to attend a community college of their choice in the state.
$15/hour was a living wage ten years ago, sure, but we're past that point now. I'd like to introduce a bill to raise it to $18 an hour by 2030 and $20 an hour by $2032. More importantly, we need to put the governance of the economy in the hands of the average person. We'll do this by legalizing rent control at the local level and supporting unionization efforts in both apartments and workplaces across the state.
State subsidies should be aimed toward decentralizing the energy grid. I would shift funding away from major solar farms and other concentrated installations toward upgrading apartment buildings and individual homes with renewables based on their location.
I support a path to citizenship for all working people in our country. If you're building a life here, you're part of the American project and your citizenship status should reflect that.
