Raised in a hardworking family that taught me the value of responsibility and service, I have helped navigate rising costs, whether it’s housing, healthcare, or childcare. Today, through my work in education and public service, I see these same challenges facing families, students, and small business owners across our community—and I’m committed to finding practical solutions that help people succeed.

Here in Whatcom County, we know this is a great place to live, but it’s become a hard place to afford.  Every family in Washington should be able to live without choosing between rent, healthcare, and groceries.

Childcare: As a father with two young children, I hear from so many families about how expensive childcare is - some of my friends are paying $2,500 a month per child! Our economy depends on safe, quality, affordable childcare.

Housing: I will fight to lower the cost of living by expanding access to housing that working people can afford, reducing the cost of healthcare, and ensuring basic needs don’t break a family’s budget. Housing costs in Washington are too high, requiring effective solutions like incentivizing construction of workforce housing, encouraging responsible density near transit, and cutting red tape to get housing built faster. I believe that when people can afford to live and work here, our communities thrive, businesses have both customers and employees, and our economy keeps moving.

Healthcare: Too many families delay care because it costs too much, which ends up costing all of us due to expensive emergency room visits. This is especially true now that the Affordable Care Act Subsidies were cut by President Trump and Congress. I support measures to lower prescription drug prices, expand affordable health coverage options, and strengthen access to preventive care so Washingtonians can get the care they need without financial fear.

For example, the state can move to a self- insurance model for Medicare and Medicaid to remove the insurance middle-man. The Port did this 15 years ago, saving millions in tax money and providing excellent quality insurance to employees.