Biographical Information
County
Allegheny
Occupation
Educator
Education
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education from Duquesne University and a Master’s degree in School Counseling from Westminster College.
Qualifications
Public Educator (2009 - Current), West Mifflin Borough Councilman (2018 - Current), South Hill Area Council of Government Member (2018 - 2022), West Mifflin Community Foundation Board Member (2014-2018) & Council Liaison (2018 - Current)
X Handle
What do you see as the most pressing issues facing Pennsylvanians, and how would you address them?
Education, providing jobs, and keeping our community safe. Education is the root of all opportunity. Right now, our public schools are being unlawfully underfunded here in Pennsylvania. My first priority is fixing that budget gap. After we fund our schools, we must make sure that our community has good paying jobs. The best way we can do that is to expand the union way of life. Organized labor built Allegheny County, and we have to support it. Finally, to keep our community safe we need to better support our first responders. Our local volunteer fire departments are seeing some especially challenging circumstances right now. They need state help and investments.
What changes would you support making to Pennsylvania’s voting laws to expand access, ensure security, and support local election officials and processes?
I think we have made a lot of progress in recent years, but there is still work to do. First, I would enact same day voter registration. Arbitrary deadlines should not stop our citizens from participating in elections. A person should be able to register and vote all on the same day. Second, I would make sure the state is providing adequate resources to county election departments. Local budget shortfalls should never be allowed to harm the security of our elections. Finally, I would look into legislation to crack down on threats made against election officials. No one should be able to intimidate the hardworking men and women who make our Democracy work.
What legislation would you support to comply with the Commonwealth Court's ruling that Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unconstitutional and must be reformed?
I am in support of the proposed Pennsylvania constitutional amendment to change our state income tax to a progressive format, making it more fair and equitable. This will benefit public education and help fill the funding gap. We also should be willing to tap into the rainy day fund. The fund currently sits at a massive 6.1 billion dollars. We can’t use all of that to address the education shortfall, but it is the public’s money and the education of our children should be one of the state’s top priorities.
What changes, if any, would you support making to Pennsylvania’s abortion laws?
There must be an explicit guarantee for the right to an abortion in Pennsylvania law. Preferably, this would come in the form of a constitutional amendment, but failing that, legislation should be passed to the same effect. We are fortunate that our current state court system leans towards recognizing the right to an abortion, but as we saw on the federal level, the courts may fail in the future to uphold that right. We also must make sure that no Pennsylvanian or other American will be punished by other states for exercising their rights here in the Commonwealth.