My approach: work hard, work together, get results

Between my day job, serving on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly, and raising a toddler — I don’t have a lot of patience for partisan fighting. Especially because our schools are overcrowded, salmon runs are disappearing, and energy costs keep rising.

As an Assembly Member, I’ve worked with Republicans, Democrats, and Independents to add teachers to overcrowded kindergarten classrooms, fix our roads, and rebuild our workforce.

My opponent Mike Cronk cast the deciding vote against funding our schools, and he is pushing a bill that’s opposed by Interior communities because it will hurt wild salmon.

As a State Senator, I will join a bipartisan coalition of Republicans and Democrats, and I will focus on getting results, not on party politics.

My Track Record

• Funded education for Kindergarten aides for the 2022-23 school year.
• Created a program to fund millions of dollars of road service area capital improvements.
• Created a program for 16 and 17 year-olds to serve as poll workers in our local elections.
• Sponsored the ordinance creating a tax exemption for farm buildings.
• Re-imagined our animal control code pertaining to dangerous dogs and created a more nuanced, effective system for handling dangerous or nuisance dogs.
• Funded the scoping of a new recycling facility.
• Passed a bonus for Borough staff to assist in recruitment and retention.
• Funded new positions so the animal shelter will be open over the weekends.
• Worked with FAST Planning to bring a crosswalk to the Tanana Valley Farmers’ Market.

My priorities

Reduce the cost of living in the Interior

Reduce energy costs. Champion projects that bring more Alaskan natural gas to interior homes, while investing in projects to bring new sources of energy online. Protect the Power Cost Equalization Program. Take advantage of new federal funding to invest in additional energy projects so our rural communities will have alternatives to expensive fuel.

Reduce the cost of housing. The best way to bring down the cost of housing is to increase the supply of housing – both by supporting incentives to build more, and programs that fix existing housing. I will support public-private partnerships like Housing Alaska, which will bring down the cost to construct and repair housing, and ultimately lower the cost for renters and owners.

Protect property tax payers. The state’s failure to fulfill its obligations to our schools and other basic community needs means that costs have been pushed to local property tax payers. The clearest way to reduce property taxes and improve services is to have the State step up and fulfill its obligations.

Support students by investing in schools

This past session, Republicans and Democrats in the State Senate came together to take meaningful action to improve Alaska’s public schools. I support both the policies and the approach. We need to increase the Base Student Allocation so that school funding keeps up with inflation, and to give Alaska students a great education. I also support the approach of putting political party aside, and finding common ground solutions.

My opponent cast the deciding vote against the BSA increase. Now programs and entire schools are on the chopping block.

Make meaningful progress to reverse the decline of salmon

This collapse in salmon returns has been devastating, and there is nothing that should be more urgent from our state government than doing everything possible to understand, stop, and reverse the decline in salmon. The only way that will work is if Tribes are involved in every step of the process.

My opponent is pushing a dangerous hatcheries bill opposed by the Tanana Chiefs Conference that will hurt wild salmon.

Champion projects that will bring good paying jobs to the Interior

Let’s stop leaving federal infrastructure dollars on the table. It’s unacceptable that other states are getting more funding to fix their roads and repair crumbling infrastructure, and Alaska is missing out just because of mistakes in our application process. I will do everything in my power to hold the administration accountable to maximizing our potential to bring good construction jobs to the Interior.

Development projects — for new housing, energy development, critical resources, and health facilities — are the lifeblood of our economy. In particular, development jobs bring economic stability to families, and revenue for critical services across the region. The critical minerals found in Alaska soil have national significance in securing our defenses and powering the next generation of renewable energy technologies. I will champion responsible development projects and prioritize workforce development so we can push for local hires.