I was born in Billings and grew up in Hardin. Age 62. I live in Billings. I am a Special Needs Assistant for Billings School District #2. I have a BA in Political Science and two years of graduate school in public administration and policy.
After graduation from Hardin High School, I left Montana and got a BA at Cleveland State University. Cleveland Ohio was very different from Hardin. I had opportunities to learn from people that had no knowledge or experience of small town Montana. I found that I lacked an understanding of friends that only experienced a urban upbringing. I learned to be a good listener, not judge and find common values. Public official need skill sets for seeing the whole person and communities are most important.
The pushback on the residential property tax relief is critical. It was my privilege to vote for residential property owners, to lower their tax liability for their home. This tax relief has to be protected. Lawsuits do not settle issues of the cost of owning a home. Fairness and who is burdened by taxes is a legislative prerogative. We legislators have to balance the competing interests of commercial properties and residential owners. Pushing people out of homes, because of the burden of rising home values and taxes, is not an option.
Utility costs for residential customers must remain fair. The energy consumption for AI and Bitcoin mining must be paid by those industries not a subsidize cost from residential customers.
The right of workers to organize and pursue just compensation for work is a guarantee for higher paying jobs. Organized labor created the Middle Class and the erosion of worker's rights has corresponded to lower standard of living. PRO Act policy changes are needed at the state level. The low wage economy has undermined thriving communities and left working families desperate. The social contract between Labor and Industry put the medical expenses on the employer. Workers have lost healthcare benefits corporate share prices and stock buybacks. Executive pay is 281 times more than employee pay. Healthcare for All policies have been studied and developed since the 1990's. We need the political will to fund and implement these changes.
The lack of transparency on dollars spent on campaigns by out of state organizations hides political agendas. Voters are not able to evaluate the truthfulness of statements in attack ads without the information on who is behind the ads. The identity of an organization has to be revealed. When millions of dollars are spent in elections, Montana state law must address this lack of transparency.
Additionally, the distances of voters from the county courthouse should not be an obstacle. Legislative bills with the intent of making people travel to vote should always be defeated. Students attending Montana universities should be enfranchise without voting in more than one location. Montana needs to keep its reputation for good voting laws.
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I was born in Detroit, MI and will be 45 on Election Day. I live full-time in Billings, MT where I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I own and operate Dragonfly Counseling, which has a social mandate to see people regardless of insurance and socio-economic status.
I hold a Master's Degree in Social Work from Simmons College in Boston, MA as well as a Master of Arts from Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.
As a Social Worker, I've had the opportunity to work with many people and if there's one thing I get, it's that existing in this world is complex. I believe in integrity and honesty, transparency and accountability. I am uniquely qualified to be a legislator because I have very high standards of myself.
My campaign is focused on Affordability, Sustainability, and Accountability. Making our lives more affordable has to be a priority. We cannot continue to ask home owners (who live in their homes) to continue to pay higher taxes year after year. We must also protect our public lands. Many of us utilize public lands for recreation as well as survival. Finally, our elected officials must be held accountable to the voters.
Bringing accountability/integrity to the legislature is a top priority, followed directly by affordability and sustainability, respectfully.
We have to get creative when talking economics. The tax burden on home owners who live in their homes is too high. To relieve that pressure, I would want to discuss recalculating how educational spending is decided, bring more of the marijuana tax revenue back to Billings, and charge out-of-state recreators higher fees to use our public spaces.
Insurance and care should be accessible to all people. While beyond my scope, I would support federalized health insurance, doing away with for-profit insurance and medical models, and investing in training and education for more providers to enter the work force.
Regarding secure elections, mail-in voting is already secure. I would also suggest opening more voting places on election day and encouraging voters to vote in their neighborhoods.
American elections should be focused on electing competent, compassionate representatives who represent the best interests of their voters.
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