Training and Experience
Youth Mental Health First Aid Certification. Trauma-informed care. Teaching Family Model certified. 3 years at Menards, including time as an assistant department manager.
Volunteer/Community Service
Youth for Christ and Lifewise. Former volunteer coordinator for the Salvation Army and Summer Food Service Program through NOCAC. A group of us collect our own tithe to donate to local needs (rent, bills, food pantry, etc.)
I will push for Ranked Choice voting to allow a better variety of candidates to run for office and give voters a better opportunity to vote their conscience, rather than feel pressured to be stuck between two candidates they dislike. Ohio's election laws are already robust and secure, so no additional requirements to vote are necessary. Party affiliation in Ohio is determined by means of an inaccurate system. Voters are affiliated by how they vote in a primary. This means that if someone decides to vote differently in a general election, they are considered affiliated with whichever party's primary they voted in for two years. This is not fair to Ohio's independent and swing voters, who make up the vast majority of Ohio voter rolls.
Ohioans pay too much in taxes: income taxes, property taxes, sales tax, etc. The primary reform would be the abolition of property taxes. At the very least, titrating them down over time to adjust the budget accordingly would be effective. No one should pay a subscription fee to live in their own home. Renters foot the bill for landlords who pass the buck to them for property tax increases. When we examine the budget and make cuts to legislative expenditures, that is also an opportunity to either lower income taxes or redirect funds on a more local basis.
I believe the main problem comes from the federal government. While my office will not make decisions on a national level, I can use it as a voice for my constituents to call on Congress to end military conflict and involvement overseas. Corporations should not be allowed to take advantage of customers by raking in profits after earning tax cuts before individuals do. Think about it: if a business increases the price of an item, then the government makes more money off the sales tax too. Incentivizing business to come to Ohio through tax cuts only works if Ohioans aren't being taken advantage of. Closing tax loopholes for big business and corporations and loosely regulating those businesses by ensuring customers are not taken advantage of is a start in the right direction.
School choice without government vouchers for private schools will encourage healthy competition for resources without sacrificing the quality education each child/student deserves. We can abolish the property tax and cut funding elsewhere to ensure each student has access to the resources they need on an individual basis. As for higher education, I would like to look further into their funding and accessibility. It is my belief that all students deserve to pursue a higher education in a profession or trade if they so choose.
Falling under a one-party rule will be the end of the America that was established 250 years ago. The consistent ploy of the duopoly ping pongs back and forth by blaming each other for problems the other created. I am very thankful to have extensive training and experience in conflict resolution, and I intend to bring that with me to the statehouse. Even though I am running as a third-party option, I do not owe my allegiance solely to my party. My constituents come first in political matters, and they always will. Candidates without a blind allegiance to their party are more accessible to each and every one of their constituents, and that is my goal.
