Why I'm Running
Washington, DC gave me a life I never thought would be possible. Now I'm running because I believe every person in this city deserves the same chance to build a stable, dignified life here, no matter their ward, income, background, or who they love.
A City That Became Home
In 2018, my husband and I arrived in DC with very little except each other. We were not wealthy. We did not come here with political connections, generational wealth, or a built-in support system. We came here trying to build a life from scratch in a city that was still unfamiliar to us.
As a gay married couple, that experience shaped how I see this city and the people who live in it. We know what it feels like to search for belonging, stability, and safety while trying to build a future together. What we found in DC was something powerful: people who opened their homes, communities, and hearts to us before we had even found our footing. In many ways, this city gave us the opportunity to live openly, honestly, and with dignity.
But we also learned very quickly how fragile stability can feel in this city.
We understand the stress of wondering whether the rent will go up again next year. We understand the fear of losing the roof over your head because housing keeps getting more expensive while wages struggle to keep up. We understand the burden of living paycheck to paycheck, stretching every dollar, delaying purchases, and constantly calculating what can wait until next month.
That reality is not unique to us. It is the reality for thousands of people across DC.
It is the reality of working families trying to stay in the neighborhoods they helped build. It is the reality of longtime residents watching their communities become increasingly unaffordable. It is the reality of seniors choosing between medication and bills, of young people who cannot imagine ever owning a home in the city they grew up in, and of workers who keep DC running every day while feeling increasingly pushed to the margins of it.
What Stability Means
Over time, DC stopped being somewhere we moved to and became home.
But I also saw a city struggling under the weight of inequality. I saw communities that have spent decades asking for investment still waiting to see meaningful change. I saw working people doing everything right and still falling behind. I saw teachers, caregivers, transit workers, service workers, artists, small business owners, and families carrying this city on their backs while feeling increasingly unheard by the people in power.
I know what it feels like to rely on public transit that does not always serve the people who depend on it most. I know what it feels like to live in housing where maintenance is delayed while rents continue to rise. And I know the frustration of watching government move quickly for developers, corporations, and political insiders while ordinary residents wait for basic services and real investment.
“Decisions get announced. Promises get made. But people are still waiting to feel the results in their daily lives.”
“What I saw were promises as large as the world, but without the plans needed to deliver them.”
A Different Approach
I'm not a career politician. I'm an architect, and problem-solving is what I do. My career has been about understanding where systems fail people and figuring out how to make them work better. Not just identifying problems, but staying with them until they are solved.
That mindset shaped how I approached this campaign too. I spent months studying the city's housing systems, infrastructure, transportation, agencies, and budget because I didn't want to run on slogans or vague promises. I wanted real plans grounded in reality and shaped by the actual experiences of people living here.
The more I paid attention to the political landscape, the more disconnected it felt from the conversations I was having with ordinary residents. People are tired of polished speeches that never turn into meaningful change. They are tired of feeling like decisions are made around them instead of with them.
I also realized that real change cannot be built through political machines, corporate interests, or wealthy donors expecting something in return. If this movement means anything, it has to come from people believing that together we can build a city that works for everyone, not just the well-connected.
That is why I chose to run as an independent.
This campaign is not powered by corporations or PACs. It is powered by people who are frustrated, hopeful, exhausted, determined, and ready to believe that DC can aim higher than simply managing crises year after year.
I believe government should be judged by whether people can actually feel the difference in their daily lives. Can they afford to stay in their neighborhood? Can they rely on public services? Can they raise a family without constantly fearing financial collapse? Can they build a future here instead of simply surviving month to month?
Too many residents feel unheard. Too many communities have spent decades hearing promises while still waiting for meaningful investment and lasting change.
I'm not running because I think I have all the answers. I'm running because I believe this city deserves leadership that understands what ordinary people are going through because we have lived it too.
“This city gave me a life I once thought was impossible. I refuse to accept a future where the people who built this city can no longer afford to remain part of it.”