Family

I am a life-long Democrat and was proud to join my local UFCW at my first job to earn money for college. My parents instilled in me a belief that education was a great equalizer, that participation in politics was a civic duty and that an individual does have the power to make a change.

 

They put each other through college while working full time with two children. My father was a union steelworker and my mother a customer service rep for the same company. Two of my earliest memories are of my dad on strike for better pay and a safer work environment and going to night classes with my mom while my dad worked second or third shift. My parents worked hard to give my sister and I a better start than they had, borrowing from their own retirement so that we could go to college right after high school.

They taught me to look out for the marginalized and disenfranchised. I’ve spent my life trying to uphold those values and walk the walk. This is what drives my desire for better public policy and to serve our community.