NC House District 9

Your current job and title?

State Representative; Director of Development and Client Relations at Greenville-based JKF Architecture

Your highest level of education?

Master’s of Public Administration, UNC Chapel Hill School of Government

If you're elected or re-elected, what will be your top priority? Why?

It has been a tremendous honor serving Pitt County’s 9th District in the North Carolina House. When first elected in 2020, I pledged to be a forward-thinking, bipartisan leader who gets things done and works hard for my hometown. In my first term, I brought record investments of over $320 million to Pitt County, including a $215 million facility for the Brody School of Medicine. I will continue to be a strong advocate for Pitt County in my next term, making Greenville the best place for folks to raise a family.

The past two years, I have fought to expand healthcare access and affordability in North Carolina. Firstly, I have continued to push my colleagues forward on expanding Medicaid in our state as it is vital for creating new jobs, lowering the costs of care, and keeping our rural hospitals open. As we face workforce

shortages, I have been vocal in relieving the strains in our hospitals by letting certified Advanced Practice Nurses practice to the full extent of their education. Additionally, by expanding the facilities at ECU Brody School of Medicine, I will increase the supply of doctors that we have taking care of us. In the past, leadership has opted to do things as they’ve always been done; I’ve encouraged my colleagues to think differently about how we solve these crucial issues and will continue to bring this energy over the next two years.

In addition to making health care more affordable, we need to increase funding for education. Unfortunately, Republican leadership has failed to fulfill our constitutional requirement and adequately fund our schools. We are facing a dire teacher shortage, and this lack of funding has left our schools without the capacity to properly combat the learning slump that happened during the pandemic. If we want our kids to be top-ranking in reading and arithmetic, we have to properly fund our schools.

Lastly, part of my plan to make Pitt County an affordable place to live is by increasing housing supply and lowering the cost of living. Over the past year, many folks have seen first-hand how North Carolina lacks the supply of homes for first-time homebuyers, and too many people are being priced out of purchasing a home or renting from a high-quality landlord. It is my goal to increase investment in Pitt County to increase the supply of starter homes and affordable multi-unit housing through lowering barriers to development.

If you're elected or re-elected, how will you involve your constituents in the process of making decisions?

Once I entered office, my team hit the ground running in Raleigh, raising the bar when it comes to constituent services. In my dedicated effort to connect our municipalities with state and federal resources, I’ve helped bring home over $500,000 to help fund local parks in Greenville and Simpson, designate the

former US-264 as Interstate 587, and secure $875,000 rural transformation grants to jumpstart construction and improve streetscapes in our communities.

As an active community member, I continue to seek out opinions from various constituencies in Pitt County, whether it’s legislation that I’m championing or new local projects that I can get our state to invest in. I helped connect constituents with unclaimed cash valued over $206,000 from the NC Cash Match Program. Every comment that has come into my office has been deeply considered in my service to you; over the past year, I have responded to over 1,500 constituent comments and resolved over 120 agency help requests. In my next term, I will continue to have a responsive and diligent service operation in my office.

Why should voters choose you for the position you're running for?

In just my first term, I delivered a new $215 million facility for the ECU Brody School of Medicine, millions for school safety and COVID relief, and spearheaded legislation to free up over $550 million to expand high-speed internet to underserved communities. In total, my work on the State Budget delivered

a record $320 million in direct investment for Pitt County. We’ve achieved so much in my first term and I’m just getting started. I’m energized to continue Pitt County’s forward momentum, create good-paying jobs, and set Eastern North Carolina up for long-term success.

Which three things about you do you most want voters to know?

1. I have a strong record for working across the aisle to get things done for Pitt County. I believe that a good idea is a good idea, no matter who it comes from. I will continue this philosophy in my next term to continue upon the historic success we’ve been able to have.
2. My experience in the private sector gives me a job-focused perspective that will increase economic opportunity for all in our state and make North Carolina an affordable place to live. Additionally, with my background in emergency management, I will represent the East well as we continue to face the damaging effects of severe weather and flooding so that we can build more resilient and sustainable communities.
3. I will continue my role as representative to get Pitt County to dream big. I believe that we can continue to push Pitt County forward to host things like passenger rail and continue to be the economic beacon in the east.

Is there anything else about you that you wish to tell voters?

As a member of the House Transportation Committee, I am working hard to expand access to affordable and dynamic transportation options here in Pitt County. It’s good for our people and a growing local economy. I’m proud to have led the effort to secure $250,000 in new funding to study connecting Pitt

County to the rest of the statewide passenger rail network, which is a critical first step toward making the project a reality. With a growing population, major university, and regional healthcare system based here in Greenville, this added transportation option makes a lot of economic sense for our local communities.

This will continue to be a focus during my second term as we continue to dream big and work hard to make Pitt County reach its full potential.

Your current job and title?

Physician, associate professor, Department of Emergency Medicine - Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University

Your highest level of education?

I attended Ohio State University, where I received a degree in biochemistry, a medical degree and completed my residency training in emergency medicine. I earned a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

If you're elected or re-elected, what will be your top priority? Why?

The important things for all of us are to create and support our families, educate our children, have a healthy life and safe community. We are currently seeing the result of runaway inflation and higher prices, which creates tremendous burden on working families. The foundation for successful families and communities is to create the environment for broad-based economic growth and prosperity. We do this with smart regulations, allowing people to keep more of their own money and supporting individual freedoms.

If you're elected or re-elected, how will you involve your constituents in the process of making decisions?

I look forward to hearing from and learning from my constituents. The legislature addresses many complex issues, and it is critically important for me to listen, hear and understand the issues. I will welcome constituents to call, email or visit me locally or in Raleigh at the legislature. I will hold regular listening sessions throughout the county to dialogue on issues that are important to the community.

Why should voters choose you for the position you're running for?

I’ve spent over 20 years caring for the sick and injured as a physician in the emergency department, saving lives, comforting patients and families. Unfortunately, I see the effects caused by lack of a strong family, a failing educational system, an uncoordinated health care system and an economy that does not foster the inherent creative spirit of the entrepreneurial individual.

I am a first-time candidate, not a career politician. I have the energy and dedication to represent Pitt County, advocate, listen to constituents, ask questions, understand issues, and solve problems for our community. I can analyze issues, look at data and work with others to create solutions.

Which three things about you do you most want voters to know?

• I decided to run for this office and represent Pitt County in the General Assembly because I was discouraged with the failure to address challenging issues facing our community. I look forward to working together to solve them.
• There is only one physician in the General Assembly currently. Having another physician voice in the legislature will allow us to work to improve the healthcare system, making it more efficient and affordable.
• Our educational system is failing our students. We must focus on fundamental educational topics like reading, writing, math, science and history. Diverting our attention to other topics is a disservice to our students.

Is there anything else about you that you wish to tell voters?

I say regularly that starting conversations calling people names, makes it hard to have discussion, debate and arrive at solutions. As a physician, one of the most important things that I do is listen and hear people. In my time on the board of the local homeless shelter or state and national organizations, I have learned to work together for consensus building to find the best solution for challenging problems. Both elected officials and individuals must be willing to talk together, developing relationships with people who don’t look like, sound like or think like ourselves. This is how we work for solutions.