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Training and Experience
Licensed to Practice Law in Ohio & D.C.; Columbus City Attorney's Office, Nuisance Abatement Unit, 2019-present; Jones Day, Business & Tort Litigation Associate, 2015-2019; Internship experience at the Ohio Court of Appeals 10th Dist., Federal Public Defender Capital Habeas Unit, U.S. Department of Education, & Ohio Senate Democratic Caucus
Volunteer/Community Service
Assorted pro-bono work for asylum and social security benefit cases and as a guardian ad litem; New Leaders Council, Columbus, Co-Director 2020-22, Board Member 2019-present; American Constitution Society, Columbus/D.C. Co-Pres. 2017-present
My priorities are the economy, housing, education, and safety. Growth requires vision and equity–incentives for building and hiring local, cooperation with trades unions, small business grants, and programs like family leave, transit access, and afterschool funding. I support building more housing with local ownership, public-private cooperation for affordability and preserving existing housing, and tenant education. Safety includes the root of crime, mental health response, and community partnerships, which lessen the load on police. Education must begin with rectifying disparities in access and funding, supporting teachers, investing in pre-K, and fostering dialogue and respect, essential for building an inclusive and tolerant society.
I support various measures to enhance democracy, including using an independent commission to draw our legislative maps; implementing virtual testimony for legislative accessibility; preventing voter roll purges without notification and cure periods; voter registration opportunities tied to citizen-government interactions such as at the BMV, upon tax filing, in county courthouses, and as part of the housing deed transfer process; and improving civic education in K-12 schools with a specific focus on Ohio election laws and on registering youth to vote. I oppose any further attempts to curtail early voting periods or the accessibility of mail-in-voting.
Ohio has the opportunity to meet the influx from major corporations with investments in infrastructure, education, and workforce development. We must support small businesses–including those owned by the historically marginalized–to ensure this growth is equitable across the business spectrum. I support tax incentives to Ohio businesses to continue to reinvest in the state, create jobs for our people, and support school districts and trades organizations in training the next generation. Finally, growth is not possible without policies that support families–partnership with labor, family leave policies, and universal pre-K are essential to supporting working families for these economic opportunities to root and rise in our neighborhoods.
Education is crucial in preparing Ohioans for jobs and fostering a well-rounded community. I am committed to addressing disparities, supporting teachers, and investing in early childhood education. We must recognize the diverse career paths for students by promoting vocational training and partnership with business. I support protecting arts education because it is vital for creativity. Education must boost critical thinking and communicating with folks of differing opinions. Book bans limit potential, undermine free society, and deny students a chance to engage with complex issues constructively and with empathy. I support access to low-cost or free community college–in partnership with local school districts and corporations.
The state has a responsibility to support local governments financially–including by not decimating the tax base, forcing local tax increases that often fall on low-income folks–and in regional coordination of economic growth, transportation infrastructure, emergency preparedness, delivery of essential services where local government cannot (i.e. access to energy or broadband), and generally to address systemic issues and universal deficiencies. Home rule in Ohio empowers local governments to be more responsive and tailor solutions to local challenges. I oppose efforts to further dismantle home rule while local governments seek to promote gun safety and public health measures.
Ohio must continue to expand access to affordable healthcare, including opting into future Medicaid expansion; lowering drug pricing (especially for the common drugs like insulin); prioritizing investment in mental health and substance abuse treatment (even more so in low-income and marginalized communities); preserving reproductive rights and the ability to make medical decisions in the privacy of their homes, their families, and with their doctors; and supporting public health initiatives to avoid future higher healthcare costs. Finally, I believe in investing in programs that address healthcare inequities, including the disproportionately high black maternal and infant mortality rates.
Climate change is an existential issue, not only because of how it underpins what every person needs–safe food and water sources, energy to heat our homes, jobs of tomorrow, clean spaces to work and play–but also because left unchecked, it disproportionately affects the most marginalized of our communities. I support tax incentives for clean energy companies, education to promote a workforce that can take those clean energy jobs, and funding for municipalities to transition to renewable energy. Infrastructure improvements should include cooling materials, electrical vehicle charging, and access to public parks and waterways. Finally, I support further protection of state and metro parks from further natural resource extraction.
