What about you and your background makes you the best candidate for this office?

 

 I come from a very diverse family and two very unusual parents who taught me that the people in charge were not always the right people for the job. I learned early that work is not only the ticket out of poverty, but that education is a privilege and right that can lead us out of despair. I am a hard worker. I understand the challenges faced by West Virginia's families because I have lived through disaster, poverty and difficulty, juggled bills and raised four children, some of them acquired the average way and some through kinship and adoption. I have listened to West Virginians' hardest stories and continue to work as an attorney to represent them, because their work ethic and their dedication to their families and communities inspires me.

 

I began my campaign understanding that West Virginians have a right to be skeptical about the actions of their politicians and committed to a very clear ethics statement. I don't accept money from corporations or industry and I also do not accept money from PACS that support foreign countries. It's my hope that clean financing from the beginning will ensure that we prioritize West Virginians every day. I encourage voters in West Virginia to verify, verify, verify. I know that the best candidate will be the one who strives to have integrity, empathy and to hold themselves accountable. I consider it my job to be that candidate every day and to be available to address their concerns.  

 

What are the three statewide issues you see for West Virginians at this time?

 

Three consistent issues affecting every West Virginian include: 1. The lack of affordable and accessible healthcare and fear of losing hospitals to consolidation. 2. Education defunding at the federal and state level without proper planning or supports, particularly in small communities. 3. Utility cost, availability and safety. Water safety is particularly concerning in the southern part of the state, while electricity affordability and the impact of hyperscale data centers, transmission lines and energy production units are huge concerns for the central and northern parts of the state. We are working with local leaders to find ways to support local solutions to local problems.  

 

What is your position on data centers being built in our state? 

 

The President's push to force AI development throughout the nation while destroying our regulatory infrastructure has created an unsustainable disaster. The regulations needed to address local, state and federal development of hyperscale data centers DO NOT EXIST. The President has issued an Executive Order demanding that states be forced to comply with a national regulatory structure that has not been developed for structures whose impact has not been researched. I believe we should have a national moratorium pending the development of a regulatory structure and appropriate guidance to protect our health and environment. 

Statewide, it is my earnest hope and goal to see Democrats elected to our state house that will repeal H.B. 2014 and return local control to our communities. 

 

How do you intend to better serve the education system for children in our state if elected? 

 

Our state is suffering from poor education leadership at the state level, but this is compounded by cuts to our federal education funding that is desperately needed to support our children. These cuts have particularly betrayed children with special rights and needs as the President is destroying the Department of Education. The Federal government's divestment from our children is a betrayal of their future and taxpayer goals for their own communities and the self-sufficiency of our children. 

 

As a Senator I would fight to have the President held accountable for illegal interference in Congressionally approved funding for states and our grant applicants. I would demand full funding of the Department of Education and call for accountability from the Department for running its own demise and violations of federal law. I would demand that the Department of Justice serve its Constitutional purpose, to ensure equal treatment for all children across class, ability and ethnic or racial minority status. I would advocate at all times that our budget reflect moral priorities and service to our children and our most vulnerable. 

 

What is your vision to increase family incomes and opportunity, raise the quality of life, and to make Wood County and area that families want to call home?

 

Wood County is rich in beauty, resources and community. Unfortunately, no community can escape the statewide and national challenges that have resulted from corrupt leadership, natural disasters and an unstable economy. As a Senator my first goal would be to show up to hear what folks in Wood County need and want to support their families, their local leaders and local businesses. 

 

There are promising opportunities. We know for a fact that mothers and fathers are struggling to find childcare. We know that communities are struggling to provide senior care. We know that  stable community infrastructure is the most important draw for families juggling work and caregiving responsibilities. We know that stable local schools can provide that infrastructure even if the communities are small when they are put to work to address multi-generational needs. We know that a stable healthcare system provides a huge benefit to employers and community members. 

 

We know that we are not using the correct measures to determine the stability of a community's economy. Income and GDP and the DOW are not serving community leaders. We have to develop measures that help us justify the funding we know we need to create enterprises that exist solely to facilitate success and help our young people overcome the hurdles of starting small businesses, beginning new jobs and securing transportation. 

 

I look forward to thinking outside our many boxes and learning from our communities so that we can thrive as a state and truly get the credit for the huge contributions that we make to the nation. 

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