About the Candidate

I was born in Portland and raised in Oxford County. I am Auntie Kat to 19 children. I have been married to a Wabanaki tribal member for nearly 14 years.

Education

Bachelor’s from New Hampshire Institute of Art, Masters in Writing from University of Southern Maine

Previous campaigns and elected office(s) held

None, though I have run for and served in elected officer positions in two unions.

Why are you running?

I believe it is essential that involved community members like myself pull a chair up to any table where the decisions are being made. I know what it means to struggle, to rely on social safety nets, and I know what it takes to work yourself off of that. My career in union organizing centers around the belief that the best way for all of our lives to be improved is for us all to work together, and with my own life experiences and career path, I have a unique ability to promote exactly that in our community.

Top three priorities

Healthcare: Access to quality, affordable healthcare should be viewed as a right, not a privilege.

Job market and small businesses: it’s going to take a combination of supporting a thriving local economy and reining in corporations to make it so our citizens can find reliable, long-term work that supports their families and strengthens our middle class.

Housing: It isn’t enough to keep building properties if those properties aren’t affordable to Maine residents.

If you could change one thing about how Augusta functions, what would it be and why?

I would like to see our Legislature embrace more ways to include public participation and public education in our lawmaking process. As a union organizer and a community organizer, I know that our best ideas come from the combined power of many minds and many voices. I would like to see more members of the public involved in that process, and more opportunities to keep Maine residents informed on the events in our capitol.

What is the biggest challenge facing Maine? The biggest opportunity?

The one thing that could make the biggest difference for all Maine lives is a universal healthcare option. We’ve seen how the difference this has made in states like Massachusetts. If the last six years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have taught us anything it’s that public health is essential to our economy, our communities and our general wellbeing. We need to embrace options that protect all of us and not just the elite few.

As one of several dozen legislators in your chamber, how would you make a measurable difference for your constituents?

I spend every day in my job as a union organizer elevating the voices of the people that keep our state running, and this position in the Legislature will give me an opportunity to do that work on behalf of the city and community I love. The voices in our State House should be the voices of our workers, and I look forward to bringing our solutions and ideas to the capitol building.