Priorities

Affordable Health Care as a Public Good (not a profit center)

When I was 22 I was diagnosed with diabetes. At the time I was one month into my employers health insurance. Had I been diagnosed one month earlier – and I was uninsured – my entire life would have been different.  Ever since then I’ve seen how insurers have tried to avoid paying for the care I need to live.

I have fought to expand Minnesota Care and I support the Minnesota Health Plan, a bill for a single, statewide health plan that removes insurance companies from our health care decisions. I want to make sure everyone has access to the care they need – regardless of race, class, gender or geography and that health is at the center of our health care system – not profit.

Dignity of All Workers and Support All Working Families In Need

Growing up my family was lucky we could make ends meet. My dad would rent a cabin for a week each summer. We took a few road trips. It was nothing fancy but I loved it. I also remember the toll it took on our family as my dad’s employer raised his health care premiums, cut his benefits and asked him to work longer hours.

I’m passionate about what it takes for all of us to afford our lives.  I’m proud to have organized with low wage workers for a better contract and to have advocated for important legislation like Earned Sick and Safe Time. I’m committed to making sure Paid Family and Medical Leave is fully funded and supported and that wage theft laws are strong and enforced.

Supporting and Protecting Our Public Schools

When my wife Teresa and I thought about having a family it was a no-brainer to stay in Saint Paul and send our kids to public school. Today we have three Saint Paul Public School students in high school, middle school and elementary school.

Investing in and protecting our public schools is essential for building a strong community and economy here in Saint Paul and across the state. Ensuring that our public school educators have the resources they need to teach is critical. Funding to keep class sizes reasonable, have enough professionals to support our kids’ needs, and to invest in the infrastructure of our schools is a top priority.

Our Climate and the Farmers That Feed Us

Addressing the climate crisis is a responsibility we all share.  In urban areas we need to pursue aggressives cut emissions and invest in infrastructure that can support a sustainable planet. The same is true in rural areas.  I work with farmers in southeast and western Minnesota – the folks who work the land and feed us. I’ve made it a priority to listen and learn from rural folks about their struggles with health care, the economy and a sustainable environment.

Farmers are coming together to address the climate crisis. They see how the state of Minnesota can do more to encourage sustainable farming practices like cover crops and discourage the application of fertilizer that drives greenhouse emissions and pollutes our water. I want to continue to be a bridge between our community in St. Paul and family farmers.

We must stop gun deaths and indiscriminate mass shootings. Period.

I have lost two friends to gun related deaths.  As your state representative I would take any opportunity to ban any gun described as a “weapon of war” and the high capacity magazines these guns use.  Period.  I strongly support fully implementing and expanding Minnesota’s “red flag” laws.  These laws are an essential tool that allow a family member or law enforcement to take guns away from someone who is a significant risk to themselves or others. 

Revitalizing Saint Paul By Investing State Dollars

We Saint Paulites love our city. We choose to live here because of great public schools, excellent and accessible parks and neighbors who look out for each other. But there is also a lot of anxiety about our city. Potholes, snow plowing and vacancies downtown are on our minds. I look forward to partnering with mayor-elect Kaohly Her and I’m excited for her leadership.

To ensure essential services are delivered at the local level I support dramatically increasing state aid to Saint Paul and cities across the state. I love that Saint Paul is the capital city but I don’t love that our city can’t collect property taxes for essential services from state government buildings. I support the State of Minnesota paying our city government for the value of the land state government buildings occupy. I support using state bonding to convert vacant office buildings to affordable residential units. More people living – and working – downtown is one big step toward revitalizing our local economy.

Standing Up to Trump’s Immigration Crackdown

Minnesotans stand with our immigrant communities and reject Donald Trump’s campaign of dehumanization. He put billions of dollars into ICE whose agents are taking people off the streets here in Saint Paul while he cut Medicaid, food assistance and the Affordable Care Act. His goal is to make us fear each other. He is trying to convince us that there is not enough to go around and that we have to fight each other for scraps – even while he profits from the presidency.

I support legislation to prohibit any local or state jail or prison from being used for ICE detention. I oppose any attempt by public servants to wear masks and conceal their identity from the people they are sworn to serve. I will continue to speak out against unlawful detention of legal residents and I will be in direct contact with state authorities to make sure all applicable state laws and standards are followed.

We All Need An Affordable Place to Live

We are in an affordability crisis. For many of us, we feel the pinch of affordability most acutely when paying the rent, paying the mortgage or trying to find a home. The truth is, the housing market is not solving our problems – oftentimes it’s making it worse.

I support using state bonding to convert vacant office buildings in downtown Saint Paul to affordable residential units, and lifting restrictions to make building homes faster and more affordable. I also support the State of Minnesota continuing to make big investments in housing. That means investing in downpayment assistance for first-generation home buyers, homelessness prevention, and preserving and creating more homes – including for families, seniors and people with disabilities.

Women’s Health & Autonomy

I stand on the side of protecting women’s health choices and I’m proud that Minnesota is a leader in protecting access to abortion services. It is important that we continue to make progress as a state in expanding access to affordable contraception, maternal health and protect the gains we have made for paid family and medical leave and earned sick and safe time.

Protecting the Inherent Worth & Dignity of All People. No Exceptions.

My mom came out as a lesbian when I was 14 years old. I remember the sense of fear I had for her – and for me – at that time. Today, I deeply admire and love my mom for how she raised me and my siblings and the great grandmother she is today. But I worry about the rights and respect she and others in the LGBTQ+ community earned being rolled back.

I never have – and never will – bend on a question of human dignity. No exceptions. I’m proud that Minnesota stands up for our kids – trans and non-bianary kids included – and others at the margins. I will continue to stand on the side of safety and inclusion. More than that, I stand on the side of making sure our kids can thrive at school and in our community.