The Americans with Disabilities Act was a monumental step forward in the accessibility arena. However, we still have a long way to go to create a truly universally accessible community.

More than 35 years since the ADA was signed into law, too many Massachusetts neighborhoods are still missing the basics. No sidewalks. No accessible crosswalks. No curb cuts. Commuter Rail and T platforms that leave folks who use wheelchairs stranded. That’s not a leader in accessibility; that’s a broken promise.

I know this personally. As the husband to a blind woman, accessible infrastructure isn’t just an abstract policy to me, it’s a daily reality. Kate and I chose to live in Malden precisely because so many other communities in Massachusetts lacked the basics, but folks with disabilities shouldn’t be limited to living in the handful of communities in this state that have adequate infrastructure.

And here’s the thing too many people miss: accessible infrastructure isn’t just for folks with disabilities, it helps everyone! The runner who needs a safe sidewalk. The kids who need a protected crosswalk to get to school. The parent who needs a curb cut to safely get their stroller on or off the sidewalk. When we prioritize accessibility, we build a better state for everyone!

As your next State Representative, I will be the loudest and most relentless voice on Beacon Hill advocating for an accessible Massachusetts. I will fight for a more accessible MBTA and neighborhoods that work for everyone.

The cost of child care is out of control. The average family in Massachusetts pays over $44,000 a year. That’s nearly half of a typical family’s household income, and it’s simply untenable for single parents. Yet, child care is also critical for our state’s economy — if parents can’t find affordable child care, they can’t work.

We are drowning under the weight of child care, and it’s time Beacon Hill stepped up. 

I believe this crisis demands a multi-pronged approach to bring down costs. First, I support universal preschool and pre-K for every 3, 4, and 5 year old in the state. It’s good for parents, it’s good for providers, and it’s good for our kids — research shows that kids who attend pre-K do better in grade school.

Second, I support expanding the state’s Child Tax Credit to $2,000. The current credit only offers $440 to parents — just 1% of what the typical family pays for child care (not to mention all the other costs of parenthood). Quite frankly, the current tax credit is an insult to parents. 

Finally, I believe we should tap into Massachusetts’ innovation economy to create incentives for employers to create their own on-site childcare options.

Utility and energy bills are going through the roof. Across the Commonwealth, folks are reporting increases of 25-50% from just last winter. That means people who paid $400 a month to heat their homes in 2024 are paying $600 per month now. And it’s still going up.

What’s Beacon Hill’s response? They just cut funding for Mass Save, a program that is explicitly designed to help everyday people like you lower their utility bills through energy efficiency updates. This ranges from big projects like replacing your furnace, to smaller jobs like simply putting a wind blocker under your door.

Beacon Hill wants to pretend that this was a cost cutting move. Quite the opposite: for every dollar we invest in Mass Save, we generate $3.40 in benefits. Only a fool would invest less in a program with those returns. 

I support fully funding Mass Save so homeowners and renters can finally find some relief on their energy and utility bills.

I have a very simple view of health care: it’s a human right!

Massachusetts has the very best health care in the country, possibly even the world, but as many families know all too well, quality care does not mean affordable care. MassHealth was a groundbreaking step forward that served as a model for the Affordable Care Act and it’s time Massachusetts took the next step forward.

Your medical options should be dictated by need, not the profit margins of a billion dollar mega corporation. I will co-sponsor a “Medicare-For-All” type bill to guarantee health care for every Bay Stater and end the profit-hungry “health” industry in Massachusetts — because when your kid is sick, you shouldn’t have to choose between a doctor and groceries.

The median price of a single-family home in Greater Boston has now topped $1 million, and across all housing types it’s approaching $900,000. The dream of homeownership is slipping out of reach for many. Young professionals, working families, and longtime residents are increasingly forced to ask whether they can still afford to build a life here, or whether they need to leave the Commonwealth altogether.

We cannot solve this problem by standing still. The answer is clear: we need to build more housing!

For decades, restrictive local zoning laws and unnecessary barriers to development have prevented the construction of enough homes to meet demand. The state must take a stronger leadership role in encouraging smart, responsible growth and overriding policies that block new housing.

There is no overnight fix to a shortage this severe. But if we commit to increasing the housing supply now, we can slow down the speed at which the market is increasing, expand access to homeownership, stabilize rents, and make it possible for the next generation of Massachusetts families to stay and thrive here.

Massachusetts should be a place where middle class families can afford to live, raise children, and put down roots — not a pipe dream.

My grandparents moved to this country as teenagers with no money, little formal education, and no guarantees for their future. They worked hard to create a better life for their kids and grandkids.

I’m incredibly proud of my grandparent’s story, but it’s also a story shared by millions of Americans. People come to this country in search of a better tomorrow, willing to work hard and sacrifice so their kids can have a better life. This story – the immigrant story – is at the heart of our American experience.

Massachusetts has always been a refuge for immigrants, and now more than ever we need to fight for them. I support banning state and local police from coordinating or communicating with ICE, or other federal immigration officials, unless they have been convicted of a violent crime.

I proudly support LGBTQ+ rights, and I believe that everyone deserves dignity, respect, and the ability to live their life in a way that is true to their authentic self.

Progress was achieved by the LGBTQ+ community through courage, activism, and perseverance — but the work is not finished, and it’s on all of us to see it through. In the face of the federal government’s attacks on LGBTQ+ students and teachers, Massachusetts must continue to lead by expanding protections, so the next generation can achieve true equality.

As the first state to codify same-sex marriage, our Commonwealth has a proud history of leading the way on LGBTQ+ issues, and we must continue to carry that legacy and responsibility into the future.

Under the Healey administration, the MBTA has made strides towards improvement, but ridership still hasn’t returned to pre-COVID numbers. My wife and I both use the T nearly every day, and it’s plain to see why people haven’t returned — folks don’t trust the T to get them where they need to go, when they need to be there.

For the MBTA to be successful, it needs to be safe, fast, and reliable. It needs to be better.

I will work tirelessly to push for an MBTA system that works for everyone — a system that you can trust every single day to safely get you to work on time.

To get there, we need to cut headways down to 3 minutes, and urgently finish updating the tracks and signals so our trains can safely operate at full speed. We also need to ensure that every MBTA stop is fully accessible for people with disabilities. 

I also support electrifying the Commuter Rail. Electric rail is simply faster, quieter, less costly to maintain, and keeps our air clean to breathe.

Massachusetts has a long history of protecting reproductive rights and freedoms. At a time in our nation’s history when abortion is under attack from the President and the Supreme Court, I’m proud to be from a state that is standing up for such a critical civil right.

I believe that decisions surrounding pregnancy belong exclusively between a woman and her doctor, not politicians. Every woman should have the freedom to make these deeply personal decisions without fear, political interference, or financial barriers standing in the way. 

As your next State Representative, I will always defend your right to bodily autonomy, and I will fight to expand access to critical healthcare so no Massachusetts resident is denied due to cost.

The people of Massachusetts overwhelmingly made their voice clear: they want an audit of the legislature. And quite frankly, it’s an outrage that years later, it still hasn’t happened yet.

Beacon Hill is the least transparent legislature in the entire country — that leads to corruption, misuse of public funds, and a government that does what they want, not what the people demand. Perhaps worst of all, it erodes the public’s trust and faith in our institutions. And when we lose faith in our government, we lose faith in core values like democracy.

So, to put it bluntly: I support the immediate audit of Beacon Hill. It’s time we brought transparency and trust back to Beacon Hill.