As a single mother and head-of-household, I understand the challenges of providing for my family.
As an educator, I understand the importance of quality education for all.
As a leader, I understand the real implications of the action or inaction taken by our elected officials.
As an activist, I understand the profound implications of Climate Change. I am proud to have signed the Green New Deal and have vowed not to accept any donations from the fossil fuel industry. We must commit to leaving a healthy, livable, and sustainable planet for future generations.
Voting for me means standing up to the powerful political figures and standing up for the everyday people.
An Economy for Working Families
I raised my son as a working, single mother. This meant I often held two jobs at a time to provide for my family. I understand how challenging it is for families since living expenses are rising at a faster pace than incomes. Young people, and those in lower income brackets, are paying a disproportionate amount on housing. The ability to afford safe, affordable, and energy-efficient housing is vital to creating thriving communities.
We need:
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Protections for working people that include paid sick time and family leave, secure retirement plans, and appropriate protective equipment for essential and front-line workers especially in this time of Covid-19.
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Fair tax policy that ends the 2006 tax cuts for the wealthiest Rhode Islanders.
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A transparent and participatory budgeting process that eliminates wasteful spending.
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A cap on rent increases at 4% per year.
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To explore a land-value tax to reduce property tax for lower income families.
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A progressive corporate tax structure to reduce the small business tax burden.
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A predictable path to a $15 minimum wage that is tied to inflation.
Government Reform
It is vital that we have leadership in our General Assembly that works on behalf of the people who put them in office. As a part of Rhode Islanders for Reform, I called for rules changes advocating for more transparency and accountability from our government. Our government must work for the people and not just the wealthy and well-connected.
Key changes will:
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Allow members of the General Assembly ample time to read bills before voting.
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Move to publicly-funded elections.
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Establish term limits.
Education
We need to amend the Rhode Island Constitution to ensure that all students have the right to a quality education. This would bind elected officials to fully fund our schools to provide every student with the high quality education they deserve. We must restructure our school funding formula to create equity and stability and not rely solely on property taxes for each municipality.
As an educator, I’ve had the opportunity to work in public schools, private organization, and federal programs like Head Start.
I hold a vision that our public schools:
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Include Universal Pre-K.
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Diversify the teacher body.
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Provide smaller class sizes.
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Create comprehensive ESOL programs.
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Design online distance learning curricula.
Climate & Environment
I’ve been committed to and will continue to fight for legislation that:
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Supports a 100% just transition to renewable energy by 2030.
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Focuses our economy on the manufacture of parts needed for solar and wind, retrofits older structures with energy efficient equipment, builds new sustainable & healthy buildings that creates thousands of new jobs.
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Bans clear cutting forests or damages the already fragile natural infrastructure.
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Bans the development of green open space, farm land, and historic lands.
I made the personal commitment to drastically reduce my carbon footprint by downsizing to an 800 square foot house and driving an electric car.
I would like to see the state:
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Incentivize the purchase/leasing of electric vehicles.
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Install more charging stations and increase the benefits to those opting for more energy-efficient lifestyles.
We must strengthen Rhode Island’s transportation system.
We can:
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Rethink our roadways to include safe passage for those using alternative modes of transportation.
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Support the 15-state alliance that is moving away from fossil fuel-dependent public transportation vehicles and replace our fleet with electric vehicles by 2050.
All across Rhode Island we have extraordinary coastline that is threatened by the rising sea level.
We need to enact:
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Planning and zoning that prevents further damage.