ISSUES
HEALTHCARE IS A RIGHT - EVEN FOR WOMEN!
I unequivocally support Medicare for All and I will support accepting Medicaid expansion funds for Wisconsin.
Women deserve reproductive healthcare.
With the end of Roe v. Wade, abortion access is non-existent and constantly under attack by Wisconsin Republicans. The end of Roe was not just about ending abortion; it’s extending to IVF in some states, and will expand to prevent access to contraception. That’s the end game - the end of full reproductive healthcare. These actions will set women’s health and freedom back decades. Abortion access and reproductive healthcare save lives and women are perfectly capable of making decisions about their healthcare without government interference.
I have always been 100% pro-choice and will never compromise on women’s health.
I have spent my life fighting for women’s equality. I was part of one of the first classes of women to graduate from Westminster College, a formerly all-male college. I have actively organized women locally to build political and economic power. As a member of Zonta Club of Janesville, I volunteer to empower women in my community and world. I am a graduate of the Emerge political training program, and have consistently supported women running for political office.
As a high school teacher for 28 years, I have watched our public education system slowly deteriorate due to decades of partisan attacks. It’s why I ran for the Janesville school board and why I continue to serve my community – to use my experience to advocate for students, parents, and teachers.
We must invest in public education. End the voucher system.
Funding for public education is not keeping up with inflation. Teachers and staff may get raises, but the raise barely helps meet the rising costs of insurance, housing, and other necessities. School districts struggle to provide educational resources for our children. Our buildings are aging and repairs are needed. We need to end the voucher program which siphons PUBLIC money from public education. Many Wisconsinites would be surprised at how much of their tax dollars go to private schools serving people who can afford to send their child to private schools.
DEFENDING PUBLIC EDUCATION
SUPPORTING LABOR
The middle class is disappearing because of attacks on unions and collective bargaining.
It is in our economic interest to support unions and sound labor practices.
I was a card-carrying union member for my entire professional life. I served my union as president and vice president. My union made it possible for me to do my work better, in a safer environment, and earn a family sustaining wage. My community benefited by my ability to do my job well and pay my bills. That’s why when many collective bargaining rights were taken away, I ran for and was was elected to the school board in Janesville.
END MASS SHOOTINGS TO PROTECT OUR KIDS
Your kids have a right to be safe at school. Full stop. I support common sense gun laws, such as universal background checks and waiting periods and closing gun show and boyfriend loopholes.
In Janesville, taxpayers had to foot the bill for the lack of action on gun safety. Safe pathways, costing millions of dollars, have been installed because without them, students and staff are less safe from gun violence. I supported the expenditures for the remodeling of our entrances as a school board commissioner, but I hated the reason we had to install them.
CHAMPIONING LGBT RIGHTS
We must stay vigilant to protect LGBT rights, which are being threatened by the radical right.
The LGBT community can trust me to be a consistent and vocal ally.
I have always stood up for my friends in the LGBT community. When a student asked for my help starting a Gay-Straight Alliance in 2007, I did not hesitate. When dozens of protesters spoke out at a routine school board committee hearing to approve the group, I spoke against them and then we organized local residents to show their support for our group at the next meeting.
The school board approved our Gay-Straight Alliance, and our group has played a leading role in successfully changing the culture for LGBT students at our school.
PROTECTING OUR NATURAL RESOURCES
Our climate is changing and we have no choice but to respond. Many Wisconsin communities are discovering cancer-causing PFAS in their drinking water. Antiquated infrastructure is made up of lead water pipes to our homes and public buildings. We can either address the root causes now, or force our children to deal with the catastrophic consequences of our continued inaction.
We must take action to address this threat to our planet.
As demand for fresh water increases, so too should our efforts to protect the Great Lakes, Wisconsin’s greatest treasure. Our economy relies on our natural resources, so we cannot continue to watch them be destroyed in pursuit of short-term corporate profits.
As a member of Citizen’s Climate Lobby, I paid my own way to go to Washington, D.C. to lobby Congress to support reasonable solutions to climate change. I will stand up to powerful special interests to protect our environment.