Many of you in the New North End know me from my years of living and working in our community. You know me as a straight-talking, "what you see is what you get" person.

What you may not know is that I grew up in a family of eight. I lost my father as a teenager and did everything I could to support my mother, who worked heroically as a single parent to care for us. While attending Burlington High School, I balanced sports with working to help make ends meet. Losing a parent early and growing up in a large family shaped the person I am today.

I hit the lottery when I met my wife, Lisa, while working at her parents' convenience store. Lisa has been the rock in my life, standing by me through significant health challenges and supporting my community efforts and political work.

The greatest years of my life began when Lisa and I welcomed our daughter, Katie. We shared twenty-five wonderful years watching her flourish in the New North End. Like me, Katie loved growing up in Burlington, attending BHS, playing sports, and working at the Jolly Mobil store. She went on to earn both her undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from St. Michael’s College.

From the time she was tall enough to reach the register standing on a milk crate, Katie embraced every person who walked through the store door. Living and working alongside her gave me a whole new depth of appreciation for the diverse, extraordinary cross-section of people in our community.

We lost Katie just over three years ago. In that dark moment, it was our community of neighbors and friends that wrapped their arms around us and helped us get back on our feet. Since then, Lisa and I have strived every day to live in a way that makes her proud. Through Katie’s Kindness—a non-profit foundation we established to help support unhoused Burlingtonians by opening Katie’s House on Shelburne Road. We also fund worthy causes across Burlington and the New North End.

Katie is the true reason I entered public service. I wanted to make Burlington an even better place for every family. Early on, I served as Chair of the Parks and Recreation Commission, where I instituted Pennies for Parks to create dedicated, long-term funding for our public spaces.

I was later elected to represent the New North End on the Burlington City Council for three terms, bringing a common-sense approach to city challenges. During my tenure, I proudly fought alongside the residents of the Farrington Mobile Home, now the North Avenue Co-Op, community to protect one of Burlington’s most vital sources of affordable, multi-generational housing. In 2019, as Lisa faced a serious health battle, I stepped away from office because I knew I could not give the voters the 110% they deserve.

Now, as I watch our community face increasingly complex challenges, I am ready to serve once again. Many of our most pressing issues cannot be solved by relying solely on the finite resources of local taxpayers. They require real cooperation between Burlington, Montpelier, and Washington, D.C.

I’ve always felt connected to all of my neighbors regardless of political party affiliation and that is important to me as a person. As an Independent, I have the freedom and commitment to work across the political aisle:

• Education: We need practical, common-sense solutions to fund our schools without compromising student outcomes. While property tax relief is essential, I am concerned about proposed mega-districts and their impact on our kids. I’m also proud to have advocated from day one for bringing our new high school back home to North Avenue.

• Affordability & Food Security: I am deeply concerned about rising food prices occurring alongside cuts to Medicare and SNAP. Too many of our New North End neighbors are experiencing food insecurity for the first time. We are not a community that will allow our elders and most vulnerable neighbors to go hungry.

While these are just two examples, I encourage you to check out my Priorities page to get a better idea of how I would represent you in the Statehouse. I hope to earn your vote and represent the New North End in Montpelier. 

If you still have questions or reservations, I’m just a phone call away–a bit old-fashioned I know but I love those chances for personal connection. So please call my cell at 802-233-0456.