As the representative of District 8 on the Guilford County Commission, I will work hard to improve the lives of all Guilford County residents. The following are areas I will particularly focus on.
Connect farmers to communities in food deserts
For decades Guilford County’s sole approach to food access has been to give out food vouchers redeemable at retailers (example the SNAP program). This approach overlooks the passion and ability for local farmers to produce food for people. Loaning out heavy farm equipment, incentivizing farm hands to work on the farms and investing new technologies are just some of ways the county can increase the capacity of local farmers to grow more food outside of their historic yields.
Leverage county funds to create sustainable jobs
I will fight to turn long-term contracts with the county into sustainable staff positions. Jobs with the county should pay a living wage of at least $15 an hour, provide employment security and excellent benefits to workers.
Fully fund Guilford County Schools budget & increase employee pay
Guilford County’s greatest resource is its young people. We can and should invest in them by fully funding the Guilford County Schools budget and increasing pay and benefits for teachers and school staff.
New solutions for affordable housing
There is no such thing as too many affordable housing options when we live in a county where people are experiencing homelessness. We need better zoning and housing regulations that expand housing options to include tiny houses and land trusts, ensure safe boarding houses, and incentivize multi-family housing collectives. These and other housing solutions have proven track records in other U.S. cities that Guilford County can learn from and implement.
Fight for greater transparency in Guilford County
The county government belongs to the people. We should not sacrifice accessibility to save money. We should not rely on favoritism or opaque in the processes of contract bidding. We should encourage engagement and create more opportunities for people to understand how their county government works.