"I come from a proud family that has been involved in public service for as long as I can remember. I want to work for you. We need to create more living wage jobs, address rising costs, improve our schools and infrastructure, and provide equal rights for ALL Pennsylvanians."
Jim's Vision for Pennsylvania
Education
Having a son who has taught in Pennsylvania for 14 years, I understand the challenges facing Pennsylvania schools first-hand. From overcrowded classrooms to a focus on useless standardized testing, I plan to help move PA in a direction that focuses more on student growth, while allowing schools to not focus on teaching students to take tests, but instead instilling a love of learning and exploration into a generation of young people who will lead our Commonwealth forward. The events of the last several years have shown an even greater need to fully-fund our schools, providing resources for mental health. Our great state must work to incentivize young people to pursue a degree in education and find ways to better retain those teachers who work closely with and inspire our students on a daily basis.
Infrastructure
Our current leaders in Harrisburg have allowed Pennsylvania's roads and bridges to crumble. I will make it a priority to make improvements and to not allow such neglect to continue. With the number of trucks on our roads, it is important to expand and improve our highway systems and bridges. I will also push for funding for projects to improve buildings by making them more energy efficient, to plug the abandoned wells across our state, and to invest in sewer and storm water projects. All of these efforts will create more jobs for Pennsylvania!
Rural Communities
By electing public servants who work for big businesses or their own self-interests instead of meeting the needs of the average Pennsylvanian, those who live in our rural communities have been neglected for far too long. I will plan to help grow our Commonwealth's rural economy, improving access to high-speed internet, investing in agricultural infrastructure, ensuring that farmers have the financing and investments necessary for agricultural production, and keeping rural hospitals from closing by ensuring their financial viability.
Abortion Rights
After the recent Supreme Court ruling, it is more important now than ever to solidify a woman's right to make choices about her own body and to remove government from the doctor's office. Since this decision, I have heard countless stories from friends and family members which demonstrate why such decisions need to be left to a woman and her doctor. I stand firmly behind all women who have had to make difficult decisions for whatever reasons and will work to protect Pennsylvanians' access to reproductive care.
LGBTQ+ Rights
Justice Clarence Thomas has made it clear that the conservative justices plan to go after the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Having many family members and friends who might be impacted by such decisions, I vow to fight to protect the rights of ALL Pennsylvanians. Despite being a man of faith, I believe in the separation of church and state and do not believe that one person's religious beliefs should impact another individual's right to pursue happiness and to live life as their true self. Pennsylvania is the only state in the Northeast without comprehensive nondiscrimination protections for sexual orientation and/or gender identity. This means that LGBTQ+ individuals can be discriminated against across the Commonwealth in many sectors, including employment, housing, credit issuance, education, and various public accommodations. I will fight to add these protections.
Voting Rights
After the 2020 election, attacks on our country's democracy have been endless. It is my promise to work to ensure that all Pennsylvanians who are eligible to vote are able to do so and that all votes are counted. We must continue to protect mail-in voting and to not allow tax-payer money to be utilized to examine such baseless conspiracy theories that have become all too prevalent in today's Republican party.