Priorities for Our Community
Affordable living
People are struggling, including some of my own loved ones. I’m tired of working to bandaid the situation and want to fix our economic problem. I’ll begin by removing regulation from childcare centers to make childcare more affordable, providing incentives to developers and more flexibility to cities so we can incentivize developers to build housing that is reasonably priced, and increasing the minimum wage (which has been at $7.25 since 2009). My background–small business owner, teacher, parent, elected official, non-profit board, and foundation operator–makes me a valuable asset in these conversations.
water & energy
Our water crisis is personal to each one of us and none of us is immune. Our experts have given us viable solutions to our water problem, but all of them require a significant financial investment. I will spend the next 6 months becoming an expert on the budget, looking for funds and policies that we can reposition to invest in water conservation. Once we have solutions to the financial portion of the problem, we’ll need to help legislators on both sides of the aisle understand that if they support laws that invest in water, their constituents will continue to vote for them.
I will continue to work to stop the proposed Box Elder County project and will bring my knowledge from my tech background to have real conversations about how we want to handle data centers as a state. We must create policy that works in the best interest of Utahns, rather than for data center owners. Where we need more energy, I want to pursue the geothermal energy that exists in the west desert as well as renewable energy such as solar and wind power. I’d like to incentivize consumer and industry behavior that conserves energy.
Strong public education
My main priority for education is to cut the red tape and get flexible funding to schools. Utah public education is at a crossroads right now. As a member of the Granite School Board, I have felt the effects of the uneven playing field created by charter schools and Utah Fits All. I’ve seen how unfunded mandates result in cut services for kids. I’ve hugged teachers who are overburdened and don’t have the resources to truly meet the needs of the kids they care about. 85% of the kids in our House District 34 attend public schools. Setting them up for success lays the groundwork for our community's future.
integrity in government
Lately, I feel that what is ethical has been confused with “what I can get away with” or even “what is legal.” I hold myself to a higher standard. As your elected Granite School Board representative, I have demonstrated my commitment to taking accountability and holding others accountable. I’ve shown myself to be courageously honest, transparent, and communicative. As your representative, I not only listen to you, but I get others to listen to you, too. I will continue to work for my neighbors with integrity and an eye on what is best for Utahns.
power in people
I’ll protect the independent redistricting commission. It is a conflict of interest for the legislature to draw their own maps and directly undermines the voice of the people. The super-majority in the legislature have made the checks and balances in our state constitution for the three branches of government nonexistent. I will always vote to encourage a healthy balance of power. Let’s start by funding the lower courts to reduce backlogs. I will demand transparency in the appointment process of our new Supreme Court judges and will preserve the process of having a non-partisan nomination committee. We must elect more democrats to bring a balance of power back to the legislature so they cannot pass bills that disempower the other branches of government. Parties do not run our state. The people do.
With Rob Dahle, former Holladay Mayer, and Jeff Silvistrini, former Millcreek Mayor
accessible
health care
Adequate health care, including mental healthcare, impacts every area of our lives. It affects our ability to work or go to school, our relationships, our financial situation and general overall well-being. I will support policies that bring health care access to more people. I will prioritize systems that help people get better plugged in to our current health care offerings and more coverage for kids.