Take a look at your latest grocery receipt, your utility bill, or your insurance renewal and ask: Is anything better than it was four years ago? For families in the River Valley, the answer is found in the "squeeze"—the widening gap between a paycheck and the cost of surviving. With Arkansas now the most food-insecure state in the nation and insurance premiums spiking over 20% this year, the math of daily life isn't adding up.

Hard work is part of our DNA in Fort Smith, but that spirit only works if the trail isn't blocked by a system that prioritizes lobbyists over local families. I am running to ensure "affordability" is a policy mandate, not just a slogan. This means fighting for utility rate transparency, protecting neighbors from predatory price hikes, and ensuring state investments lower your daily costs—not building more prisons. It’s time for leadership that works as hard as you do to make the math work again.

Every tax dollar you send to Little Rock represents an hour of your hard work and a piece of your family’s future. You have a right to know exactly how that investment is being used—and to see the results in your own neighborhood. Instead, for years we have watched hundreds of millions of dollars flow into hairbrained schemes like the proposed prison in Franklin County, even as our own local infrastructure and water systems are stretched to the limit. We are told the state can’t afford to fix our healthcare system or fully fund our classrooms, yet there always seems to be enough money for big-ticket projects that serve political interests rather than the public good.

For a decade, Fort Smith has been represented by a "yes" vote that prioritizes party loyalty and fancy lunches with lobbyists over the needs of the River Valley. I am running to change that. I will be a voice of transparency and accountability—someone who isn't afraid to ask the tough questions and demand that our tax dollars come back home to work for us. Whether it’s fighting for utility rate relief or ensuring state funds are invested in job training, my goal is to ensure your money works just as hard for you as you did to earn it.

Healthcare in Arkansas is in a state of emergency, and for too many in the River Valley, the system is simply moving out of reach. We currently rank 49th in the nation for critical health measures, including the highest maternal death rate in the country and the title of the most food-insecure state. These aren't just numbers; they represent 650,000 of our neighbors struggling with hunger and a 31% increase in adults skipping essential care because they simply cannot afford the bill. In Sebastian County, the shortage is felt at every level—from having only one OB/GYN for every 3,300 women to the reality that our rural hospitals are teetering on the edge of closure.

The "solutions" coming out of Little Rock—like tightening SNAP eligibility and adding Medicaid work requirements—only make it harder for families to get by while doing nothing to address the fact that 35% of our physicians are nearing retirement. I will fight for a healthcare strategy that treats food security and preventative care as economic necessities, not afterthoughts. We need to move beyond symbolic gestures and invest in keeping our rural hospitals open, supporting our aging medical workforce, and ensuring that "affordable access" is a reality for every person in Fort Smith, not just a campaign slogan.

Fort Smith became the "Gateway to the West” because of the industrious spirit of its residents—people who knew how to leverage the river and the terrain to build something from nothing. Having owned and operated my own business for a decade, I know exactly what that grit looks like. I also know that even the hardest-working entrepreneur can’t succeed if the trail is blocked by a system that favors the powerful over the local. Right now, with nearly 50% of Arkansas households struggling to make ends meet, we have to stop pretending that hard work is enough when the math of our economy is stacked against the worker.

I am bringing a Growth Mindset to our economic policy. My plan focuses on building workforce pathways that allow our neighbors to thrive right here in the River Valley without having to move away to find a paycheck. I will fight for:

• "Earn-while-you-learn" Apprenticeships: Bridging the gap between our high schools and high-wage careers.

• UAFS & Industry Partnerships: Leveraging my current work at the university to create direct pipelines from the classroom to the 21st-century jobs in our industrial parks.

• Support for Small Business: Protecting the local businesses that are the backbone of Fort Smith from the red tape and "yes-man" politics of Little Rock.

We shouldn't just be waiting for the next factory to open; we should be training our people to lead the industries that are coming next. It’s time for leadership that understands that a "Good Job" isn’t just a line on a resume—it’s the foundation of a stable home.

Education is where the Growth Mindset begins. It is the simple, powerful belief that a child’s story isn't finished and that through grit and support, they can build a better tomorrow. As someone who has spent my entire career in education—from running a youth theater for a decade to my current work at UAFS—I have seen firsthand that our students have enormous talent. But we cannot ask our children to grow if we are starving the schools that feed their potential. I believe that public funds belong in public classrooms, and I will be an unwavering voice against private vouchers that threaten to leave our local Fort Smith students behind.

Our schools must be more than just buildings; they must be support systems. With nearly one in four Arkansas children facing anxiety or depression, we cannot expect a child to learn if they are struggling just to survive the day. My platform focuses on:

• Protecting Public Funding: Ensuring our tax dollars stay in the institutions that serve all our children, not just a few.

• Prioritizing Mental Health: Expanding access to counselors and support systems within our schools to address the youth mental health crisis.

• Bridge to the Future: Strengthening the link between our K-12 schools and higher education to ensure every child has a clear path to success.

We are a frontier town, and today, that frontier is in our classrooms. I am running to ensure that every child in the River Valley has a fair shot at their own American Dream, supported by a community that refuses to let them fall through the cracks.