Building a Resilient Future for Davis County
My vision for Utah is simple: I want this state to be a great place to live not just today, but twenty and fifty years from now. To achieve that, we must treat Affordability, Education, and the Great Salt Lake not as separate issues, but as the three pillars of a hyper-competitive local economy.
Affordability
Real Solutions for the Kitchen Table
For too many families in Davis County, the cost of living isn't just a headline, it’s a monthly crisis. We cannot build a stable economy when our essential workers are priced out of the very neighborhoods they serve.
My plan focuses on the "Big Three" expenses that consume the largest portion of your paycheck:
Housing
We must increase the supply of attainable housing so that Utah workers can find a place to call home without being buried in debt. It is time to ensure that our teachers, first responders, and service workers can afford to live and put down roots in the communities where they work.
Healthcare
No Utahn should have to choose between a life-saving prescription and their mortgage. I will fight to hold price gougers accountable and ensure that the cost of essential medication never destroys a family’s financial future.
Childcare
High-quality childcare is a necessity, not a luxury, for working families. I will advocate for state-level policies that lower childcare costs, allowing parents to participate in the workforce with the peace of mind that their children are safe and supported.
Housing
We must increase the supply of attainable housing so that Utah workers can find a place to call home without being buried in debt. It is time to ensure that our teachers, first responders, and service workers can afford to live and put down roots in the communities where they work.
Healthcare
No Utahn should have to choose between a life-saving prescription and their mortgage. I will fight to hold price gougers accountable and ensure that the cost of essential medication never destroys a family’s financial future.
Childcare
High-quality childcare is a necessity, not a luxury, for working families. I will advocate for state-level policies that lower childcare costs, allowing parents to participate in the workforce with the peace of mind that their children are safe and supported.
Education
Investing in Utah’s Economic Engine
Education is more than a line item in a budget; it is the single most effective way to keep our state’s economic engine running and provide every Utahn with a path for upward mobility. To build a world-class system, we must treat our schools as the long-term investments they are:
End the Cycle of Cuts
For years, our public schools have been asked to do more with less. I will fight to stop the constant cycle of budget cuts and focus on consistent, robust reinvestment into all of Utah’s public schools.
Compete for the Best Educators
We cannot expect a premier education for our children if we aren't willing to compete for premier talent. I believe we should pay and hire our teachers the same way top-tier companies compete for their best employees, with competitive salaries and professional respect.
Life-Long Upward Mobility
Education shouldn’t stop at high school graduation. I will advocate for expanded adult education and career training opportunities, ensuring that every Utahn has the chance to learn new skills and pivot into high-demand industries at any stage of their career.
The Great Salt Lake
Protecting Our Health and Our Heritage
Protecting the Great Salt Lake is not just an environmental goal; it is a fundamental necessity for the health of our families and the long-term stability of our local economy. As the lake recedes, it exposes lakebed sediments laced with toxic heavy metals like arsenic and mercury. When the wind picks up, this becomes a public health emergency for everyone along the Wasatch Front.
I am committed to a science-based approach to restoration, working alongside experts and advocates to achieve the following:
By prioritizing these investments, we ensure our students become well-rounded, critical thinkers who have the most options possible after they walk across that stage.
Restoring Healthy Levels
I support the 4,200 Project, an initiative by the Utah Rivers Council to raise the lake back to its sustainable elevation of 4,200 feet. This level is critical to submerge the dust, protect our $1.3 billion lake economy, and sustain the millions of migratory birds that rely on this ecosystem.
A Healthy Lake is a Healthy Economy
We must recognize that the "lake effect" is a primary driver of our world-class ski and tourism industries. Without a healthy lake, we lose the snowpack that fuels our winter economy and the billions of dollars in revenue it generates for the state. Furthermore, preserving the lake protects our most personal investments, our homes, from the long-term economic instability and property value decline that an environmental collapse would trigger in Davis County.
Protecting the People of Utah
As the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment (UPHE) have warned, you cannot unlink air quality from the state of the Great Salt Lake. I will fight against any legislation that silences the public or removes health checks from water rights decisions. We must treat the dust from the lakebed as the documented health hazard it is: a hazard that increases rates of asthma, heart disease, and strokes in our community. By following the lead of organizations like Grow the Flow, I will advocate for policies that get actual "wet water" to the lake to protect the air we all breathe.