Occupation / Current Position
Small Business Owner
Education
B.A.A. Commercial Recreation & Facilities Managment, Central Michigan University
Qualifications and Experience
I’m a working-class wife, mom, small-business owner, and Courtland Township Trustee with a strong record of leadership and community service.
I believe Michigan must prioritize sustainable, equitable funding for public education, invest in recruiting and retaining educators, and give teachers the resources and flexibility to meet the unique needs of their students. Standardized testing should be one tool, not the measure of success, and our schools need fewer mandates from Lansing and more resources, support, and local control to help every student thrive. I would support policies that address the real barriers our educators face, including recruitment, retention, compensation, and housing.
I support expanding Michigan’s refundable Child Tax Credit, strengthening property tax relief for working families, and expanding workforce housing, including down-payment assistance. I also support cutting unnecessary red tape and helping small businesses create good-paying jobs. These are practical steps we can take to help working families keep more of what they earn and make sure people can afford to live, work, and raise their families right here in West Michigan. I will put people first, not corporations or special interests.
I believe Michigan can have reliable, affordable energy while protecting natural resources. We need to modernize our aging grid, expand weatherization programs for older homes, and invest in solutions that help families lower their utility costs. I also support a statewide 12-month moratorium on new data centers so we can understand their impact on our grid, water, and communities before approving more development. I don’t accept corporate PAC money, so I can make these decisions based on what is best for Michigan families and communities, not corporations or special interests.
I believe every person in Michigan deserves to be treated with dignity, compassion, and humanity, regardless of immigration status, political affiliation, religion, or background. I believe no one is above the law, and that due process and constitutional protections must apply to every human being. I will defend the freedoms and liberties guaranteed by our Constitution, including the First, Second, and Fourteenth Amendments, and I believe those rights must be protected without discrimination. I will support transparency and accountability for agencies tasked with enforcing our laws and protecting our communities.
Occupation / Current Position
Retired
Education
BA, Michigan State University
Qualifications and Experience
I had a long career in business, media, & community leadership before serving one term in the state House (2019-20) during which I was named the 1st woman to chair the House Committee on Tax Policy.
MI's kids deserve better than what our system is delivering. We're spending more per student than ever, yet reading & math scores & early literacy are worse than ever. We need to get dollars out of admin & into the classroom where they reach students & the teachers who do the work. We should pay teachers well, respect their judgment & cut the bureaucracy that drives good people out of the profession. We need transparent, consistent metrics & standards so we can see how students & schools are doing. We must ensure parents make the decisions for their children's education. And families should have options. Every child's path looks different.
Wages rise when the economy grows & employers compete for workers, not when gov’t dictates them by mandate, which often costs the very jobs working families depend on. I'd cut the red tape & regulatory costs that fall hardest on small businesses & the people they employ. I'd lower energy costs, which hit every household & paycheck. And I'd tackle housing, where over-regulation & permitting delays choke supply & drive up the price of a home or a rent check. I'd invest in skilled trades & career paths that lead to good-paying jobs without saddling young people with debt. Make MI more affordable & more competitive and living wages will follow.
I support an all-of-the-above energy strategy: natural gas, nuclear, & renewables working together so the grid stays strong when demand peaks & weather doesn't cooperate. Rigid timelines that force plants offline before replacements are proven raise everyone's bills and put reliability at risk. On the environment, I'm a Michigander; protecting the Great Lakes & our groundwater is non-negotiable; we can be good stewards without pricing people out of heating their homes. The right approach is balanced: keep the lights on, keep bills affordable, & protect the natural resources that define this state.
Due process and the 1st & 4th Amendments of the Constitution apply to people within our borders. I take those rights seriously for every MI resident. At the same time, a sovereign nation has the right & responsibility to secure its borders & enforce its laws. Our immigration system should be orderly, secure & humane. Most immigration policy is set at the fed. level; Washington's failure to act mean states have had to manage the consequences. In Lansing, my focus will be on public safety, the rule of law, & making sure the rights guaranteed by the Constitution are respected while our laws are applied evenhandedly to everyone.
