My Platform

I will work closely with Orange County Public Schools to further develop a relationship that fosters problem-solving and partnership to get enhanced CTE programs into our schools. Our students, small businesses and entrepreneurs need to feel our love and support in as many was as possible. They need to know we are rooting for them and willing to fight for them. By further creating the relationship between our schools and businesses, we can help develop needed skills for students and strengthen workforce recruitment and retention for local businesses. 

Through my extensive career as a public servant, I have utilized excellent fiscal leadership while gaining an in-depth knowledge of how grants and local, state, and federal funding streams are accessed. As your District 4 Supervisor, I will always ensure fiscal integrity, smart spending, and look out for the taxpayer’s best interests. I will also push to take advantage of available funding streams and ensure continued efforts to best utilize grants that help offset expenses and avoid increased taxes. I am eager to do my part to ensure we are successful in the development of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy so we can access additional federal funding streams. I will work tirelessly to maintain the rural quality of life that we all love so our workforce will not only want to work here but will also want to live, play, and relax here.

To say that I have an in-depth understanding of farming and the needs of our farmers in Orange County would be an understatement.  As the District 4 Supervisor, I will take my life-long knowledge and love for farming to do what is best for our agriculture and forestry industry. I will work to protect the land use and farm use tax structure as it exists for agriculture and forestry. While I realize some neighboring localities may not fully appreciate these special tax structures, I know they are extremely important to protect if we want to be a farmer and forestry friendly community. Without these provisions, we could easily find ourselves in a crisis where farms and forestry are sold for uses that do not maintain our rural character and could be detrimental not only to our way of life but also to our beloved wildlife and their habitats.

While I understand some do not want to see growth in Orange County, I see it as inevitable and healthy when properly managed. We must encourage and support growth in specific areas. I will not support growth that lacks proper planning and management or growth that encroaches on our most beloved resources and landscapes. We must work closely with the Town of Orange and Gordonsville so that we can partner in supporting businesses that attract people to visit, live, and play in Orange County. We must take advantage of existing space in the industrial park and take appropriate steps to best utilize these existing properties by getting sites pad-ready and consider specific needs of potential businesses. Although I understand the opposition to particular projects already approved for areas in the Germanna-Wilderness Area Plan (GWAP), I am also mindful of the fact that it is a designated area for planned growth and so I will be actively engaged in the planning process to ensure any and all development in this area is done right.

In my current role as Director of Social Services, I strive to ensure that even our most vulnerable citizens get treated with the utmost respect and compassion. It is a daily reminder to me that we still have populations of people within our own community who don’t always have a voice. From an abused child to an elderly citizen who is isolated in their own home, there is an urgent need for every human being to be seen, heard, and cherished. The Board of Supervisors must be in tune to the needs of all citizens no matter their race, ethnicity, age, education, or gender. We are all human and we all deserve the same opportunities and a voice. This starts with having leaders who consciously connect with others and advocate for them regardless of their background. I have been a public servant for my entire career with the past ten years serving others through the human and social services field. Helping people to be safe, heard, understood, appreciated, and valued is my passion.