It is my goal to incrementally increase the minimum wage to a livable wage over a short period of time.

While it is not economically viable to instantly adopt a higher living wage in any area, data from sources like the MIT Living Wage Calculator shows that for a single adult with no children, a living wage is approximately $23.94 per hour. That translates to about $49,795 per year.  For a family with two adults and three children, the required living wage is $46.59 per hour for a single income earner to provide food, shelter, transportation, medical needs, basic necessities, and an emergency fund for their family.

To start, a goal of $20 per hour will be sought within the first year of my employment by the citizens in District 11.  Increasing the minimum wage will be a multi-pronged approach that will be evaluated and implemented through all economic sectors. To be included in the consideration for raising the hourly wage will be Cost of Living, typical family size, and the economic situation of the district, state and country.

18.5 percent of adults in District 11 are age 65 or older. That number is rapidly rising. In just ten years it has significantly jumped— over 100 percent in Cherokee County alone.  This jump shows need for an elder care plan to be in place sooner rather than later for District 11 citizens.

Most of our seniors rely on Social Security benefits completely, while others access the benefit as a supplement to other coverage they may have from service in our miliary for example. It is our civic duty as representatives of the people to ensure that what citizens invest for their future is never placed onto the chopping block again.

We owe this to every citizen that has paid into their benefits, and they deserve that return.

A single income earner should never have to make the choice between food on their table versus taking their child to the doctor. Making rent or covering exorbitant, life-saving, medical expenses for a parent or loved one.

As your representative, I will work to facilitate reinstatement of those benefits that have been lost by the passage of the “Big Beautiful Bill”. Our Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and VA Benefits programs will be prioritized as they belong to the people of our nation.

A recent housing study completed in District 11, identified a significant need for a greater diversity of affordable housing options.

While the District's high-income residents have access to those options, roughly 45% of the District's households with incomes below $75,000 are having increasing difficulty in finding housing that is both suitable and affordable.

As seen with other communities, a lack of affordable housing can cause a range of negative impacts, including increased homelessness, poverty, poorer physical and mental health outcomes, decreased economic growth and less tax revenue for the community. With these negative outcomes, we see a reduction in workforce diversity as well as a lack of stability in local economies.

It forces people to make difficult trade-offs, spend too much income on rent, or live in substandard housing, which harms families, especially children. The entire community's well-being and prosperity is effected. Together, we will work to heal our community’s shortage of affordable housing and encourage economic growth that benefits us all.

As a nurse, I know that taking care of one’s basic housing needs and securing someone against homelessness has been empirically proven to lower the percentage of those suffering addictive behaviors and it also reduces the incidence of mental health crisis.

This is especially important for our veterans.

Furthermore, disabled Georgians deserve equal opportunity for housing and home ownership.

We are currently observing a far-right “think tank” named Cicero – a company cofounded by billionaires like Peter Thiel of Palantir, that are lobbying HUD to discontinue funding for our housing assistance networks and divert the funding for those programs.

We cannot allow this to continue.  

The diversion of funds is NOT a solution to our housing problem but a direct worsening of the setback. As homelessness is being viewed more and more often as a “crime” rather than a societal need to be addressed, this inhumane action is not solving anything for District 11 and is rather funding the greed of the four privately owned prisons in Georgia with those who become homeless.

We have to stop lobbyists from hurting Americans further.

Tariffs are taxes imposed by one country on goods imported from another country. Tariffs are an unnecessary trade barrier that raises prices for consumers and small busness owners.

These taxes on goods also reduce quantities of goods and services available to us. This further creates economic strain on small businesses in our communities. Especially if the local business is burdened with the cost of importing supplies to create their goods, or parts to fulfill a service.

It is also important to ensure continued diversification of employment opportunities through attracting small businesses to meet the needs of our residents. Economic instability in an area dissuades prospective small business owners.

Having tariffs in place does not encourage economic growth on the community level... where we live, play and work everyday. It is a key focus for me to open more opportunities for sustainable economic development and growth. that does not harm our citizens nor the land upon which we live.

Tariffs can stop this growth cold. Many small businesses in our district have already been significantly effected by this economic barrier. Everything from local retail shops and restaurants having to close, to auto-mechanics having to turn away customers because they are unable to service a part that needs to be replaced on a vehicle. They all feel the pain of the tariffs.

Economic relief from tariffs is greatly needed in District 11.

As intended by the Founding Fathers of our democratic republic, the power resides with the citizens, and the government is duty bound to its electorate to reflect the will and diversity of the populace.

Elected officials are to represent the ideas and concerns of the people who elect them, and systems ensure that all groups, including historically underrepresented ones, have a voice in our government. This is achieved through processes like free and fair elections where every citizen that is registered can vote and the results are counted properly and with integrity.

I hearby swear to uphold the will of District 11 through honesty, integrity and perseverance for all who reside here.