Primary Election Date: 09/14/2010
General Election Date: 11/02/2010

Who Am I?

I am a lifelong resident of rural Wyoming County in western New York, and my family has roots in dairy farming and small business that go back over a century. A critical care nurse by profession, I am serving in my third term as a Village Trustee in Warsaw, NY. Some of my responsibilities include chairing the Streets/Public Works Committee and the Fire Department COmmittee, and I also serve on the Budget Committee.

In addition to being a wife and mother of a grown son, I'm very active in my community, especially in local theater. A committed lifelong Democrat, I am Chair of my town's Democratic Committee and Vice Chair of my county's and have experience working on many grassroots campaigns. (For example, I was Wyoming County Coordinator for Judith Hunter's DFA-endorsed 2006 campaign for State Assembly.) I belong to the local Grange, the local Farm Bureau, and my area's volunteer grandparents program, among other organizations.

I am not a career politician, and I do not want to go to Albany to become part of the system. I want to change the system. We've got a real opportunity to make a difference in this district, because the seat is open this year. The incumbent of over 35 years is retiring, and my opponents on the other side of the aisle are involved in a heated 3-way primary, while I am the sole Democratic candidate and am also endorsed by the Working Families Party. We can change the habitual pattern of Republican representatives in this part of the state which has clearly done so little to help this economically challenged region. I really want to make western New York a place where our young people want to stay, live, work, and raise their families again.

Why Am I Running?

New York State government is broken, and we need to replace Albany's common practice with common sense. I'm running because we need to replace the career politicians -- who have made New York's legislature the nation's most dysfunctional -- with teachers, famers, small business owners, and, yes, nurses. We've got to change the Senate rules so that it becomes a responsive and transparent organization that isn't just about following the orders of leadership. We need campaign finance reform so that special interests don't control Albany and ordinary folks have a chance to be elected to office. We need non-partisan redistricting so that voters choose their representatives, instead of the other way around. Our budget "process" is a laughing stock that must be fixed. And we need to reduce the tax burden on average New Yorkers through a property tax cap and make it easier for small businesses to grow and compete in New York.

Hold Me Accountable!

1) The dysfunction of state government. We need to reform ethics laws, election laws, state budgeting procedures, Senate rules, and campaign financing. I would push aggressively to get legislation passed in all of these areas.
2) Economic issues upstate. We need to promote green energy, small businesses, and agriculture if western New York is going to get back on its feet again. We also have to work to relieve the tax burden on average New York taxpayers. None of this will be easy, but I am committed to working on legislation that will achieve these ends.
3) Protection of our resources. "Hydro-fracking" extraction of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale region threatens our water and other natural resources. With an unknown environmental impact (unknown because the energy companies refuse to disclose which chemicals they inject into the ground along with water), we cannot just allow this process to begin before knowing all the facts. Our drinking water, soil quality, and property values could all be at risk if we do not proceed extremely carefully. I would work to strengthen the inadequate moratorium legislation currently being considered, so that there is time to fully incorporate the results of the EPA study now in process.

My DFA values:

New York's political system needs to be opened up for all, regardless of party. Election laws that make it difficult for ordinary people to run for office need simplification and campaign finance laws must be overhauled with the goal of making it easier to run in and win elections. Gerrymandered districts must be redrawn equitably.

In the State Senate we must do away with the rules that give the leadership control over all aspects of the Senate, including what gets to come up for a vote. We must reform rules that serve only to allow the status quo in the Senate to be continued.

And New York's Democrats at the state level have to be held to the value of equality for all in all aspects of the law, including marriage laws. Social justice is the foundation of who we are.

My Campaign is People-Powered!

This campaign is entirely based on grassroots volunteers. The candidate and the volunteer campaign staff are all people with experience with campaigns that have been grassroots efforts. We look for volunteers at every opportunity: at events and through our website. We have empowered volunteer coordinators at the county level (there are four counties in the district) to help shape the campaign; there are no paid consultants calling the shots in this race. It is a collaboration among volunteers.

More formally, we have also initiated a program of house parties to create opportunities to interact on a smaller, less formal basis with voters. The district covers a very large territory (from Lake Erie to Canandaigua), and house parties are a good way to met people in every corner of the 59th.