The responses to these questions were edited for length and clarity by the Georgia Decides team. Each candidate was allotted 150 words for each answer and some answers were trimmed in order to abide by that length requirement. Other edits were made to make sure readers can fully follow and understand the candidate responses.
Campaigning for: State House District 111
How does your background equip you for the job you are seeking?
My background is in nonprofit work with teens. It teaches me patience and how to show empathy. We need more elected officials who care about people and not just their careers or egos.
What role should government have in the lives of Georgians? How would you apply that philosophy to the job you are seeking?
Government should be there to help in the time of need.The government should also be there as a resource for anyone needing help. People will put me in office and those are the people I am looking out for.
If you are elected (or re-elected), what problems will you spend the most time solving and why?
Solving the barrier of making voting more accessible for everyone. Taking down the unnecessary hurdles that have been put in place to make it difficult to vote.When your ideas are popular you don’t need to cheat to win.
Georgia is a politically diverse state. How will you work to represent Georgians whose political views differ from your own?
Empathy. I care about all people regardless of how they voted.I will represent what the voters want. I will not cater to bigots and things that will do harm to others.
Who has been the biggest influence on how you view state government and politics? What have you learned from this person?
State Rep. Donna McCleod, D-Lawrenceville. I learned that you can stand up for what you believe is right in the face adversity.
Georgia has a lot to offer current and potential residents, but many parts of the state are becoming increasingly unaffordable. Please explain your proposed approach to address housing affordability through legislation and executive actions?
I think there should be rent control. I also think that large corporations should not be able to buy entire stretches on neighborhoods. All new apartment construction should consist of affordable housing based on income.
Politics is often about compromise. How do you decide when to compromise and take small, incremental wins, and when to refuse compromise?
I will compromise when there is a legitimate reason as to why I can’t get everything I want. I will refuse to compromise when someone is out to do harm to other people they don’t agree with.
There were politicians who questioned the outcomes of Georgia elections in 2018 and 2020. Do you think Georgia’s elections are secure and will you stand by the results?
Yes, they are. Those same politicians who won their races are not questioning the results of their race. They are questioning the results that don’t give them all the power to control all of the country.
In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on abortion, state law and local enforcement authority will determine access to abortion.
I will work to overturn the state’s decision. If Republicans really cared about the will of the people, they would let the voters decide.
Are there any programs/legislation you’ve sponsored or created to help people with disabilities?
N/A
Georgia closed out its budget year with a “likely record surplus, billions of dollars in federal aid and a growing economy.” Georgia spends more than half of this money on education and health care. What would you want to see in the budget in terms of spending or taxes?
Free technical college for all. Use some of the money to pay the medical debt of Georgians through collection agencies.
The Legislature often votes along party lines. When would you seek bipartisan action and what issues merit such consensus?
I would seek bipartisan issues as it deals with the economy.