Currently holds the office of Massachusetts House of Representatives - 8th Middlesex District until January 3, 2025.
Candidate for Massachusetts House of Representatives - 8th Middlesex District in 2024 Massachusetts General Election.
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Get StartedI am pro-choice and a staunch defender of women's reproductive freedom. With the Supreme Court gutting Roe v Wade, red states are going to make it increasingly difficult or impossible for women to have access to abortion. I support the work of the Beyond Roe coalition and efforts to make the right to an abortion unassailable in Massachusetts. Learn more
We must address inequity in our state, where there is documented discrimination against people of color in many dimensions of life such as bank loans, health care access, and employment. I will encourage state programs to follow the example of the Racial Equity Data Road Map that the Department of Public Health is pioneering on health inequities and barriers. This process will collect data and inform programming that can help us address the root causes of inequities still present in our society. Learn more
I support the important training initiatives underway. Police officers must be respectful and treat everyone equitably in the discharge of their duties. However, once again unfunded mandates and onerous timelines are hurting small towns. The new rules did not take into account the value of auxiliary police to small town police forces and the new training timelines are too tight for small towns to manage. We can and must make progress on police reform, but we have to pace differently for different size communities. We also need to focus more on restorative justice and should look back at and expunge records for any minor possession crimes of substances now legal. The so-called “war on drugs” didn’t accomplish much and incarcerated a generation of young men and color, most for very minor possessions. Learn more
I’ll be an advocate for workers on issues like protecting gig workers and stopping wage theft. As the economy shifts more toward service and information industries and gig jobs, we need to re-examine the difference between full-time workers and independent contractors. We can strengthen existing rules to maintain worker flexibility while protecting workers from abuses and misclassification that denies them important benefits. We also need a strong anti-wage theft law to protect workers from this billion dollar problem in Massachusetts. While most business entities are good faith actors, it is time to hold corporate entities accountable when wage theft occurs. Learn more
I believe in educating the whole child. Young minds thrive on a mix of academics, health and nutrition education, sports and physical activity, music and the arts, and social and community-oriented activities - not just being taught to take tests. Public schools should be funded accordingly. We have an obligation to provide multiple educational pathways that serve the needs of all our families. Quality opportunities should be available to students who choose to pursue technical education, especially at a time when a whole generation of skilled workers is retiring and new workers will be needed to work in our communities in the years ahead. I would like to see us manage the funding of special needs as a state rather than at the municipal level, where they can overwhelm local budgets. Learn more
Climate change is an existential crisis. We must reach Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050 through a combination of green energy infrastructure investments and job development. At the same time, we must remember that communities of color and low income neighborhoods have been bearing the brunt of environmental degradation for a long time. I support creating an Office of Just Transition that will integrate social, racial, and environmental justice; incorporate the voices of labor; invest in green energy and job creation; and advance smart policy and enforcement of existing regulations. The fossil fuel industry has put forward a false narrative that clean energy hurts jobs. With the right policies in place, it can actually be a boon to job creation and the economy, especially with our unique geography and landscape. If we make the right investments, the Commonwealth has multiple opportunities in clean energy and jobs related to geo-thermal, off-shore wind, and solar. Specifically we need to fund these two programs: Jobs With Justice: A program to retrofit a million homes to make them more clean energy efficient and help workers with the transition to a clean energy economy. Off-Shore Wind: Massachusetts has the largest technical potential for offshore wind development in the country, a wonderful opportunity for good paying jobs and enough estimated Gigawatts to electrify Massachusetts. Learn more
Massachusetts has strong gun laws in place, but it is time to ban the manufacturing of assault weapons in our state except for use by the military and law enforcement and consider greater liability for gun manufacturers in state court. Learn more
I believe in a health care system that focuses on wellness and prevention. Systemic inequities that lead to differential health outcomes costs society billions of dollars in long term health care costs related to obesity, diabetes, and heart issues. Learn more
The entire Commonwealth has a severe shortage of affordable housing and we need multiple approaches that include investing in more affordable units, rethinking zoning, and incentivizing affordable construction. Learn more
We need a thoughtful approach to immigration policy, but xenophobia is not the answer. Each wave of immigrants has contributed to the country’s growth and I will work to make sure that opportunities for education, housing, health care and employment are open to all. Learn more
I support the Fair Share amendment to ensure that Massachusetts doesn’t leave anyone behind. With the rising value of real estate, we should adjust the estate tax exemption upwards so we don't hurt families whose major (and sometimes only) investment is their home. This is not the time to reduce corporate taxes, but I do support targeting tax credits and incentives for important strategic investment and collaboration with the business community in areas such as clean energy, local sourcing, technology, and life sciences. Learn more
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