People Over Profits!
I believe in People Over Profits. I will never support any legislation that is not in the best interest of the people and the planet. Anything in the best interest of the planet is in the best interest of the people. In order to save this planet, we have to make changes that may not be so popular with everyone, particularly those exploiting the resources of this planet. I have actionable solutions to alleviate the problems we are all facing. There are more of us who support reproductive rights and gun legislation than don’t. Together we can create legislation that will benefit all people, not just the wealthy. I am not afraid to speak out against corporate greed.
MY BACKGROUND
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Public Affairs in Urban Policy. I’ve worked as a congressional liaison in order to facilitate access to federal agencies with regards to housing, veterans and immigration. While working for U.S. Senator Reigle I changed a non-existent pregnancy policy into a two-month leave policy, being the first to return to their position after giving birth. I ran a daycare in my home. I became an electrical apprentice and passed the test to become a journeyman. I’ve wired hundreds of homes in Austin, including one of the first utility-tied solar systems at the Center for Maximum Potential. I was a cable splicer at SBC/AT&T. I contributed testimony that led to the enactment of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
At 50 I went back to school at Huston-Tillotson University and earned a teaching certificate. I became a high school English writing teacher at Northeast Early College High School, f.k.a. Reagan High School. My classes included many ESL students who were new to this country. Through my teaching them to write, they shared many intimate, heartbreaking and harrowing experiences. My teaching experience made me painfully aware of my white privilege.
I want to serve my community by creating policies that provide others with the same access to good schools, neighborhoods, housing and food that I had, while respecting each other’s cultures. As a public servant, I will acknowledge the transgressions of wealthy landowners, slave owners, robber barons, and corporate elitists and propose policies to rectify the legacy of those transgressions.
COMPASSION OVER CAPITALISM
I have always made a point to live in neighborhoods of diverse cultures, to volunteer with my children, to serve the underserved, and to take them to protests and rallies so that they would be understanding and accepting of all people. I appreciate the progress I have seen in our world, yet I know there is quite a long way to go.
I work full-time and moved my 85-year-old mother across the country to live with me in the middle of a campaign. They say if you want something done, ask the busiest woman in the room.
WHY ME?
My breadth of experience makes me a resourceful, capable and qualified candidate.
I am the BEST candidate because I have actionable solutions far beyond what others have proposed or are promising. I won’t shy away from what others say is "radical" or "impossible". I am not concerned with appeasing anybody or becoming a shining star. My concern is to make the world a better place for everyone, starting in Austin.
I am not so naïve as to think some won’t try to shoot down these solutions, or that the State of Texas won’t interfere with the humanitarian policies that make Austin so attractive to live in. But they still need discussed and I will keep bringing them back to the table. Change must happen. We have to put People Over Profits!
