As a dedicated public servant in our community, I’ve been deeply committed to tackling the essential issues that improve the lives of our citizens. As a Representative for House District 28, I will continue to fight to secure the legislation and investment needed to improve our schools, support our families and continue to build and protect our community and our environment.
Here are some of my key priorities:
Improving Education
As a special education teacher for nearly 30 years, I know first hand the challenges that students and educators face. While I was working in our public schools, I fought against Betsy DeVos-led efforts to redirect education dollars away from public schools toward for-profit schools. I have advocated for legislation to provide free meals to all Pre K-12 students in our public schools, historic increases in per pupil funding, and 100% funding for special education, for the first time ever! I have the experience and education to advocate, legislate, and be a strong voice for parents, teachers, and students in our local Downriver and Monroe Schools.
Supporting Workers’ Rights
Our district needs a representative who votes FOR working families, not against them. My father was a member of the Window Cleaners Union Local 139 who was seriously injured on the job at the age of 24 and I served as a member and recording secretary of the Taylor Federation of Teachers Union 1085 for 29 years. Through these experiences, I have a history of organizing and fighting for workers who provide critical services to our communities. I believe workers deserve a fair wage, good benefits and a chance to retire with dignity after a career of hard work and service to their community.
Connecting People to Solve Problems
As a special education teacher and union leader, I learned first hand that connecting community members of all backgrounds – including leaders and partners, small businesses, and non-profit groups – is crucial to finding effective solutions to some of the most challenging issues our communities face. I’ll advocate for and help find solutions that provide families with access to child care and senior care, and help veterans and citizens gain access to the health care and mental health services they need.
Funding Local Infrastructure
In the face of increased use and extreme weather resulting from climate change, our local roads and overpasses are aging and are in need of repair and replacement. Our district has not received all of the funding that is needed to repair our aging local infrastructure. I will partner with Sen. Camilleri to fight for federal and state funds that are available to help restore our local roads, highways and bridges.
Cleaning Up our Local Environment
I will support legislation to hold industries accountable to clean up their own messes, strengthen regulations and ensure that polluters pay for cleaning up so our residents aren’t stuck with the bill and the effects of toxins in our water and environment. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2021 included $1 billion in funding to accelerate environmental cleanups, much of which was earmarked for projects in the Great Lakes region. I will fight to secure federal dollars to help clean up our local rivers and create a cleaner, safer future for our local community.
Defending Reproductive Rights
As a woman and mother who struggled with fertility issues, I understand the importance of reproductive care and trusting women to make their own decisions. One of the most challenging times in my life was when I had my first miscarriage and wasn’t able to conceive. I ended up having surgery and needed help from a fertility specialist. My husband and I were finally blessed with one child, and the idea that anyone but our doctors should be involved in the healthcare decisions we make is inappropriate. I consider myself pro-child, pro-woman, and pro-choice, and I will support and trust women to make these decisions with their partners, families, and medical staff – not politicians.
Prioritizing Public Safety & Protecting Gun Rights
My husband is a gun owner. I understand and believe in the rights of individuals to own guns for hunting and recreation. I have even participated in wilderness training. But as a teacher, I’ve seen first hand how challenging it can be to protect our most vulnerable children in the event of an active shooter emergency in aging schools with limited escape routes. Guns that are used as weapons of war pose a growing risk to the safety of our communities, and I will fight to protect our district’s citizens from the ongoing threat of these dangerous weapons.