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Position/philosophy statement
"Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." John Wesley
Current Occupation
Small Business Owner
Age (optional)
53
Campaign Phone
8285084594
I have been a small business owner for the past 30 years. It is a position that requires me to look at situations from multiple viewpoints and find interesting ways to incorporate the needs of many.
Economic development. We need diversified and expanded ways of bringing jobs and incomes to our area. We are a rural area, but we are an area rich in resources and people who know how pivot and roll with the punches. By making ourselves more economically stable and successful, we will be able to secure and maintain more state resources
North Carolina is ranked last in the country for dollars spent per child in public education. Last. This is a sad position to hold, and should be addressed in the most immediate way possible. I feel this begins with teacher salary. Until we pull out of this ranking, we need to be paying our teachers above the national average. This ensures we have people invested in our education system who truly want to see it improved.
Legislature should be prevented from withholding a state budget from tax paying citizens. North Carolina is currently the only state to have not passed a budget, which leaves a state shutdown looming in our future. Withholding essential services from the tax payers who have funded them is something the state and federal government seems to increasingly utilize. This should not be an option. Sessions should not be called into recess without a budget in place, and the people we elect to oversee our well-being need to be held accountable for performing this basic function of their job.
Police funding is directly correlated with public safety rates. We need to ensure those entrusted to protect our laws and well-being are given the resources they need to do so. Defunding a system is not a way to punish those who do not properly or rightfully perform their duties. By defunding, we only leave ourselves open to criminal activity finding a place to thrive.
Candidate has not yet responded.
Position/philosophy statement
Every person should have the right to food, water, shelter, and a well-maintained public infrastructure.
Current Occupation
Mental Health Provider
Age (optional)
38
Campaign Phone
828-307-3717
I've spent the past 20 years living and working in Jackson County. I've seen firsthand how the community is made better as a whole when the people have access to their basic needs. I've also seen the negative impacts from not having these needs met. Access to basic needs, including food, clean water, sustainable housing, and well-maintained public infrastructure should be a guaranteed right for all. For too long, we've entrusted our legislation and representation to those who only serve themselves. What I lack in political experience, I make up for in integrity and in a solution-focused approach. A vote for me is a vote for you, your neighbors, your community, and your district.
North Carolina implemented a pilot program in 2024 to assist in providing basic needs for daily living to those under financial hardship. This included dependable access to food, functional transportation, comprehensive healthcare, and housing improvement resources. The Trump administration stripped this funding at the federal level, followed by the General Assembly completely removing funding at the state level. I will make it a priority to secure this funding again through bipartisan legislation. North Carolinians deserve to live with a feeling of safety and security, without the anxiety behind where their next meal will come from or how they will find work without reliable transportation.
Behind providing basic needs, education should be a top priority. Our first step is to address teacher wages. Beginning teachers are only paid $41k/year, then experiencing a wage freeze at $54k from years 15-24, only to cap out at $56k at year 25 with no additional raises. NC public school teachers should be paid salaries that are, at minimum, competitive with the highest salary of private school teachers for beginning teachers. Rather than subsidize private institutions with taxpayer money, invest in public educator salaries to make NC Public Schools set the standard in quality for education nationwide.
Hard-working North Carolinians should not be the main source of taxed income in this state. The elite 1% have capitalized on divisive politics, pitting neighbor against neighbor over issues that aren't actually issues. This has been a distraction from the real divide in the US - the wealthy elite vs. everyone else. Tax the billionaires and corporations that refuse to give up their wealth and pay less in taxes than one person making minimum wage. Imagine being at a buffet, where everyone has unlimited access to food for a set price. If one person came in, paid, then ate all of the food, people are still going to be left hungry, regardless of their ability to pay. Tax the wealthy elite and big corporations, not hard-working Americans.
ALL law enforcement personnel should possess a four year degree emphasizing in criminal justice or psychology, as well as specialized training in mental health crisis management. True justice and rehabilitation is restorative, not punitive. Non-violent offenders should be rehabilitated in their own communities, not in a cell at the expense of tax-paying citizens. The Sylva Police Dept. has implemented the Community Care Program, providing non-violent repeat offenders with community-based resources to meet their needs. In 2024, a dedicated social worker managed over 100 referrals, with 82% accepting services, eliminating the need for police intervention for 22 individuals frequently involved in calls. I would like to see this go statewide.
Over the last month, our country has seen unprecedented federal overreach in the form of ICE raids, resulting in the murder of American citizens at the hands of our federal government. This is textbook domestic terrorism, and North Carolina, the first in Freedom, will NOT bow down to fascist ideologies. Our General Assembly and State Administration should work with local, county, and state level law enforcement to ensure that North Carolina does not and will not cooperate with federal enforcement measures without due process.
Additionally, I will fight against additional AI data centers in NC. These present unsightly structures with little to no benefit for the surrounding region, depleting communities of clean water and driving up the cost of electricity for residents, all with little to no regulation or oversight. NC is an agricultural state, so rather than clearing land for giant buildings with no one in them, help farmers establish sustainable farmland and feed our state.
