The Full Story:

My Policy Positions

I work for you to make your voice heard. My position on policies comes from my own experiences as an educator, Western North Carolina native, and from speaking with community members all over our 9 county district.

I will represent the people of Western North Carolina and their unmet needs for affordable housing, sustainable environmental resources, and accessible health care.

Education

Our public schools are the focus for the future of western North Carolina, but the use of tax payer money for private school vouchers are draining vital resources away from our children.

Private schools have tripled their tuition costs to take advantage of these vouchers.

Cuts in public funding directly impact important extracurriculars including art, music, and sports. Every child in North Carolina deserves a sound basic education. I will fight to increase per pupil spending, teacher and faculty pay increases, and an end to the wasteful voucher system.

Healthcare Access

Since 2005, twelve rural hospitals in NC have either closed or converted to limited-service facilities. Hospitals across western NC are facing threats of "functional closure," which is an incremental reduction of essential services like maternity units and inpatient capacity.

When you elect me to the state senate I pledge to:

Advocate for sustainable Medicaid and commercial reimbursement rates of low-volume rural facilities to prevent further health care deserts.
I will work to hold corporate health systems accountable. To gain full service capacity including labor/delivery and emergency care, so mountain communities have access to fully functional healthcare facilities.
Work to direct dedicated state budget funds and opioid settlement money into local treatment, harm reduction and recovery centers.
Protect emergency response infrastructure by funding regional EMS networks and medical transportation for essential first response and transportation.

Control Data Center Expansion

I stand firmly against the unregulated expansion of data centers that exploit our resources, hike up our utility bills, and strip local communities of their voice.

Data centers strain the electrical grid and drive up utility bills. Duke Energy is currently seeking an 18% increase in residential rates to cover their data center expansions. Everyday house holds should not have to subsidize the infasturture needed for Big Tech. North Carolina tax payers should NOT pay Big Tech's bills!
Data centers bring virtually zero permanent jobs, but they strain our grid, drain our water, and cost the state millions in lost tax revenue. I am not anti-innovation, but I will not support systems that take advantage of the people in North Carolina.

The incumbent, Ralph Hise, accepts campaign contributions from Duke Energy. I will not.

Legislative Term Limits

Our state legislature is locked in a cycle of career politics and career politicians, help me change it.

We need to:

End the era of career politicians. State government works best when led by citizen- legislators who live, work, and raise families in their communities- not by officials who spend decades in office disconnected from the daily realities of their constituents.
Break special interest ties. Regular turnover disrupts the cozy networks between long-term politicians and political lobbyists and opens the door to fresh energy and real-world experience for true representative democracy.
Encourage new leadership. Term limits level the playing field. This makes elections more competitive and ensures every district has representation focused on solving today's problems rather than protecting yesterday's power structures.

If elected, I pledge to commit a self-imposed term limit of two successive terms.

Power belongs to the people of North Carolina, not to permanent career politicians. It is time to restore accountability, refresh our leadership, and build a state government that works for everyone.