VOTE411 Voter Guide

1. Universal childcare. We have 2- and 4-year-old children, and daycare is easily our biggest monthly expense. 2. Statewide tenant protections. Renters in Western New York are no different from those downstate - they also need rent control and Good Cause eviction protection. 3. Ensuring the corporations and the ultra rich pay their fair share in taxes. In order to build the society we want and need where everyone has what they need to thrive, we must take on the wealthy elites and fight back against their control of our elections.

Number one is properly funding the CLCPA. Passing that legislation was an enormous fight that I was proud to be a part of, but now we are at risk of seeing it not only go unrealized, but also rolled back. I will be an independent voice in the legislature to stand up to the Governor and prevent backsliding that future generations cannot afford. We also must stand together and prevent harmful data centers from being built.

There are many steps we can take to dismantle the carceral state, first of which will be exploring alternatives to our current horrific model of imprisonment. I will fight for increased clemency and parole justice, and a move away from the school-to-prison pipeline by removing police officers from our schools - and ensuring those schools are properly funded and rooted in their communities. Every child, regardless of their socioeconomic background, must have the same opportunity to succeed in their education. Finally, I feel strongly about the decriminalization of recreational drugs - something that has long been used to oppress non-white communities.

Number one, we must redefine corporations at the state level to remove their ability to spend money in elections. We must also amend the state constitution to remove the ban on partisan gerrymandering; Republicans refuse to play by rules, and if Democrats continue to try to play nice, we will continue to lose this country. The future of our democracy is at stake, and it's time we act like it.

The three pillars of my platform are Affordability, Opportunity, and Democracy. I'll name my top priority within each.

On Affordability, I am eager to take steps towards universal healthcare coverage. I will not only cosponsor the New York Health Act, I will actively work to understand how it has not been moved to the governor's desk despite having majorities of both chambers of the legislature signed on as sponsors. I will also work to move forward other health insurance reforms to lower costs and get us closer to single-payer.

On Opportunity, I will fight to bring the first upstate universal childcare pilot to District 149. Families like mine make decisions to not grow their families because we cannot make it work out financially. We need universal childcare to unlock new possibilities for working WNY families.

On Democracy, I will work to bring open primaries, same-day registration, and ranked-choice voting to NYS. We must prioritize increasing access and choices for voters.

First, the NY HEAT Act. We need to jump on every opportunity to lower costs for working families AND take climate action. This bill would cap energy bills at 6% of household income for households that struggle most and spur investment by utilities in cleaner energy. Climate action is too often pitted against interventions in the affordability crisis, and win-win bills like this are critical in changing that perception.

We also must take proactive measures to protect our waterways, and that is particularly important in our waterfront communities in District 149. I would proudly co-sponsor Assemblymember Pat Burke's Great Lakes and State Waters Bill of Rights.

Lastly, the proliferation of AI data centers is a growing threat to not only our way of life but our environment, draining power and water of the communities they're placed in. I support a moratorium on new data centers in NYS until regulation catches up and technological advances vastly improve resource consumption efficiency.

New York State has long been a beacon of civil and human rights, and we must lean into that heritage and build on it. This is particularly true in this moment when it comes to protecting the rights of our trans and immigrant neighbors. Pass NY for All, now.

Zooming out, I want to see us invest more in public education and public and social housing. I am a proud product of 100% publicly funded education, even through my undergrad education at the U.S. Naval Academy. My father grew up in public housing in Buffalo, and I have served on the board of a nonprofit that provides permanent housing and supportive services to low-income people living with HIV.

These programs, services, and infrastructure aimed at ensuring broad access to socioeconomic stability give families a chance at upward mobility. The implications for more widespread economic prosperity and social and racial justice are immense, and if we must tax the wealthiest at higher rates to fund this investment, so be it.

We are left with no choice but to fight fire with fire and gerrymander NYS's congressional map to result in as few GOP-held seats as possible. As much as gerrymandering goes against every fiber of my democracy-loving being, it has become clear that we are not dealing with a GOP that shares the same commitment to democratic ideals around representation being representative, including the notion that Black communities should be able to send representation of their choosing to Congress.

If we want to ultimately get to a national ban on racist and partisan gerrymandering, we must make Republicans in states like NYS feel the pain that partisan gerrymandering creates for their own communities. It truly pains me to admit that we are past the point of appealing to the better angels of Republicans' nature that Lincoln - a Republican - spoke of. But if the GOP is never made to feel this pain, they will never see the light.

My top priorities are affordability, healthcare, and strengthening the care economy for working families. First, I would fight for economic fairness through progressive taxation so the wealthiest individuals and corporations pay their fair share, allowing New York to invest in housing, childcare, healthcare, and public services without burdening working families. Second, I support universal healthcare through the New York Health Act because no one should choose between bills and medical care. Healthcare is a human right, and New York can lead with a single-payer system that eliminates medical debt and expands access. Third, I would advance affordable housing, childcare, home care, and aging services. On the Hamburg Town Board, I helped secure over $56 million for affordable housing and would bring that results-driven approach to Albany.

Addressing climate change requires long-term investment and immediate action to protect communities already feeling its effects. I support public investment in resilient infrastructure, energy-efficient affordable housing, public transit, and clean-energy jobs, while ensuring working families are not left behind as New York transitions away from fossil fuels. In Western New York along Lake Erie, severe weather, flooding, and aging infrastructure threaten homes and local economies. We need investments in shoreline protection, stormwater systems, resilient housing, and modern transit. Climate policy must also advance affordability. Energy-efficient homes, expanded transit, and union clean-energy jobs can lower costs, strengthen communities, and reduce emissions. Climate action must improve quality of life for working families across New York.

Promoting social and racial justice means tackling the structural barriers that shape access to housing, healthcare, childcare, disability services, and economic opportunity. I support direct investment in historically underserved communities and recognize many disparities stem from generations of unequal access to wealth and public resources. I support strengthening the care economy with fair wages for home care and childcare workers and restoring accountability and consumer choice in Medicaid-funded systems. I also back expanding affordable housing and tenant protections, and making government more accessible through consistent presence, partnerships with grassroots organizations, and responsive constituent services. Immigration policy must center on dignity, accountability, and due process. I have publicly called for rethinking federal immigration enforcement systems that fail to uphold those values.

In the wake of Louisiana v. Callais, New York should continue strengthening protections against racial discrimination in voting and representation while ensuring historically marginalized communities maintain meaningful political power and access to fair representation. New York has long been a national leader in civil rights protections, and I believe the state should proactively defend voting access, strengthen enforcement of anti-discrimination laws, and ensure communities of color are not politically diluted through unfair districting practices or barriers to participation. I would support policies that expand voter access, improve language accessibility, strengthen oversight of redistricting processes, and invest in civic engagement efforts in historically underrepresented communities. At a time when federal protections are increasingly uncertain, states like New York have a responsibility to safeguard democratic participation and equal representation for all residents.