In my career I saw and dealt with dysfunction on a mass scale. Crime, child abuse, child neglect, delinquency, parental conflict and its effect on children. It could be overwhelming at times. It could also be rewarding to see those who found the strength to put their lives and families back together with the support of caring public servants who are underpaid and overworked.
I have seen the slow and steady decline in funding and programming to meet the needs of the least of us. I have also been witness to the steady decline of our State’s educational system and our residents’ prospects.
I believe we are capable of a great deal more. We are in competition with 49 other states. In spite of our many blessings we are losing because of short-sighted politicians; whose policies put us in an ever growing disadvantage.
Michigan is the 10th largest state and ranks in the top 5 for advanced manufacturing. In spite of this we rank:
40th in per capita personal income. The 10 states behind us are all red states, except New Mexico. (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)
44th in K-12 performance (NAEP) and child well-being as of 2024-2025. (2025 Kid’s Count Data Book)
16th highest in population living in poverty (13.5%); the highest amongst the Great Lakes/Midwest States. (2023 Census Bureau)
31st in residential tax burden, lower than every other Midwest/Great Lakes States; and lower than red states Utah, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana, and Kentucky. (CPA Practice Advisor)
Clearly we are broken. I’m 100% committed to fixing it.
As your State Senator I will work to:
Increase hiring and retention of certified teachers by paying them a living wage. Since the pandemic, teacher attrition has reached crisis proportions with seasoned teachers leaving the profession. Shortages of teachers are over 30% causing districts to increasingly rely on non-certified teachers. (Michigan State University’s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC)) research. The research also indicates the most acute teacher shortages occur in urban and rural schools. Our teachers’ average starting salary of $41,600 is almost 12% lower than the national average and approximately $13,000 below what is considered a middle class salary for our State. Adjusting for inflation our teachers’ salaries have fallen by 16% over the past 10 years.
Institute young 5’s programs in all school districts across the State to allow all children a more beneficial transition to their education and give them a greater foundation for success. Such programs would also lessen the burden on parents who start their children early to avoid increasingly expensive childcare.
Expand vocational educational programs throughout the state to create labor-ready skills.
Create a graduation requirement for a “life-skills” class to better prepare our graduates for the responsibilities of adulthood.
Increase affordable housing options for our citizens. The 20th District’s Median income is $74,000. However, 34% of our households live on incomes under $50,000. Another 30% of the households have family incomes between $50,000 and $100,000. The median value of owner-occupied housing is $253,000. The average monthly expense for a 2-bedroom apartment is approximately $1,200. Applying the rule-of-thumb of housing accounting for 30% of a family’s gross income here is the result. On a 30-year fixed mortgage at 6% interest along with taxes and insurance; the homeowner would have monthly housing expense of approximately $2,000, or $24,000 annually and the family would require an annual gross income of $80,000. Resulting in a deficit of $6,000. The annual gross income for the renter would need to be $48,000. Clearly this is a problem. It is essential that we work with all stakeholders - builders, community zoning boards and the State to streamline the process and incentivize builders to address the issue in a responsive and responsible way. (statistics from the 2024 Census update).
Let’s give the working class a fighting chance and expand the middle class!!