Issues

As a mother of two children who are in, or have gone through, the public school system, I know that a well-funded quality, public education gives all of our children the opportunity to thrive. As State Senator, I will fight for increased funding to help all the schools in our district thrive and to reduce the burden on our municipalities. For example, if we had tied Ch. 70 funding (the funding calculation for our local schools) to inflation our cities and towns would’ve received an additional $437 million dollars this fiscal year alone. With school transportation and special education rising we need to work together to find the funding needed for all our students.

As a Select Board Member, I have fought to ensure we have additional support for low income students, those who may have children in the foster system, those who need special education services, social emotional learning, DEI training and culturally responsive curriculums. I recently spoke to one mother in the district who told me about her class sizes, 36 students in a high school class. How could anyone learn in that setting? I will stand up to reduce our class sizes, to close the gap between students living in poverty and those with means that was exacerbated during the pandemic - we have the worst gap in the country, and I will stand beside you to work to utilize funding resources for the new schools our district needs.

Housing affordability is one of - if not the most - pressing issue facing Massachusetts residents. 

As a Select Board member, I have publicly supported updated zoning regulations, like accessory dwelling units, to encourage multi-family housing & access for those with fixed or low incomes. As State Senator, I will fight for more funding and programs to allow for low and middle income families to build their lives in our district by supporting a process that gives the community a voice in the process. Additionally, as someone who currently supports elders to access benefits, I support ensuring our elders can downsize and have access to housing without getting overburdened by rising property taxes. Many seniors I work with would love to stay in their home community, their church, their senior center, their neighbors who they’ve known for decades are there. But unfortunately there is no place for them to move into that one-bedroom, one-bath home and they are stuck in a home that is too large for them.We need to create the right housing and the right size for our communities.

For the past eight years, I have served Milton and worked closely on the town’s budget both as the Select Board finance chair and Warrant Committee member. Our towns need support today to ensure they can continue to deliver needed services to residents. As the only candidate in this race with State Senate and Municipal experience, I will fight to ensure we help ease the burden many of our towns are facing by both leveraging State and Federal funding and seeking additional revenue generating opportunities.Many of our towns budget are growing at a pace above the 2 ½ percent municipalities are allowed to increase taxes. We need to find more levers and tools for our cities and towns to utilize to help close that gap instead of needing overrides every few years.

As a single mom, caretaker for a parent, and longtime public sector employee, I know very well the daily struggle of making ends meet in Massachusetts. 

I support a higher minimum wage, increasing corporate responsibility to help us balance the cost of living and need for revenue. I also support access to workforce development and affordable higher education options. As a union supporter, I am in favor of ensuring our workers have the support they need to find and keep jobs that are sustainable.

As a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community & working class single mom, I understand how important it is that our state is a welcoming place for all. 

I’ve fought tirelessly as a public servant to ensure diversity, build bridges, and uncover blind spots. Our kids deserve to feel seen and heard in their educational settings, and on the Select Board, I’ve defended them from local threats to ban books. As State Senator, I will continue to fight to protect the most vulnerable in our society. Protecting our rights as a gay woman is close to my heart, whether that is access to abortion choices so women can retain authority over their bodies or ensuring that same-sex married couples can raise a family here without more red tape. 

We must stand up for our black and brown sisters who have to work harder to earn the same dollar. A black women will not reach pay equity until 2177 and most of them are the breadwinners for their families, earning .67 cents to a white, non-hispanic man’s dollar. But it is even worse for our Latina sisters who earn just .52 cents to that same dollar and will not reach the elusive pay equity until 2207. We must stand up and make a conscious change to reduce the years it will take for this equality.

A healthy democracy relies on transparency, access to information and accurate representation at every level. As a Select Board member, I have never shied away from a tough vote, and as State Senator, I will make my votes public so my constituents know where I stand. I also plan to be accessible to all residents of each of the towns in my district by holding district office hours on a regular basis, including evening hours so those that can’t leave work still have access to our office and their voices are heard. Additionally, I would like to make the State House accessible and to invite constituents to be a part of the policy making process. As people say, the State House is the people’s house - let’s open those doors for all our residents!

I am a huge proponent of protecting our environment and enacting climate policy that holds the powerful accountable & supports our most vulnerable. As your State Senator, I will continue to be a steward for our environment working to make sustainability options more affordable for all the residents in the district.