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In 2024, the United States truly faces one of the most critical elections in our history: choice is on the ballot, democracy is on the ballot, and right here in Eastern Sussex our quality of life is on the ballot, as we deal with a series of challenges, including a shortage of doctors, public schools that are popping at the seams, and environmental degradation exacerbated by unchecked development and climate change. I am proud to be the first woman nominated to represent the people of RD 14 (Rehoboth Beach, Lewes, and Dewey) in the Delaware State House, and I will work to defend reproductive freedom; strengthen our democracy with vote-by-mail, campaign finance reform, and a non-partisan Inspector General; and advance doable bills aimed at improving our quality of life in terms of health, education, and the environment. I am running for office because I want to do the work: serving constituents, securing funds for our district, and making laws for the entire state. In Dover, I will work hard to make sure Sussex County receives its fair share of resources, so we can address our pressing needs for mental healthcare, substance abuse programs, services for people with disabilities, long-term care options, wrap-around services for the unhoused, and so on. |
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Platform
As RD 14’s representative in Dover, I will work to:
Defend Reproductive Freedom. People should have the freedom to determine for themselves the size and timing of their families and having access to abortion services and in vitro fertilization are part of that self-determination. No one should be forced to bear a child because they cannot access or afford an abortion, and no one should feel compelled to have an abortion because they are too poor to support a family. We need to secure reproductive freedom, including access to abortion services, by passing a constitutional amendment, so our freedoms cannot be infringed by a simple majority vote.
Strengthen Our Democracy. As Executive Director of Common Cause Delaware, I learned that the First State has a lot of room for growth when it comes to democratic processes. We need vote-by-mail, so people can vote safely and securely from home — an issue that directly affects seniors and people with disabilities. We need a non-partisan Inspector General to eliminate fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in government agencies, which will save taxpayers money. We need to strengthen and enforce campaign finance laws, so that voters can see where candidate money comes from and make sure that their donations are going for legitimate campaign expenses.
Protect Our Quality of Life. In our district, our quality of life is threatened by rapid growth, soaring prices, and lack of services, and these are my top three areas of focus:
Healthcare: Access to high quality healthcare is a challenge across the country, and in Eastern Sussex we face a severe shortage of healthcare providers, including primary care providers, specialists, and dentists, as well as veterinarians. I will work to secure more resources for our district — for mental health programs, substance abuse treatment, long-term care assistance, and services for people with disabilities. I will collaborate with colleagues to figure out ways to attract the providers we need to the district, like establishing licensing reciprocity for providers who want to transfer their practices to Delaware.
In terms of the long game, I support the idea of collaborating with other states to increase the size of our insurance market, which would increase our leverage, and I also support the founding of a medical school in Delaware, preferably in Sussex County, that could help ameliorate the shortage of doctors in our district.
Education: Having spent 20 years in the classroom, I have seen the way education can transform a young person’s life. That is why I will always support students, educators, and public schools. In the Cape Henlopen School District, we have schools that are popping at the seams and in dire need of more resources for students. I believe it is vitally important that we invest more in our public education system, including in vocational education and job training for students who do not plan to attend college.
We need to reform our antiquated school funding process to ensure that it provides adequate and equitable resources to our schools and that the process is transparent, predictable, stable, flexible, and cost-based. The referenda process is not delivering what we need. We must fight to preserve a funding structure that minimizes political influence, while advocating for changes that support student need, reduce class sizes, and address local wealth disparities. In addition, we also need to support educators with higher salaries and rock-solid security when it comes to their retirement benefits. Educators do a lot for our children, and they deserve our respect.
The Environment: A lot is on the ballot this year, including the future of the planet, and environmental concerns certainly top the list of concerns in Delaware. Sussex County is the lowest lying county in the lowest lying state, and RD 14 is graced with beautiful coastlines and plagued by rapid development — all of which makes us vulnerable to environmental catastrophe, as sea levels rise, weather becomes more extreme, and our coastlines erode. We need to get serious about climate resiliency, strengthen environmental protections, and continue transitioning to sustainable sources of energy, like wind and solar. We also need decisive action to improve the quality of our water and to protect our open spaces and forested land, all of which are threatened by overdevelopment and destructive agricultural practices.