The cost of living on the west side is squeezing families at the grocery store, in the property tax bill, and at the kitchen table where families figure out how to make ends meet.

I hear it from neighbors across the west side: housing costs have climbed out of reach for too many working families. Groceries cost more than they did a few years ago and wages haven't kept pace. Seniors on fixed incomes are watching their property tax bills rise year after year, threatening the homes they've owned and maintained for decades. And Utah is one of the few states that still taxes Social Security benefits!

These are real pressures on real people, and they deserve a representative who takes them seriously. As your representative, I will fight to:

• Protect seniors from rising property taxes that threaten to price them out of their own homes

• End the tax on Social Security benefits

• Support policies that bring down the cost of housing and keep the west side accessible for working families and first-time homebuyers

• Advocate for working families facing the everyday squeeze of grocery, utility, and healthcare costs that keep rising faster than paychecks

 The west side has always been a community of hardworking people who take care of each other. They deserve a legislature that takes care of them back.

HD 26 is a working community. The families of Magna, West Valley City, and west Salt Lake City get up every day, work hard, and deserve a representative who fights for their economic security — not just the interests of those already at the top.

I spent 28 years running several small businesses on the west side. I understand what working families face because I've lived it alongside them. I know that when wages don't keep up with the cost of living, when healthcare is out of reach, and when workers have no seat at the table, families fall behind.

As your representative, I will advocate for fair wages, worker protections, and economic policies that build real opportunity in our district. I believe in supporting local small businesses, labor organizations, and ensuring that the growth happening across the valley lifts up the workers who make it possible.

Every family in our community deserves to feel safe in their neighborhood, on their street, and in their community spaces. Public safety isn't just a political talking point; it's the bedrock of a thriving community, and it's my top priority.

I believe in smart, effective public safety that works for everyone. That means fully funding our police, firefighters, and paramedics so they can respond quickly and protect us. It also means investing in proven solutions that prevent crime before it starts, like after-school programs, mental health services, and good-paying jobs. We need to bridge the gap between residents and law enforcement, building trust and cooperation so our neighborhoods are not just safe, but truly connected and strong. 

The right to vote is the most fundamental right in our country. Here in Utah, we've built a system that truly works for everyone: secure mail-in voting that makes it easier for working families, seniors, our neighbors in rural communities, and busy parents to cast their ballot. It's convenient, it's safe, and it ensures every voice counts.

But this common-sense system is under attack. There are real efforts to roll back mail-in voting, create unnecessary hurdles, and spread baseless doubts about our elections. These actions are designed to make it harder for regular people to vote, and I will not let that happen.

As your representative, I will always defend Utah's successful mail-in voting system. I will fight against any legislation that makes it harder to vote, and I will work tirelessly to ensure every eligible Utahn can exercise their right to vote without roadblocks.

The strength of our nation rests on a system of checks and balances that has held this country together for 250 years. When elected officials undermine the independence of our courts, attack the judiciary for doing its job, or treat constitutional safeguards as inconveniences to work around, they're doing lasting damage to the institutions that protect all of us.

Utah's legislature has increasingly borrowed tactics from the most extreme corners of Washington politics: consolidating power, sidelining our courts, and making it harder for our government to work for the people. That's not conservative. That's not Utah common sense. That's an erosion of the constitutional foundations every Utahn depends on for fairness and accountability.

As your representative, I will stand firmly for an independent judiciary, a government with checks and balances, and a system that truly answers to the people it serves. Our courts are not the enemy. They are a cornerstone of our republic, ensuring justice and protecting our rights, and I will fight to protect them. 

Our district lives with the consequences of environmental decisions made elsewhere. The Great Salt Lake — one of Utah's most iconic natural landmarks — is shrinking at an alarming rate, and its decline threatens our air quality, our children's health, and the very future of our economy for millions of Wasatch Front families. HD 26 sits at the front lines of that crisis.

Beyond the lake, our communities deal with some of the worst air quality in the nation. Inversions trap pollution in our valley each winter, and the families of the west side — already bearing a disproportionate health burden — feel it most. Clean air isn't a political issue. It's a health issue, a cost-of-living issue, and a basic right for every family.

As your representative, I will fight for common-sense solutions to protect the Great Salt Lake, demand clean air standards that actually safeguard our families' health, and support smart, responsible growth that creates jobs without sacrificing our environment. I want my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to inherit a valley where they can breathe easy and thrive.

HD 26 is beautifully diverse. It’s home to working families, seniors, small business owners, and young people. But for too long, our neighborhoods have been overlooked by the political establishment. I will stand up for our community by fighting to eliminate the state tax on Social Security, putting more money back into the pockets of our seniors, and securing full funding for our local public schools so every child gets a quality education. I'll always make sure the west side gets its fair share so our families can get ahead.