When I grew up in a small town surrounded by cornfields and under the shadows of steel mills and refineries in Northwestern Indiana's rust belt, communities still enjoyed thriving public schools, jobs paid enough to meet basic family needs, and neighbors talked to each other no matter how they voted. My friends' and classmates' parents were steel and refinery workers, farmers, educators, nurses, and small business owners.

My dad was a Lutheran minister and professor of religion who fought for social justice and equity from within the church and establishment. My values and my backbone to stand up for what's right come from him. My work ethic, perseverance, and ability to spin gold from available resources come from my mom, who grew up on a tenant cotton farm in Texas.

Growing up, money was tight. I remember blocks of government cheese, gifts of food from farmer-parishioners, long summer hours tending the vegetable garden we shared with another family, and crews of men from our church helping to paint our old house. I didn't know it at the time, but all of this taught me the value of community. But the most important thing my parents gave me was access to education and, with it, the world.

With that education, I moved to Vallejo 26 years ago and began building community. My daughter, who is about to graduate from college, is born and raised Vallejo. My husband ran a small business on Mare Island for 12 years and then earned his teaching credential from Vallejo's own Touro University. He has been teaching Vallejo's students, the ones who don't thrive in traditional schools, for the past 11 years.

From the beginning, I've been an active organizer in my District 5 neighborhood group, joined with parents and teachers to help start Vallejo's first K-8 model school, been a vocal participant and advocate in local issues and elections, and currently serve as a city Commissioner and Chair of the McCune Commission.

I'm invested in Vallejo.

I'm running for City Council District 5 to keep fighting for the solutions our community needs:

And I'm running because I'm tired of hoping that someone else will do the work. I'm ready to bring my problem-solving skills, strategic lens, track record of bringing people together to act on tough issues, and my optimism and joy in all that Vallejo is to work shoulder to shoulder with city and community leaders and my District 5 neighbors. Together, we can make the tough decisions the city is facing and set Vallejo on a clear path to prosperity, health, and belonging for all.