WHAT I STAND FOR

It’s clear that Jacksonville doesn’t trust many of its leaders. From attempting to sell JEA to selling our downtown off in backroom deals, Jacksonville residents are tired of the same old pay-to-play politics that only benefit a handful of the same people. Our elected leaders have failed to protect the public trust and to be good stewards of our tax dollars. We need ethical, transparent, trustworthy leaders who can’t be bought by lobbyists, special interest groups, or political machines. I am that leader. My patients, colleagues, and family members trust me every day to listen to them and to be their voice.

As a council member, I will:

• Use my voice to challenge decisions that don’t work for us. 
• Hold regular Town Halls, in all City Council districts, to listen to your needs and concerns.
• Continue to build community relationships in every neighborhood throughout the city.
• Communicate all city contracts, bills, and council meetings to the public clearly and consistently to the public.
• Most importantly — I will never be bought by lobbyists, by special interest groups, by anyone.

I support our police and plan to expand the mental health co-responder program. Too often, our officers are expected to be social workers, parents, pastors and teachers, instead of the one they signed up for. I understand that this is dangerous and unfair, and I want to support our police by working with them to provide the support they need and working to bridge the gaps between our police and our community wherever they exist. 

As councilmember, I will: 

• Expand Sheriff Mike Williams’ existing co-responder program to ensure that each zone has a minimum of one mental health professional on each shift thus requiring a minimum of 18 full-time co-responders for better, safer outcomes for our residents and our officers. These co-responders will help officers de-escalate, get residents the help they need, and, most importantly, avoid putting people in jail who simply need access to mental health care.
• Work to provide more funding for mental health services and resident therapists for our police officers, first responders, and their families who deal with the stress and trauma of a dangerous job every day.
• Create solutions to the causes of crime. The number one cause of crime is poverty. On a city level, we can prevent this by creating more jobs and meaningful employment options, creating more affordable housing options, and supporting our neighbors.
• Support neighborhood programming. Our neighborhood leaders know best about what’s happening to their residents. As councilmember, I will work closely and openly with community stakeholders and listen to their ideas and concerns.

It’s been more than 100 days since the city of Jacksonville suspended curbside recycling pickup. Since then, our garages, bins, and city drop-off dumpsters have been overflowing with waste. We need answers, we need the service we’re paying for to be returned,  and we need to trust our city government to provide the basic city services that make our lives run.

As council member I will:

• Voice the overwhelming concern from our communities who want properly efficient waste collection service. 
• Fight for smart, transparent, and ethical city contracts that offer high paying jobs and the best possible service to our residents.
• Prioritize services and infrastructure that moves Duval County forward toward the future instead of backwards into the past. 

Jacksonville is home to a large and vibrant community of Black people and Black history we’re proud of. Still many of our Black neighborhoods, schools, small businesses and developments have been continually left out of city planning and improvements. This MUST change.

As council member, I will surround myself with community leaders and stakeholders to build a better city and future for us all. I will always condemn hate and racism on all levels, systemic and social. And I will fight for us to become a city as equitable as we are diverse.

As councilmember, I will: 

• Address income inequality and wealth gaps by fighting for high paying jobs and prioritizing safe, affordable housing. 
• Use federal dollars to improve roads, sidewalks, crosswalks, and drainage in our underserved neighborhoods. 
• Work to decriminalize recreational marijuana like the majority of other large Florida cities to avoid disproportionally incarcerating communities of color.
• Oppose all instances of redlining and subprime lending practices exacerbated by the lineage wealth gap. 

I believe that everyone in Jacksonville deserves to be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect. Our city’s LGBTQ+ community is large and diverse. They’re our friends, family, and neighbors, and they’re one of the reasons Jacksonville is such an incredible place to live. I’ve always been clear in my commitment to advocating for all people – regardless of who they are or who they love. That won’t change when I’m elected. As Council member I will: 

• Work to ban the use of conversion therapy on minors in Duval County
• Push our city leaders to tackle the epidemic of violence against the LGBTQ+ community, specifically hate crimes that target transgender and gender non-conforming people.
• Combat homelessness and poverty, which disproportionately impact LGBTQ+ residents
• Create safer school environments for our LGBTQ+ youth
• Help build the first HIV/AIDS-free generation in Jacksonville
• Usher in a more representative city government that is responsive to the LGBTQ+ community.

It’s no secret that Jacksonville’s environment is in danger. From the flooding and extreme heat of climate change to the self-inflicted dredging and pollution of our rivers and soil — we need to change the way we treat and prioritize the environment we all share. And crucially, we need to do so in a way that it is equitable and fair in every neighborhood.

As Council Member, I will: 

• Fight to mitigate extreme heat with the delegation of trees, shade, and sidewalks to add value to neighborhoods and protect residents from the effects of climate change. 
• Develop a heat preparedness plan, to ensure our residents are cared for in increasingly common instances of extreme heat. 
• Prioritize resilient infrastructure and measures that reduce our risk to flooding, erosion, and hurricane surge.
• Fight to provide federal funding to help remove failing septic tanks wherever they are a danger to our soil and water. 

In Jacksonville we are lucky to have a notably diverse and vibrant small business community that deserves our support. As the only small business owner in this race, I am committed to fighting for our businesses and eliminating the barriers that many entrepreneurs face. 

As councilmember, I will:

• Fight to support small businesses with more, smarter incentives that prioritize small, local businesses alongside big investors so that our entrepreneurs bid and win city contracts. 
• Work closely with our neighborhoods and small business communities in every neighborhood of Duval County to ensure that women-owned and BIPOC-owned businesses are shown equitable support from and access to city hall.