We need to elevate the public discourse to restore our civil society.  Good government policymaking occurs in the middle ground after compromise.  It is essential and we do not do enough of it. Sometimes it feels like the genie is so far out of the bottle that we can’t get it back.  But I believe we must try and lead by example.  That doesn’t mean we don’t disagree, often vehemently, but we talk about the issues with information and intelligence. 

We must pay NC teachers as professionals (above the national average).  North Carolina has a fabulous legacy when it comes to public education.  Sadly, we have seen the Republican leadership erode this legacy during their tenure at the helm.  I support the restoration of master’s pay, a re-invigoration of our teaching fellows’ program, funding for more school nurses and counselors.

• We must ban assault weapons to protect our children and our police officers.  We know the ban works because we tried it and it saved lives.  Letting the ban expire was reckless and we must renew it immediately.
• I support common sense gun control including universal background checks, safe storage, and extreme risk protective orders as a good start.
• I believe that decriminalizing the personal use of small amounts of recreational cannabis is the right move at this time because we have too many people who have a stigmatized criminal record.  This limits their opportunities unnecessarily and it’s time we move forward on this issue.
• Medical cannabis should be available at a doctor's discretion.  If we can ease someone's suffering and relieve their pain, we should.  It would also reduce opiod dependence which is terribly important.
• I would end cash bail for non-violent offenders.  Lives can be ruined just because you are poor and the balance in your bank account shouldn’t dictate your freedom.
• We need to fund and train the police to improve racial bias certainly, but we also need to support the police with additional personnel so that officers can focus on matters of policing instead of a myriad of social problems such as substance use disorder and mental illness.

I have been advocating for Medicaid Expansion for years here in NC.  The NC Senate passed a version (not the clean version I support, but it’s a start) but a bill is not yet approved by the NC House.  More jobs, more healthcare, and it costs nothing.  A true no-brainer that somehow became a political football.

• It is time that we reimagine the discharge permitting process so that manufacturers must prove the safety of their processes before being allowed to use public trust resources. We have suffered terrible water quality issues here in NC (PFAS contamination) and while we struggle to find technologies to remove the accumulation of decades of these forever chemicals, we have got to prevent contamination from happening in the first place.  It’s called the precautionary principle and it’s time we embrace it before it’s too late.
• Plainly and simply…polluters pay.  If you contaminate it, you pay for the clean-up.
• Renewable energy is an absolute necessity.  Investing in wind power and solar energy is the path to energy independence.
• I support the electrification of our governmental fleet and I support the expansion of public charging stations to encourage consumers to buy EVs.
• I am on the coast of North Carolina and our hurricanes are becoming more frequent and more ferocious and even absent storm surge we are seeing “fair weather” flooding.
• I support expanding flood plain buyout dollars because until we turn the corner on rising temperatures, we are going to have to retreat from certain areas that are becoming uninhabitable.

• I support passing statewide nondiscrimination legislation.
• I acknowledge that there remains incredible structural racism in this country, and I support efforts to remedy this social ill.
• I support the codification of Roe v. Wade and believe that women should have the freedom to control their bodies.

• It’s time to end gerrymandering by establishing an independent commission charged with drawing our districts using the mapmaking criteria as determined by the Judiciary.
• Money in politics is corrupting the process.  Campaign finance reform is essential to ensure that we are electing the best qualified candidates, not those who can raise the most money.  I support having caps on fundraising in order to level the playing field and full transparency is likewise essential.
• Voting rights must be protected at all costs because voting is the premise upon which all else is built.  The “BIG LIE” is so incredibly damaging because it undermines people’s faith in the process.  Once that is eroded sufficiently, we will be in dangerous territory.

• We must raise the minimum wage in an aggressive manner because the current minimum wage equates to poverty.  Having a second and third job should be a choice, not a necessity.
• Here in North Carolina, we have done a pretty good job of luring well-paying companies, but we need to be selective about cultivating “green” businesses who see the value in lowering their carbon footprint.  Further, we must avoid putting forward bills that discriminate against people and it doesn’t appear that the Republican leadership learned much from the debacles that were Amendment One (prohibiting same-sex marriage) and HB 2 (the notorious bathroom bill).  We lost jobs and much revenue when Apple, Nascar, NCAA, Film and others boycotted NC.   Socially conscious businesses don’t want to locate in a place where all their employees don’t feel welcome.
• I support re-evaluating our taxing structure so that it does not disproportionately affect those in the lower income brackets.  We have lowered taxes in NC, but we have allowed other fees and expenses (think DMV) that mean that poorer folks are actually worse off, and eliminating the corporate tax is a terrible idea.  Nobody likes taxes, but everyone paying a fair share is necessary so that government can function.
• We must find a way to supplement affordable workforce housing because firefighters, teachers, and civil service workers need to be able to live in the communities they serve.
• I support programs that will make our community college system more available to more students.  I would be interested in examining expanded grant programs, apprenticeship programs, and work/study programs.