EMPOWERING FAMILIES AND SUPPORTING EDUCATORS  

During my time in the legislature I’ve helped deliver record funding for Downriver schools.That’s meant raises for our teachers, technology improvements for our districts and state of the art facilities for our students. We’ve increased funding for counselors and social workers and decreased the funding gap between school districts. 

There is much more to be done. After nearly two years of COVID-19 disruptions, we need to do everything we can to keep kids in the classroom. In the short term that means testing and vaccination, but it also means hiring more teachers, increasing teacher pay and lowering class sizes. We also need to pay special attention to expanding access to library programming and reading resources so we can address the learning loss that occurred during the pandemic. 

RAISING WAGES AND LOWERing COSTS

In the legislature I worked to cover costs for COVID-19 testing, increase wages for home healthcare workers and provide hazard pay for first responders. I also supported raising the minimum wage and instituting paid sick leave. We responded to the pandemic in a meaningful way, but our current economic situation requires immediate action to raise wages, lower costs and safeguard Michiganders standard of living. 

Michiganders deserve a path to an economically viable career that doesn’t leave them drowning in debt. As a State, we need to do more to invest in career technical education and the skilled trades. Michigan’s economy has always centered around heavy industry, and I believe in the power of unions to provide a decent standard of living for workers and world-class talent for  businesses. As your State Senator, I’ll never stop advocating for collective bargaining rights and will do everything in my power to repeal Michigan’s Right to Work legislation and restore prevailing wage.

MEETING YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS

I’m proud of the progress we’ve made addressing our infrastructure problems in Wayne County. As a legislator, I’ve focused on providing funding solutions for urgently needed underpass projects Downriver – including a $39 million overhaul of the Allen Road rail crossing in Woodhaven. I also worked across the aisle to create a dedicated fund to finance more grade separation projects in the future. 

I believe that Downriver can grow its position as an economic hub in the region - but doing so means addressing our infrastructure problems and investing in the future. We need to build new underpasses in Romulus, Huron, Flat Rock and Trenton while properly maintaining the railroad bridges that currently exist. We need to remove the remaining lead pipes in our older communities, and revitalize our waterfront by responsibly cleaning up toxic sites. By developing the Downriver waterfront, we can attract small businesses, facilitate investment and create walkable, urban corridors that encourage commerce and attract new residents. We have an opportunity to use one time Federal funding to pay for these projects. If we focus on the future we can continue attracting state of the art private sector investments like Ford’s Ion Park - a collaborative learning laboratory focused on battery development that’s currently being built in Romulus.

PRIORITIZING PUBLIC SAFETY

I have always supported our first responders. In the legislature I worked to protect pension and healthcare benefits for police officers and firefighters and helped appropriate $300 million to invest in training within local Police Departments. I also supported a bipartisan bill to enhance anti-bias training.

We need to continue prioritizing public safety – that means expanding revenue sharing so local communities can hire and retain the staff that they need. Overall, we need a comprehensive approach, including incentivizing local police departments to hire more mental health professionals, increasing anti-bias training and professional development, and encouraging PD’s to hire more officers from the communities they serve.

CLEAN AIR, WATER, AND LAND

With the Detroit River, Lake Erie, Huron River, Belleville Lake and many other natural resources and parks right in our backyard, our quality of life depends on us being good stewards of our environment. Keeping our air and water clean will help our economy, protect public health, and ensure we have beautiful places to live, work, and play. Southern Wayne County should lead the metro region as we work to combat climate change and transition to a greener economy. 

I successfully fought back against funding cuts to programs that protect the Great Lakes, and I will keep fighting to make sure they stay clean for future generations. I also spoke out against the push to let corporate polluters write environmental rules in Michigan - we should be strengthening environmental protections and holding polluters accountable, not the opposite. As your next State Senator I’ll work to commit substantial resources to the Green energy transition because the future of our environment and our economy depend on it.