ISSUES
What we care about.
I love politics — you probably don’t. That’s okay. The difference is this: knowledge is power, and I want you to have it. Our government is not a business — it’s a direct service nonprofit built to serve people. “Liberty and justice for all” means all, not some. I’ve worked in nonprofits and as a constituent liaison, helping people solve real problems, and even I asked, why is this so hard? The truth is, bureaucracy gets in the way of service. I believe government should be easy to understand, easy to access, and accountable to the people it serves. You should know where your tax dollars go, how decisions are made, and how to get help when you need it — without jumping through hoops.
Government Accountability Is Government Engagement
I’m a public school kid, raised by union teachers. Public schools are the most accessible pathway to opportunity for working-class, immigrant, and marginalized communities — and we’ve been starving them for decades. When public schools are underfunded, people call it “choice” when parents turn to charters, but that’s not a choice — it’s a push. Education is too essential to leave to corporations. I believe in fully funded public education, fair-paid teachers, and free education from early childhood through 12th grade — and yes, I believe associate degrees should be free too. We don’t need more experiments. We need to raise public schools to exceptional standards and keep them free, strong, and accountable to the public.
Education Is a Public Good, Not a Corporate Experiment
Student debt is crushing a generation — and for what? Sky-high tuition with no guarantee of a future. If the government can bail out banks and airlines, it can bail out students. I support student debt forgiveness, tuition caps, $0 application fees, more grants instead of loans, and a federal matching program where every dollar a borrower pays is matched by the government. We also need stronger education overall — critical thinking, emotional regulation, and real literacy. A society that isn’t informed is a society at risk, and we all pay the price for that.
Student Debt Relief & Smarter Futures
The federal minimum wage is $7.50 — that won’t even buy you a full meal. Well-paid work should mean a well-earned life. In District 4, the average household income sounds high until you realize people are working multiple jobs, living with family, drowning in debt, and still struggling. I know this personally. I’m a small business owner. My grandparents are working again after refinancing a paid-off home just to survive. Affordability isn’t about laziness — it’s about math. When wages don’t rise with costs, people lose time, health, and dignity. I support raising the federal minimum wage so working people can actually live.
Affordability Starts With Fair Wages
So many families on Long Island share the same story: earning money is one thing — knowing how to protect and grow it is another. We deserve access to real financial literacy, not shame or fine print. At the same time, we have to stop letting massive corporations squeeze communities dry — selling us low-quality goods at high prices while paying workers less and less. Our government shouldn’t be serving corporations — it’s been serving us up to them. I believe in holding big business accountable so local families can build real, lasting wealth.
Financial Literacy & Corporate Accountability
The American Dream has always included owning something — a home, land, stability — without drowning in debt. But banks and corporate investors are buying up homes, letting them sit vacant or turning them into short-term rentals, driving prices beyond reach. Families are being pushed out of the communities they built. I believe in protecting homeowners, expanding access to ownership, and stopping corporate abuse of our housing market so people can afford to stay where they live.
Homeownership & the Right to Stay
I believe in unions because I believe in democracy at work. My family’s history — from healthcare to education to finance — taught me that workplaces thrive when workers are respected. Corporate buyouts stripped that dignity away from too many jobs. My generation knows loyalty without protection is exploitation. Workers deserve a voice, fair pay, and security. Unionizing is how we democratize the workplace, and I’ll always stand with workers fighting for dignity.
Workers, Unions & Dignity on the Job
Healthcare is not a luxury — and mental health is healthcare. Full stop. People can’t thrive when care is inaccessible, unaffordable, or stigmatized. I support expanding access to comprehensive healthcare that treats the whole person — mind and body — so people can live healthy, stable lives.
Healthcare Includes Mental Health
Superstorm Sandy damaged my childhood home and changed my life. I’ve seen what happens when government fails people during disaster — my family in Louisiana lived it during Katrina. Corporations pollute our planet, buy up damaged homes we can’t afford to fix, and sell them back at impossible prices. That’s not progress — it’s exploitation. I support restoring and expanding FEMA funding, investing in preventative infrastructure, and transitioning to green energy responsibly — without exploiting communities abroad. Climate justice is community justice, and we cannot afford to get it wrong.
Climate, Environment & Community Protection
