Hello! I’m a high school science teacher at the Lummi Nation School, a former federal policy adviser, and a dad who thinks my kids are at risk growing up in a community - and a state - that’s this unaffordable.
Teachers understand the 'cost of living' isn't a statistic. It’s a reality that walks through the classroom door every morning. We see families struggling while Mom or Dad work 2 jobs and they’re still forced to move again because of rising rents. We see the diseases of despair that take root when our neighbors feel abandoned by the systems meant to protect them.
That means fighting for Tax Fairness, asking the ultra-wealthy to pay their share so we can lower the sales tax on your essentials like diapers and prepared food that busy parents depend on, and stop leaning so heavily on property taxes to fund basic services that make our communities safe and stable.
That means supporting working families by growing early childhood education.
That means lowering healthcare costs by getting rid of outdated rules that let hospitals become monopolies while squeezing nurses and limiting care to patients.
That means moving beyond half-steps and policy tweaks and making the funds we already collect more usable to actually build permanently affordable homes for our working people right now.
I’m running for State Senate in the 42nd LD because the status quo is a runaway train that’s leaving our teachers, our seniors, and our families behind. I have the policy expertise to navigate the system and the classroom experience to never lose track of who I’m fighting for.
My life has been a bridge between these front-line realities and the halls of power. From my time as a senior policy adviser in the U.S. Senate to my volunteer work today leading a Community Land Trust that creates permanently affordable homes in our community, I’ve learned that our policies are only as good as the lives they actually improve.
Right now, we are facing a crossroads. We see a federal government that feels increasingly out of touch—and sometimes outright hostile—to our local needs. My values are rooted in the belief that Whatcom County shouldn’t have to wait for a rescue from D.C. or even Olympia. We need to put our communities on stronger footing in uncertain times, and be ready to stand up to federal overreach.