Training and Experience
25 Years of Experience in Education
Volunteer/Community Service
NOCCA Northeast Ohio City Council Association, Executive Board Member and Treasurer, National League of Cities Human Development Committee. National League of Cities, Youth and Family Development Committee, National League of Cities, Race, Equality a
1. Small Businesses – The backbone of any community. Those businesses should be able to seek out and receive resources and other supports from the state so they can expand their workforces, markets and operations 2. Healthcare- Ohio is the home to some of the best centers of healthcare on the planet. We must ensure that high quality healthcare is affordable and assessible to every Ohioans 3. Education – The state must properly fund our school districts. In doing so, they must not also take money away that will have a negative impact on the services they provide or the quality of the education provided in the classroom.
Require fair and impartial districts by making it unconstitutional to draw voting districts that discriminate against or favor any political party or individual politician.
As 10-year elected official in a community that thrived in terms of economic development, I believe that I bring the experience necessary to help our State Government's efforts to attract new businesses, as well as retain and expand current businesses through smart policies and financial incentives.
I oppose SB 83, and efforts to limit what is said on the campuses of our public institutions of higher education, and I also oppose the creation of institutes at some of our public universities that teach only one perspective.
The importance of local knowledge in good decision making is one reason why state officials should defer to local governments.
Ohio is home to some of the best centers of healthcare on the planet. We must work to ensure that high quality healthcare is affordable and accessible to every Ohioan.
Ohio's most important resource is Lake Erie, and as a State Senator, I will do all I can to protect and preserve the world's best source of freshwater. I will support funding for research sponsored by our public universities, lead pipe remediation and replacement, and responsible usage of the Lake - including for tourism and sport fishing.
Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love. Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports. Adults should be able to earn a living and pursue a vocation knowing that they will not be fired, demoted, or mistreated because of whom they go home to or because how they dress does not conform to sex-based stereotypes. People should be able to access healthcare and secure a roof over their heads without being subjected to sex discrimination. All persons should receive equal treatment under the law, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation.
Training and Experience
Two decades of experience working with organizations, campaigns, local governments, and the public on issues concerning democracy, civil rights, the environment, energy and agriculture
Volunteer/Community Service
Food Strong, Kellys Working Well Farm, Bainbridge Blooms, Chagrin Falls Historical Society, Athens County Future Action Network, Save Ohio Parks, Buckeye Environmental Network, Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund
The Environmental cleanup of superfund and hazardous sites will require, law, policy, and regulations that include bioremediation and conservation.
Public Education is a Bill of Right in the Ohio Constitution Article 1, Section 7 and the funding is written in Article VI: Education. We are required to make laws to encourage schools and instruction. Northeast Ohio has many of the highest ranking public schools in the state, such as Chagrin Falls and Solon. The General Assembly needs to correct the funding and support that we give our public schools, higher education and libraries.
Civil Rights and our Democracy must be defended, protected and expanded.
The Renewable Energy Economy is vital to our prosperity, health, safety.
We must ensure every citizen of age 18 and older is registered to vote. We need to require on-campus polling places so that students are encouraged to vote. Voting by mail or in person should be convenient, easy, accessible, and accountable. We need to allow election day registration, if you show up you can vote. We need public campaign finance reform so that funding is available for anyone qualified with the education, experience and courage to run for office. We need paper ballots for a public record to verify the voting machines. I support the Voting Systems Reform Act and Voter Protection Act. We need to stop gerrymandering, I support the Citizens Not Politicians petition that is circulating this year.
We need to provide valuable resources for people when they are seeking to invest their time, energy, and skills into communities here in Ohio. We need to ensure that every citizen has the right to life, liberty, and property with equal protection.
We need health care for all, public schools that are funded for success and affordable higher education. We need a safe and healthy environment with local nutritious food and sustainable conservation management in our state parks, public lands, communities and farms. We need to support the renewable energy economy in our public buildings, parks and lands. We need public transportation with electric trains for commuters which connect our communities throughout the state.
I want every child to have a safe, healthy, and happy environment to learn. Every school should have a therapist, counselors, nurses, sports, arts, music, theater, and trade school opportunities. A full curriculum that celebrates diversity, science, history and equality.
Our democratic republic depends upon their contributions and participation. Every graduate should be registered to vote. Know how to get a job with a resume, cover letter, and references. They should understand credit and the consequences of debt. They should have support from the school to connect them with higher education, a mentorship, or available work. They should have a library card and know how to use the public resources available to them.
Ohio is a Home Rule state and therefore the State protects the civil rights and Constitution of its citizens. Unless the civil rights, health or safety of the public is violated or threatened, the state should allow local governments to create the culture that supports their contributions, development, enforcement and plans.
Healthcare for all. I lived in Vermont for four years earning a masters and law degree and learned that Vermont has a healthcare system that could be used as a model for Ohio.
We need to cleanup the many superfund and hazardous sites in Ohio using bioremediation, what we have been doing (scoop, dump, dilute and bury) is not working. We need to protect our state and public parks from fossil fuel extraction, clear cutting, and mono-crop planting. We need sustainable practices that honor diversity, conservation, native grasses and wildflowers in our prairies and along waterways, healthy soils of bacteria, fungi and long perennial roots.
We have a lot of resources in Ohio: water, soil, forests, and fields; fossil fuels should never be allowed to threaten, contaminate and waste the essential resources for creating and maintaining life.
The role of the government is to ensure that every citizen has equal protection, economic equality, and opportunities to learn, live, love, work, heal, recover, and die in a safe, inclusive, and healthy environment.
