Your Page Header Title

On top of already astronomical housing and healthcare costs, rising food, fuel, and utility prices are creating an impossible situation. In an economy that favors those who already have the most, too many are struggling just to get by. 

Minimum Wage: Working for the lowest wage allowable by law is already hard. Wages shouldn't stay the same while costs rise with inflation. I support tying the minimum wage to inflation so it does not continue to fall behind rising inflation.

Rent Relief & Housing Supply: One third of DE households rent. We need rent stabilization so everyone can afford to stay in their homes. For those in our community who are unhoused, more must be done to provide viable options and opportunities for shelter and stability. 

In addition to rental relief programs, we also must work to increase our housing supply and remove barriers to building housing that is truly affordable. 

Income Tax Overhaul: Those who have the most need to pay their fair share to ensure we can support our communities. One way to do this is to introduce new tax brackets with higher rates for the wealthy, while reducing taxes for those at the lower end. Even saving a few hundred dollars in taxes for working people matters when the costs of everything are rising. It's time the wealthiest Delawareans pay their fair share and we ease the burden on those just trying to get by.

New data centers are a significant risk to Delaware’s environment, electrical grid, and cost of living. The state cannot leave this to the counties - it must put substantial guardrails in place to protect Delawareans.

Data center power and water use, noise, and impacts on neighborhoods must be tightly regulated. No data centers should be approved until regulations are in place to ensure that their very real costs are not paid by us while the profits go only to the billionaires who own them.

I support a Constitutional Amendment that would allow Delaware to tax data centers in line with the costs they create as a specific unique type of property.

A strong public school system is the lifeblood of any community. Every child has the right to receive an excellent education through their community schools. We need to support educators, ensure equitable funding, and provide access to necessary wrap-around services such as mental health support while at school when needed. Educators’ salaries continue to need improvement.

Free Meals for all Students: We must be student focused, which also means ensuring all children receive free, nutritious meals in school. Children cannot learn when hungry. By extending free meals to all children we reduce the risk of spotlighting those who are less well-off and potentially subjecting them to shaming for circumstances beyond their control.

Universal Childcare: Finding childcare during the workday is one of the biggest challenges for parents. I support universal childcare for the earliest years and for school-aged children and believes that before and after school programs in particular, can greatly enrich a child's life.

Equality & Equity in School Funding: Historically, Delaware has a legacy of segregation that produced two of the four legal cases that became part of the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas (1954) that made clear separate is never equal. That legacy led to white flight and what turned out to be a two-tiered system, some of which remains. Understanding history is part of developing the political will to change things. The Legislature is making progress as it moves forward on a new hybrid school funding mechanism (SB302) that will better allocate resources where they are needed. In addition, the recent Redding Consortium proposal to consolidate northern New Castle County school districts will be an important part of the conversation going forward. As more details are developed, I will work to make sure the final version is the best path forward to ensure an excellent education for all students in the 23rd RD.

Affordable, timely, and effective healthcare is a right. We must make quality care, including mental health care, accessible and affordable for all. It’s unacceptable that even in urgent cases it can take days to see a primary care practitioner.

Women's Health & Reproductive Care: Women should not face more challenges in finding doctors who take their concerns seriously than do men. Reproductive care is healthcare, and reproductive rights must be guaranteed by the Delaware Constitution.

As University of Delaware scholar Dr. Marian Leif Palley and her coauthors write, “Historical, cultural, and social barriers have had to be overcome to transform the definition of women’s health so that it is focused on more than reproduction and sexuality.” While this transformation has made progress, they also show how recent backlashes have slowed, and even reversed, some of this progress. We can’t let this continue to happen.  [E. Palley, H. A. Palley, & M. L. Palley. 2026. The Politics of Women’s Health Care in the United States, 2nd ed. Palgrave MacMillan.]

Public Option: While many changes to the healthcare system must come from the federal level, there are some things we can look at doing here in Delaware without federal action, including pursuing a public option healthcare plan to provide an affordable option for businesses, families, and individuals struggling to find coverage in the private marketplace. We also need to prevent price gouging by state-regulated health insurance companies. Improving access to primary care for everyone must be a priority.

People over Profits: Further, our hospitals must put people over profits, including by expanding charity care. A Spotlight Delaware report last October showed how ChristianaCare profits have grown at the same time they have failed in their responsibility to those facing ruin by healthcare costs. Senate Bill 13, now being considered in Dover, would be a step in the right direction, requiring Delaware hospitals to provide support to more Delawareans in need, and would ensure better oversight and enforcement.

