VOTE411 Voter Guide

Housing instability, poverty, and violence are among Onondaga County’s most urgent challenges. Families need safe, affordable homes, access to good-paying jobs, and neighborhoods where children can grow without fear. I will advocate for affordable housing, repairs to unsafe properties, eviction prevention, and stronger coordination between county services and housing providers. To address poverty, I will support workforce training, youth employment, childcare, and reliable transportation so residents can access opportunities. Addressing violence requires both effective public safety and investments in prevention, mental health care, mentorship, and community-based intervention.

My experience in education, youth development, and community advocacy has shown me how closely these issues connect. I will work with residents and local organizations to prioritize county investments that meet these needs and track whether they improve lives.

Transparency means being accessible, explaining decisions, and following through. I will host regular community town halls and kitchen table talks, continue canvassing neighborhoods, attend community events, and use surveys to hear directly from residents. These conversations must continue after Election Day.

I will share clear updates about proposed legislation, county spending, my votes, and the reasons behind them through my website, social media, newsletters, and printed materials for residents without internet access. Before major decisions, I will seek community input and explain how it shaped my position. I will maintain a clear process for constituent concerns, provide updates on unresolved issues, and report progress on my commitments. I will disclose conflicts of interest and support accessible public meetings and records. Residents deserve a representative who listens, answers questions, and remains accountable.

The greatest challenges facing Onondaga County today include outdated infrastructure (housing/transportation), pervasive longstanding poverty, and systemic socio-economic issues like lead, food deserts, crime, and high metabolic syndrome/health disparities. With the influx of MICRON, other concerns include air, water, and environmental safety/quality (i.e., PFAs and wastewater treatment).

I’d like to convene a watchdog committee to work across the city, county, and region to monitor and make recommendations regarding the ongoing environmental concerns/impact of MICRON. I'd also establish a business round table to spark MWBE and small business growth in D16; a faith-based alliance to engage local houses of worship; and a non-profit task force or coalition to explore the greatest socio-economic challenges facing the district.

I’ll ensure transparency and accountability in my decision-making by hosting community town halls, and creating a D16 newsletter, policy paper, and/or website to encourage greater community input, engagement and disclosure around the issues that matter most to our neighbors and residents.