CRG Tell me, what do you believe are the most relevant issues currently facing the county right now?
Susan Trust in the accountability of government is our number one issue. I really believe that we must earn back trust and respect for the elected office. The second issue that feels essential right now are good jobs and work force training. I'll fight for job growth here in District 3. I want our young people to want to live here long term. We need to be meeting the needs of our local employers, whether that's in the trades, our healthcare sector, or our entrepreneurial businesses. Next, caring for children and for our elderly and for their caregivers is an economic issue for our community because when families know that their children and their aging family members are well-taken care of, they can show up for work and be fully engaged. I will support are policies that make it easier for families to care for children and elders. This means childcare, you can count on support for family caregivers, and strong care options both for seniors and for people with disabilities. We have to support the adults who are providing that care. Those individuals deserve fair pay, good training, they deserve respite care, and adequate staffing. Finally, I care deeply about prevention and resilience. I want to push for planning before a crisis hits. We need to be ready for extreme weather events and other emergencies, and the public is calling for our return to clear coordination here at the local and regional level. Related to this is our getting clear on the root causes of addiction and homelessness. That means we need strong prevention programs, to allow for harm reduction, accessible mental health services, a to normalize and make addiction recovery easier to find and quick to access.
CRG What would be your six months plan to tackle issues that you just mentioned?
SUSAN Generally budget allocations are made in odd years, so in 2027 that will be a full revisit of the state budget. In that session, my goal is to have listened well to our community about their priorities and to have done my homework about decisions in the short session, which will have major implications for what we need to do in 2027. Again, I think the groundwork that I'm laying in my campaign, letting people know that they matter, inviting them back into civic engagement, and then hearing their best ideas for what policies need to be moved forward will guide my first six months in office.
