Candidate for
Member of the State Assembly; District 73; Democratic Party

I believe in: Representation, Access, Openness, Transparency, Fairness and Accountability

I believe government should be representative of the people; that elected officials are there to serve their constituents. Also, all individuals should be treated equally and fairly by their government.

Government should be an instrument of improvement for the general good, not for the selected few. Policies should promote the well being of all members of society. For example, public education should be affordable and accessible. Likewise, safety and security should be provided to all.

Government should not interfere with personal beliefs and/or religion (of course, excluding any practice that harms or interferes with rights of others). Individuals should be empowered to make their own life choices. Government should not easily have the authority to monitor an individual such as through wire tapping or having access to an individual's home without a warrant and a just cause.

In the hope that we can follow in the footsteps of our founding fathers, government should be designed for resiliency and adaptation; it is, after all a living thing.

The ethical standards should reflect the above mentioned role of the elected representative to serve his/her constituents. Therefore, everything that is done in an official capacity should be open, accountable, transparent and accessible by all the constituents.

An elected official should not participate in secret meetings or give unequal access to any group within his/her district.

Honesty, integrity and openness are the keys to the ethical standards of an elected representative. Reforms in campaign spending and in lobbying would also provide a more ethical, fair, open environment for representatives.