How I Approach the Issues

 

I don’t believe a State Senator’s job is to rule over the people they represent. A senator is a representative. That means listening, asking questions, studying the issues, and ultimately making decisions on behalf of the people who sent them to Little Rock.

 

That sounds simple, but I don’t think our politics work that way very often anymore.

 

We have become too comfortable dividing ourselves into political camps. We find an issue that makes us angry, pick a side, and then assume that anyone on the other side must be our opponent. Political parties have become increasingly focused on maintaining a majority so they can pass their agenda, rather than finding places where people can actually agree and work together.

 

I don’t think that is the only way to govern.

 

I am not running to be a vote for a political party.

 

I am running as an Independent because I don’t want a party label to tell you what I believe before you have heard it from me.

 

I want to be able to look at a bill, study the evidence, listen to testimony, talk with the people it will affect, hear from my constituents, and then make my own decision. Sometimes that decision may align with Republicans. Sometimes it may align with Democrats. Sometimes it may align with neither.

 

I am not interested in pretending that every issue has a simple answer just because a political party has already decided what its members are supposed to believe. The world isn’t black and white. It isn’t even gray. We live in a full-color, 4K world.

 

Real people have complicated lives. Their experiences shape what they believe, and two people can look at the same problem from completely different perspectives and both have legitimate reasons for feeling the way they do. I want to understand those perspectives before I make a decision.

 

Listening does not mean I will always agree.

 

I want to be very clear about this. I will not promise to vote the way a majority of my constituents tells me to vote every time. If I believe a bill is harmful, I have a responsibility to say so, even when that isn’t the popular answer.

 

But I also believe I owe you more than a vote. If you disagree with me, I want to hear why. If you contact me because you don’t understand my vote, I want to explain it. If you raise a concern I haven’t considered, I want to be willing to reconsider my position. I am not afraid to change my mind when the evidence changes. 

 

I would rather tell you, “I was wrong,” than stubbornly defend a position simply because changing my mind would be politically inconvenient. And if I still disagree with you after listening, I will tell you that, too. I won’t hide from difficult questions, and I won’t pretend to agree with you just to earn your support.

 

I will follow the evidence.

 

My background has taught me to ask questions. It’s how I learn. It’s how I make informed decisions.

 

As a computer science teacher and someone trained in physics, I have learned that confidence is not a substitute for evidence. Opinion is not the same thing as fact. Software developers shouldn’t ship software full of errors or bugs, so why do we try to do the same thing with legislation? Let’s fix it in committee before sending it to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. I don’t have to be an expert on every subject that comes before the legislature, but I do need to understand what I am being asked to vote on.

 

If I don’t know something, I’ll ask. I’ll read the bill. I’ll listen to the testimony. I’ll talk to people who understand the subject. I’ll look at the data. And I’ll try to understand the consequences, including the consequences that may not be obvious at first. Then I’ll make the best decision I can with the information available to me. That doesn’t mean I’ll always get it right. I won’t make excuses or hide from the difficult questions.

 

My focus is on the people who are feeling the squeeze.

 

I believe Arkansas government should work for more than the people who already have the most money, influence, and access.

 

I think about the people working two or three jobs just to keep a roof over their heads. The families watching their grocery bills climb. The renters whose housing costs go up faster than their paychecks. The parents trying to afford childcare. The teachers trying to make a difference while their own household budgets get tighter every year. The small-business owners trying to keep their doors open.

 

I know what it feels like to have your paycheck stretched thinner.

 

I am a teacher, but I also work as a delivery driver to give my family some additional breathing room. I don’t say that because my circumstances are unique. I say it because I know I’m not the only Arkansan trying to make the numbers work.

 

When I think about policy, I want to ask a simple question: How does this affect the people who have the least room in their budget for another increase?

 

That doesn’t mean businesses or successful people don’t matter. They do. A healthy economy needs businesses, investment, entrepreneurs, and good-paying jobs. But economic growth should ultimately improve the lives of the people who live and work here. Government should not be designed primarily around the people who already have the easiest access to power.

 

I care more about solving problems than winning arguments.

 

There are issues that reliably make people defensive or angry. Abortion. Guns. Immigration. Education. LGBTQ+ rights. Marijuana. Religion. Taxes. These are important issues, and I won’t pretend they don’t matter. But I also don’t believe they should consume our entire political conversation.

 

While we are arguing with each other about the latest political flashpoint, families are still trying to afford housing. People are still struggling with healthcare costs. Workers are still trying to make their paychecks stretch. Parents are still trying to figure out childcare. Communities are still trying to attract good jobs and keep young people from leaving.

 

Those are problems we can work on together. I don’t want to spend my time in Little Rock looking for the next fight. I want to find the next problem we can solve and debugging the errors in flawed legislation.

 

My positions matter. The why matters as much as the what.

 

I know that many voters want to know exactly where a candidate stands on the issues. You should. I will be honest about my beliefs and position on issues. I won’t hide behind vague political language or half-truths, and I won’t expect you to guess what I believe based on the letter beside my name.

 

But I also hope you’ll take the time to understand why I believe what I believe too. My opinions didn’t appear out of nowhere, and neither did yours. They were shaped by my family, my experiences, my education, my faith, my work, the people I’ve met, and the things I’ve learned along the way. And I’m still learning.

 

You don’t have to agree with me on every issue to have a conversation with me. In fact, I hope you’ll talk to me precisely when you disagree. I want to learn why you arrived at your beliefs on an issue, especially when we disagree. Someone can disagree with me on one issue and still be someone I respect. We may disagree about one bill and find that we become allies on another one. Disagreement does not have to destroy a working relationship.

 

My Priorities

 

Rather than pretending every issue can be reduced to a simple yes-or-no answer, these are the areas where I believe Arkansas needs serious attention:

 

• A Stronger Main Street Economy
  • Arkansas families need an economy that works for the people who actually live and work here. I want to focus on wages, housing, childcare, healthcare, small businesses, and the everyday costs that determine whether a family can make ends meet.
• Responsible Government
  • Taxpayer money should be treated like it belongs to the people, because it does. I want transparent government, responsible spending, meaningful oversight, and strong protections for citizen access to their government.
• Education and Workforce Development
  • As a teacher, education will always be one of my priorities. Arkansas needs schools that prepare students for the world they will actually enter, while also providing opportunities for adults who need new skills or a second chance at a career.
• Affordable Families and Communities
  • Working families shouldn’t have to choose between housing, healthcare, childcare, and putting food on the table. We need to look beyond political talking points and address the costs that are putting increasing pressure on Arkansas families.
• Preparing Arkansas for the Future
  • Artificial intelligence, automation, data centers, energy demand, and changes in the workforce are already affecting Arkansas. We need to think ahead rather than waiting until the consequences are impossible to ignore.
• Protecting the People’s Voice
  • Arkansans should have meaningful access to their government. That includes protecting transparency, public records, citizen-led initiatives, and the ability of ordinary people to participate in the political process.

 

You Should Know Where I Stand

 

I will continue adding more detail about my positions on specific issues because I believe voters deserve honest answers. But I don’t want this website to become a checklist of political positions. I am more than a list of answers to political litmus tests, and so are you.

 

If you have a question about where I stand, ask me. If you disagree with me, tell me why.

 

If there is something I haven’t considered, teach me. I can’t promise that I’ll always agree with you. I can promise that I’ll listen.

 

And when the time comes to cast a vote, I’ll tell you why.