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I’ve always loved La Crosse and it’s always been home to me. I’ve known what it’s been, I know where it is now, and I want it to continue to be a great place for all of us to live. It has been an honor to serve district 19 for the past 8 years. I'm proud of the board’s accomplishments and I learned a lot in those years. I’d like to ensure that some of the projects we’ve started keep progressing, like the Hillview project and the Pathways Home Project.

I’ve also gained a great deal of knowledge in my time on the County Board. My diversified experience serving on the board and several subcommittees along with my extensive community involvement would be difficult to match in another candidate. My opponent is campaigning that she wants to “get back to the basics”, but it is important she realize there is nothing “basic” about the complex issues we face on the County Board. I will use my experience, common sense, and collaboration skills to effectively address County needs.

With continued growth at the intersection of County Road S and Sand Lake Road, there is cause to believe that this intersection and roadways may need improvements to deal with increased traffic and pedestrian patterns. Other candidates want you to believe I don’t care about roads. Truth of the matter is I supported the approval of $9 million for road projects, nearly five times the 2019 level. We also added $4.6 million from state and other grants for county road work. But there are many other important initiatives that need to be addressed as well. An additional $2 million for stormwater infrastructure improvements, there were multiple projects that assisted the Town of Onalaska. $100,000 for a broadband consultant. $1.5 million for solar energy projects which is reducing the county's impact on the environment all while saving the county tax dollars on energy expenses.

Housing is an issue we need to address in La Crosse County, and that includes access to affordable housing as well as addressing the root causes of the many unsheltered. While this may seem like a La Crosse city issue, every school district in the county has students who are unsheltered at varying levels and therefore requires problem solving at the County level. The second high priority issue I believe we face is mental health and substance abuse issues. No matter where you live in the county, this issue has an impact whether it is where you shop, work, or go to school. We must prioritize the health of our population by working in collaboration with municipalities, law enforcement, school districts, and area health systems. I will support this important initiative and other county needs like the renovation of Hillview Health Center and roads.

In our current term, I supported the implementation of the "Pathways Home" to end homelessness, a collaborative with the City of La Crosse that is poised to address the unsheltered crisis in our county. This plan follows successful models used in other cities and includes better coordination of services and comprehensive case management with a goal to achieve ending long-term homelessness by 2029. I know that everyone wants an overnight solution. I wish it was that simple, but we are dealing with individual people who all have varying circumstances in their lives, so there isn’t a “one size fits all” simple solution. I want to continue to support this program and give it time to show results. If we are not seeing success, I am open to adjustments to the current plan, but doing nothing or changing course before we’ve given this a chance to work are not options I support.