Candidate, Commonwealth of Virginia Senate, District 26, 2019

Candidate, Commonwealth of Virginia Senate, District 26, 2015

No caucus information on file.

Former Elementary School Teacher

Former Employee, Shenandoah County Public Schools

Former Board Member, Friends of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River

Former Volunteer, Shenandoah County Public Schools, Gifted and Talented Education Program

Number of Grandchildren:

3 Grandchildren

Reason for Seeking Public Office:

I just became a grandmother twice over in 2014. I so want to leave these two darling little girls, and all the other children, a society and a planet that are healthy and livable.

But I am deeply troubled by what I see about where Virginia seems to be heading. Did you know that Virginia is ranked 47th of the 50 states when it comes to government integrity? And that our state earns a grade of F when it comes to corruption risk? (nonprofit Center for Public Integrity)

I didn't know this until recently, when I looked to see what Virginia was doing about the climate crisis, the problem the world's top scientists say could make our grandchildren's lives a nightmare.

That's when I learned how much of the Virginia government is in the pocket of big monied interests like Dominion Power. The people who are supposed to be representing us, I discovered, are doing the company's bidding on not just climate change, sacrificing our grandchildren for short term corporate profits, but also on a host of other issues.

In fact, a bill recently passed by the General Assembly will take money out of the pockets of average Virginians to give to this powerful corporation. Dominion actually wrote the bill, and it will mean higher utility bills for more than 37,000 households right here in the 26th state senate district, and for many more in other parts of Virginia. But Wall Street analysts say it's a great move for Dominion. It will mean greater profits for them. At our expense.

With our former governor recently sentenced to prison, the moment was ripe to reform our corrupt state government. Some proposed genuine reform, like the creation of an independent ethics commission. But this effort was blocked by legislators who, instead passed a toothless gesture that changes very little.

I also learned that the man who's supposed to be representing us in the state senate has been on the wrong side of all these issues--big money buying the people's legislature, the need for ethics reform, and the climate crisis. And these are the issues that will most determine what kind of society our grandchildren will inherit from us. Will they have a government for and by the people or for and by big money? Will they live in a healthy Virginia and on a healthy earth?

The stakes are so high, I decided I just had to put aside my usual life and run to replace the incumbent Mark Obenshain to truly represent the people of the 26th district in the Virginia state senate.

If I'm elected, I promise:

* to do my best to reform our politics, so big money can't buy the people's government.
* to work for real ethics reform, so that the people can trust our government.
* to work to ensure that we act responsibly, that we do our best to leave our grandchildren a healthy, livable climate.

Join me in this campaign. Let's fight for a healthy democracy. Let's fight for our grandchildren.