Governments should work to combat discrimination, including rectifying historical discrimination on the base of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation, and disability status, through legislation, enforcement of anti-discrimination policies and against hate-fueled crime, and education programs that raise awareness of systemic inequities, raise awareness of implicit biases, and promote inclusivity. The state has the opportunity to bolster reporting mechanisms to identify and address discrimination.
Training and Experience
33 years working at Honda. HR, Finance, IT, Strategic Planning, Expatriate Administration
Volunteer/Community Service
Bike Bus Organizer, Community Clean Up Day Organizer, 12 year Thanksgiving Day 5K Organizer, Zero Waste Coordinator for Annual Catholic Parish Fesiva
We should have excellent healthcare for all, regardless of income level. Healthcare is a basic human right. A person’s employment, or their parent or guardian’s employment, should not determine the access someone has to quality health care.
We need to look at all the factors that go into a quality education system and be sure we are providing the tools, environment, and funding for our students, teachers and staff to thrive in the 21st century. COVID set us back in many areas, and our systems are stressed to the max.
Americans reaching age 65 and older will more than double over the next 40 years. Getting daily in-home care for this aging population is often not affordable. We need to find ways to strengthen personal care for them.
While I am on the campaign trail, I am also going to fight to pass the anti-gerrymandering ballot initiative. We deserve to have districts that represent us, not districts that are hand picked by extremist politicians. I believe in automatic voter registration, same day voter registration, and extended access to vote by mail with multiple drop boxes in each county. We also need to implement an on-line early voting request system. The current approach is inefficient.
We need to promote that Ohio is a kind and inclusive state. We need to change the hearts of our elected officials who hide behind their stale and dated institutions and try to tell us what’s best for us. It’s difficult for businesses to recruit and retain talent when our state government is using rhetoric and promoting legislation that reduces freedom, or dehumanizes our marginalized communities. Businesses are eager to come to this state, as evidenced by the continued expansion of Google, Amazon, Intel, Honda, and other companies. But if Ohio doesn’t stop it’s paternalistic and self-righteous legislation, it’s going to slow our ability to attract top talent needed for these companies.
Every child in Ohio deserves a high quality public education. So many of our kids don’t have the same opportunities and fully funding our educational system will be the first step toward that goal. We also have to study deeply the mental health needs of our students, staff and teachers. We need to learn how best we can help our school systems adequately meet the emotional needs of our customers who are daily navigating in this space.
Under the best of circumstances, when states allow local governments to implement their own laws, there is a belief they will best match the characteristic needs of the locality. Basically, locals know best. Another reason local law should win out is that by allowing local governments to implement different policies, we get a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t across the state or county. We can share successful policies, quickly get rid of unsuccessful policies, but also share lessons learned for all to benefit from. Local laws that are bad ideas, which are imposed by city officials, will lead to quick removal by local citizens. I cannot easily think of examples where state laws should rule, perhaps in safety regulations.
As I stated above, healthcare is a human right. I believe that the state should be working to make healthcare more affordable and accessible to all Ohioans, especially our aging population.
Opioid addiction and overdoses are a serious and many times preventable problem. We have to get on the front end of this crisis that is killing too many of our precious community members daily. The combination of a pandemic that pushed us all into isolation and certain drug companies taking advantage of an unregulated system put us in this situation. We need to claw our way out of it. The solution, I believe, will require bold solutions. We have to find holistic ways to connect our citizens with life affirming activities and opportunities.
Every person has a personal responsibility to take care of the planet. Ohio is an energy deficit state. We do not produce enough energy for our needs. We need to find ways to be self-reliant and have a portfolio of energy options that help us meet our needs. We have to place greater emphasis on CO2 reductions as humans have pushed the Earth to its planetary boundaries. We are in great jeopardy.
I believe that all green energy alternatives need explored and considered. Education is important. Our citizens are reluctant to make changes in this space. There is a lot of information on the opposite side here, trying to convince our citizens that climate change is not human made.
This is personal to me. As someone who has LGBTQ family members and friends, I have watched closed mindset leaders in the statehouse target this community time and time again. Our government should be protecting, not discriminating, and legislation that legalizes discrimination against LGBTQ+ people not only harms us all, but will continue to drive young people and families out of the state. We all want an Ohio where people want to raise their families, not one that is known nationally for taking away the right to bodily autonomy. I will always listen to and fight for those who are marginalized and be their champion in the House
