In 2024, I moved to Rolla, Missouri, and quickly experienced something that defines this community. My first year here, I experienced  my first tornado. Neighbors I had barely known showed up the next morning with chainsaws and heavy equipment to clear our road and yard. They didn’t ask who we voted for. When I offered to pay, they said, “That’s what neighbors do.”

That moment stayed with me.

It reflects the kind of community Phelps County is—and the kind of leadership I believe in. Service without conditions. Showing up when it matters. Putting people ahead of politics.

I was born in upstate New York on the same chicken farm where my father grew up. Those early years instilled in me the value of hard work, self-reliance, and looking out for your neighbors—lessons that continue to guide me today.

In 2018, I ran as an Independent candidate for Congress in Oregon’s 3rd District, driven by the belief that our communities deserve leaders who listen first and act in the best interest of the people they serve.

Today, as I run for County Commissioner in Phelps County, I am on the ballot as a Democrat. But my decisions will not be dictated by party affiliation. My responsibility is to the people of this county—regardless of political party—and to ensuring that their voices are heard and their needs are met.

I will bring the same spirit I saw the morning after that storm to this role: practical leadership, mutual respect, and a commitment to doing what’s right for our community.

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