UD, Newark, and State Collaboration: Though I'll soon be stepping down, I've spent the past ten years as a department chair at the University of Delaware. This experience and the relationships I've built there put me in the unique position to be able to bring state, local, and University leadership together to foster a new era of collaboration. With better cooperation, we can pursue a prosperous, sustainable, vibrant, and livable Newark for all. We need to take a long view to ensure Newark and the 23rd RD's future, and this requires a true partnership between the city, county, the University of Delaware, and state agencies, as well as businesses and residents. We need to begin imagining Newark in the mid-21st Century. 

Longterm City Planning: The City has been working on its Comprehensive Planning process which is a substantial part of ensuring a bright future. But by itself it isn’t enough. Having served as a Planning Commission Chair in an Upper Bucks County community, I understand how the planning process works, and the need to engage all stakeholders in a visioning process that will take a very long view. 

Voting Access: The states have sovereign control of running their own elections, and we must stand in defense of that against an Administration looking to rig the 2026 midterms. I will advocate for broad access to Vote-by-Mail, same-day voter registration, automatic ex-offender re-enfranchisement, and implementing Ranked Choice Voting both in Delaware and federally.

Voting Rights: We must be vigilant and ensure Delawareans' right to vote is not endangered, and that voting be as accessible as possible to all. I support State Representative Larry Lambert’s proposal to adopt a Delaware Voting Rights Act in response to the Trump administration and U.S. Supreme Court’s destruction of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act.

As the lowest-lying state, Delaware is at high risk of sea level rise due to global climate change. Delaware must do everything in its power to fight this climate crisis even as the current federal administration refuses to do so. It's vital we restore advocacy for renewable energy, including wind, solar, and new technologies, and maintain Delaware's support for Electric Vehicles (EVs).

We must oppose data centers or development that would jeopardize our environment and public health. Any redevelopment of industrial sites must prioritize protections from chemical pollutants, and it's imperative we continue to support the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) program. 

The Coastal Zone Act (CZA) is one of the most important tools Delaware has for protecting our fragile coastal environment. For now, thanks to the CZA, the massive Delaware City-area data center has been stopped. I will continue to strengthen the CZA, not weaken it. I also support state level non-tidal wetlands protections to make up for the attempted destruction by the Trump administration; these wetlands are more than half of all wetlands in Delaware. SB9, currently being considered in the Legislature, must be passed.

A well-paying union job made all the difference in allowing me to go to college without taking on serious debt. Labor unions give workers the opportunity to organize in order to protect their rights and improve their working conditions.

Defend Unions: The right of workers to organize must be preserved. I will fight back on the constant assaults to unions and oppose every effort to make Delaware a so-called right to work state. Right-to-work really means employers’ “right” to push wages down and fully control workers.

Fair Wages for State Projects: Prevailing wages, Project Labor Agreements, and Community Workforce Agreements should be in place for state-funded projects. As the Center for American Progress points out, “PLAs and CWAs are effective tools for creating good value on taxpayer-funded projects, ensuring workers earn fair wages and good benefits, and increasing job access for workers from all walks of life.”

Thanks to the advocacy of a broad representation of Delawareans, organized by Mom's Demand Action, we have been a leading state in implementing constitutionally-sound protections to lessen the risk of gun violence in Delaware. But the work is not done.

On average, one person dies from gun violence every three days in Delaware. I strongly support Senator Dave Sokola's bill (SB 300) which would require firearm dealers to buy a state license to sell guns, complete bi-annual Delaware State Police training courses and install surveillance systems.

I agree with Sen. Sokola that this bill would lower the risk of gun violence and gun trafficking in Delaware, and would hold irresponsible gun dealers accountable. We must get this bill passed.

I'm extremely proud to stand with our LGBTQIA+ community here in the 23rd RD, and I'm deeply honored to receive an endorsement from Delaware Stonewall PAC.

While much progress has been made in the fight for equal rights, even previously hard-won victories are now at risk under the Trump administration. We must stand together to defend marriage equality, and we must continue to fight until every member of the LGBTQIA+ community feels safe and free to live as they are without fear.

I unequivocally support a state constitutional amendment to guarantee the right to marry here in Delaware no matter what happens federally. We need to defend trans rights, and we must protect and ensure that good, safe healthcare is accessible to EVERYONE.