As a mother of a teenager and toddler, I spend a LOT of time at our local parks. As a therapist I see the detriment excessive screentime is having on a whole generation of children. If we want kids to get outside, we need to provide convenient, attractive and fun spaces for them to go. As an avid outdoors woman, we adults also need nature, gardens and wooded areas. I am committed to maintaining those “third spaces” in our community where we can come together, commune with nature and play.

As a mental health professional I have worked on adults and teens involved in the legal system. I understand the myriad of factors that lead to a person coming into contact with law enforcement. I have also seen teens and adults end gang involvement, stop selling drugs and re-engage in school/ work through therapy and access to other resources. While doing community based counseling I worked with a 13 year old child who had failed most of his classes and told me at the outset he was considering joining a gang. It was summer time, he had a single mother who loved him but worked long hours, and he was alone all day with nothing to do. I was able to acquire scholarships to attend a number of summer camps, get him tutoring to help with school and work with him and his mother on their communication and relationship skills. After a year of engagement he had totally left the idea of joining a gang behind, talked excitedly about how he would like to work at a camp when he was older, and was passing all of his classes. These interventions create public safety. As a city we need to invest in mental health support through fully staffing our co-response team, as well as continue to provide aid to law enforcement.

Grand Rapids offers lots of wonderful services to its residents. I believe that we could improve a few of those, such as simplifying the process of pulling permits for home owners who want to improve their homes.

Recently our city commission passed the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. This plan provides direction and goals for the city to work towards energy independence, food independence and reducing waste. As many people know, the Kent County dump is nearly full, and no one wants a new dump in their backyard. It is imperative that we reduce our waste. At my home we have pets that eat much of our leftovers, and we compost. As a result we produce almost no food waste. Along with recycling it takes us, as a family of four, months to fill up one city trash bin. The single largest component of daily trash is food waste. This waste in landfills creates toxic methane gas. Conversely, when composted, it creates nutritious and free fertilizer that traps CO2. As commissioner I would engage actively in initiatives to help reduce waste such as curbside composting and support Kent County’s pursuit of utilizing a Sustainable business park.
Additionally I have fruit and vegetable gardens in front of my home where children walking home from school pick cherry tomatoes and talk with me about gardening. I have also replaced the grass on a large part of my front lawn with native pollinator plants. Our front yard is buzzing with bees and butterflies and we use less water to maintain this than we did the grass. As commissioner I will work to support initiatives that prompt such ideas that improve our environment, our health and beautify our city. Together there is much we can do!

Housing is unaffordable for too many Grand Rapidians. As a therapist I have walked with clients through the stress of housing insecurity and resulting long term stays in motels. Still others are stuck in their homes due to interest rates and the high cost of buying. I am committed to supporting projects that increase affordable housing but also protect our neighborhoods from overcrowding and threats to our green spaces. In recent years, efforts have been made to adjust building code to allow for more accessory dwelling units and housing to be built. I am supportive of these efforts, but believe additional attention should be placed on encouraging home ownership. Home ownership offers stability to individuals and families, builds generational wealth and creates community in neighborhoods. As a commissioner I will work to support projects that promote home ownership by utilizing the land bank to build affordable homes and assist with down payments. Families with stable housing create stable communities!