Issues
As your Commissioner, I’m not here to represent the corporations, lobbyists, or wealthy donors. I’m here to represent hard-working, everyday people. Because that’s who I am, too.
Boone County: A Place to Thrive
Together, we can make Boone County stronger than it’s ever been, and a place we’re all proud to call home. This means good jobs, strong education, safe communities, and ensuring our rights are protected.
We’re lucky to enjoy so many beloved local businesses in Boone County. I’m proud that we were able to dedicate significant American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding towards a new retail incubator program that includes business training, coaching and peer-to-peer mentoring to develop and expand retail businesses in Boone County. I believe in the power of our workforce, and will continue to take steps towards a pro-union future. A future that does not include anti-labor movements like Right to Work that undermine working people’s livelihoods.
During my time as commissioner, I’ve overseen investments in public health, especially in rural areas of our county through services like our pop-up truck health clinic. Our country also faces a public health crisis in the form of gun violence, and we’re working to tackle youth gun violence in particular at its roots through a joint city-county response.
I believe that no one should live in fear in Boone County, that politicians shouldn’t come between people and their doctors, that kids in our schools should feel safe to express themselves, and that your government should work for you.
Investing in Community Services
During my time on the commission, I’ve worked to help Boone County take the reigns on 911 dispatching, staffing retention, and building relationships with first responder providers in order to ensure a reliable and effective 911 service for the public.
Our county must work towards doing more for the most vulnerable among us, especially as we build more comprehensive unhoused services. With ARPA funds, the commission dedicated a million-dollar investment to Love Columbia for the construction of a new six-plex apartment building to provide transitional housing to homeless families with children. We’ve also worked towards building better community services across our government systems, Including developing court programs for mental health treatment and veterans’ treatment.
Improving Infrastructure
Good government services are a priority of my work as your commissioner. Here in Boone County, we should be able to count on basics like safe roads and reliable telecommunications. I’ve worked with local stakeholders to improve Boone County’s infrastructure through a variety of projects: contributing funding to the reconstruction and modernization of the Rocheport bridge, protections against flooding for at-risk areas, expansion of the Columbia airport, and local 'first and last mile' transportation services in partnership with local businesses to transport people to work where there are significant service gaps in public transit.
With the arrival of American Rescue Plan Act funds, we’ve also dedicated significant infrastructure investments towards projects like reinforcing and replacing HVAC systems in Ashland for youth programming centers, promoting agricultural education and strengthening food security through the Southern Boone Schools Greenhouse, and expanding cellular and broadband to underserved areas of our county. I will always make modern infrastructure that is environmentally sustainable and union-built a priority.
A Plan for Upward Mobility
We won’t solve poverty with one silver bullet, but we can work towards providing a safety net for vulnerable neighbors and ensuring equal opportunity for all.
I’m proud of the county’s work on the Upward Mobility project, which focuses on reducing racial and ethnic inequities and supporting upward mobility from poverty. Reducing poverty and making sure working people earn living wages is crucial. The plan’s initial priorities take a multidisciplinary approach to tackling poverty at its roots, including helping families navigate wages and benefits at their workplaces, improve disparities of literacy scores at third grade, reducing opportunity gaps in workforce development and employment, decreasing referrals to the 13th Circuit Juvenile Office, and increasing available inclusive housing to reduce and mitigate neighborhood segregation.
During my tenure, we’ve also been able to fund more community services projects like expanding the Columbia Food Bank. With this funding, the food bank is able to receive an increased availability of nutritious foods, as well as educational outreach to promote healthy foods and meal preparation.
We have also been working on developing independent living housing and starting a fund for mental health services. Easily accessible mental health care has the ability to radically change lives for the better.
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I’m proud to serve my neighbors as your Southern District Commissioner. Together, we can make Boone County stronger and more prosperous than it’s ever been, and a place we can be proud to call home.