I am excited to announce that I am running to represent the 80th Assembly District in the 2022 cycle. I also want to congratulate Sondy Pope on her retirement from the Wisconsin State Assembly and thank her for her 20 years of faithful service to her constituents.
My roots run deep in the area of the 80th. My wife and I are raising our two beautiful girls in Belleville, where I serve as the Village Board President. I grew up in Verona and graduated from Verona Area High School in 2005. I am the son of a United Church of Christ pastor and a school cafeteria cook. I was raised with the values of integrity, a strong work ethic, and a dedication to social justice. These values shape my hope for our shared future and form the foundation for the issues I want to bring to the forefront: providing equitable access to an excellent public education, expanding access to healthcare, especially mental healthcare, and making the system fairer for all.
As a current public high school teacher, I understand the importance of an education and the doors it can open for young people. Every student deserves to sit at their desk and see themselves as successful and supported by their school and community. I want to invest in all of our students by strengthening school to career opportunities and college in the schools, providing universal broadband, and seeking ways to make college more affordable.
The recent pandemic has underscored the need for greater access to mental healthcare. It is time to lift the veil from discussing mental illness and normalize seeking the support and help many desperately need. We also must work to make accessing mental healthcare more equitable so one’s address and financial situation do not determine their quality of care.
We must also strive to expand opportunities for all our neighbors by prioritizing fundamental fairness. We need fair, living wages that respect the dignity of work, keep roofs over heads and food on tables. We need to protect voting rights by ensuring that all eligible voters have access to the ballot box to make their voices heard. Our communities grow stronger when we all do better, not just a chosen few. We can move Wisconsin forward by working together toward the common good, seeking to leave the world a little better, so that tomorrow is a little brighter for our neighbors.
I am excited to get to know more of you, and I hope to see you as I make my way around the district. During these next few months, I look forward to earning your trust and your vote. Serving the 80th Assembly District would be an honor.
