Six years ago, in January of 2017, I packed up my car and moved across the country from North Carolina to the Madison area. Like a lot of twenty-somethings who come here, I was a new hire at Epic and didn’t know what to expect of my new hometown (only that it would be a lot colder). But I didn’t need to be worried - I fell in love with Madison immediately. The natural beauty of our lakes and parks, the artistic and independent culture, the fantastic restaurant scene - they all convinced me that this was the exactly the type of place I wanted to live.

But as nice as all those things are, they aren’t the reason my wife and I decided to lay down our roots here: It’s the community, and the common mission we all share to help our neighbors. The progressive, compassionate values of this city are what make it such a fantastic place, and I want to make sure we continue down that path to make Madison as welcoming and caring as possible.

I’ve already spent my time in Madison helping to further those goals. As the Campaigns Chair of the Democratic Party of Dane County, I’ve helped recruit and elect scores of progressive champions to local offices, from Madison and Dane County boards to our numerous school districts, towns, and villages. Our endorsement process connects candidates and elected officials with our members and educates them on the issues affecting our communities, so that they are ready to govern effectively on day one. And I’m proud to have been a part of helping to elect the most progressive and diverse boards in Madison and Dane County history. Together we’ve accomplished some amazing policies across the county, which directly impact and improve the lives of our most vulnerable community members.

Recently, I’ve worked to make that mission a reality directly in our local policies. As a member of the Landlord Tenant Issues Committee for the city of Madison, I’ve worked to put more power back in the hands of renters. We’ve rebuilt the rent abatement process to make it easier for renters to get the fixes they need and the remuneration they’re owed. And we’re currently working to address the gaps in our retaliation protections to prevent landlords from taking advantage of their tenants. Throughout all of these debates, I’ve been guided by the same philosophy that I’ll bring to the Common Council: Make sure our city does the best for those who have the least.