I’M READY TO LEAD ON:
WOMEN’S RIGHTS
I will support gender equality and women’s rights at every opportunity. I will defend women’s reproductive healthcare including abortion access in Connecticut. Not only will I fight to protect a woman’s right to choose, but I believe that we need to continue to work together to achieve true equality by means of pay equity, truly equal opportunity in career opportunity and advancement and asset development. We must increase representation of women in government; as your State Representative, I will work hard to make sure that women have a seat at the table and our voices are heard at the highest levels of policy making.
ENVIRONMENT
One of the things I love most about this district is the nature that surrounds it - one of my greatest priorities is protecting the environment we all value here in the LCRV. The health of the Connecticut River and its tributaries, as well as Long Island Sound is crucial to the health of our towns, communities, and the state. As a community, we have to take action to confront the climate crisis and as your State Representative, I will support legislation that creates more resilient coastal communities, ensures the health of Long Island Sound and the Connecticut River, promotes clean energy sources, and takes real steps to confront climate change.
SAFETY
As a retired police officer, public safety is a top priority for my time in the legislature; I have seen the day to day impact and costs of crime on people and communities. I believe that Connecticut has some of the strongest gun safety laws in the country, but that we need to work to decrease gun violence through better enforcement. I believe that we must reduce the crime that impacts residents in our communities by better resourcing and training our local police. I have a lifetime of professional experience in the criminal justice arena, both as a policy analyst and working as a detective investigating serious and violent crimes and even now as a volunteer sexual assault crisis responder here in my community. This is a truly unique perspective within the House of Representatives and one that I will use to ensure that the people of Connecticut are safe and that they feel safe.
AFFORDABILITY
People everywhere are finding their money doesn’t go as far as it used to, whether it’s the cost of food, housing, transportation or even their tax bill. As your State Representative, I will always have my eye on the financial impact of legislation on everyday people; for many years in my role at the Program Review and Investigations Committee, we often considered the way in which agencies used their budgets to meet legislative mandates, a key to making your tax dollars work hard for you. I understand that all policy decisions have a cost and that sometimes the unintended consequences of a policy resulted in increased costs. The bottom line is that we need policies and legislation that make the LCRV a place where people can afford to move and where they can afford to stay. People should be able to live where they work, raise their children in their own hometowns, and grow old in a place that they call home. I will do my best to bring state and even federal funds back to the LCRV to make sure that our towns remain places where everyone can afford to live.
ACCOUNTABILTY
I believe that good governance can make a positive difference in the lives of citizens and can mobilize state and local systems to do better, but in order to do so, government agencies must be held accountable for executing on their mandates and their decision-making process must be transparent. Understanding when and why government is not working at its greatest level of efficiency and effectiveness has occupied much of my professional life and I want to bring my expertise to bear for the benefit of the people of Connecticut. Being of service to others through good governance was, and still is, a guiding principle for me. I am committed to doing the hard work to make our state better. I am ready to lead!