Rural Infrastructure

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In the year 2024, in one of the wealthiest counties in the State,  people who live out in the country should not have to pump water from creeks into the back of their trucks or haul water in Rubbermaid tubs to provide for the needs of their families and livestock. For those who are connected to a water line, the failing infrastructure in rural municipalities is leaving families with out-of-control water bills. We could use American Rescue Plan monies or other water grant sources to fund rural infrastructure projects such as expanding water lines or digging deeper and/or additional wells for families. It is being done in other places. The money is there. County support is not.

 

Other infrastructure includes roads, bridges, and rural broadband. Some people in my community have to make a two-hour round trip past demolished million-dollar bridges to visit their healthcare provider because they don't have the option to log on to the internet for a telehealth visit. It's 2024. The money is there. No one is stepping up for this district to allocate it.

We need a representative who will not sit idly in a comfy chair. We need a representative who will proactively seek solutions for the problems we face.

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I am that representative.

Freedom of Information

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I fully support access to information, whether it be the right to observe and participate in a transparent government or the ability to access books from perspectives other than my own.  This is the heart of small government.

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Washington County has not only lost multiple lawsuits for violating its citizens' right to participate in and watch its government but current officials also refuse to make ordinances accessible online. We need more elected officials who support easy online access to our government for the working families in our community. I do not support backroom deals.

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In addition, Act 372 of 2023 made it so that challenged books be reviewed by county elected officials. Books are the home of information, and I believe everyone should have the freedom to it. As an educator myself, I will not support book bans. As for access of information by minors, it is the parent's right to determine what is appropriate, not the government's.

 

We need a representative who values information. 

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I hold that value.

Safe Communities

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I care very deeply about this issue. I have a loved one with a very severe mental illness who is, unfortunately, a regular within the jail system. People with mental illness are not better off in jail; they're better off in treatment. It's difficult for me, a nurse, to halfway navigate systems for my loved one. I recognize that if it's hard for me, it's exponentially harder for other families. On the flip side, I've worked very closely with and attended some of the same trainings as law enforcement. I've seen how Corrections Officers have been put in danger because of unsafe staffing and have experienced this myself as a nurse.

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We are very fortunate to have a Crisis Stabilization Unit in Washington County; a service that law enforcement supports because it is a tool in their toolbelt. Unfortunately, its funding is repeatedly threatened and its closure shifts more people to an already overcrowded jail, further threatening the safety of Corrections Officers. County officials have the authority to create additional services people desperately need, but they are not doing it. 

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We need a representative who will do the hard work.

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I am that worker.