One of Easton’s biggest challenges is affordable and safe housing. My time spent speaking with residents and volunteering with non-profit organizations has shown me first-hand how difficult it is to find affordable housing in Easton.

Many of our fellow residents have been faced with rising rents, lack of affordable home ownership opportunities, and fear that they will be displaced. Predatory landlords and unsafe living conditions contribute to this challenge.

I will work with the City to push out absentee landlords and push for harsh fines for those who do not provide safe living conditions to their tenants. Stabilizing housing for all residents should be a priority and will have trickle down effects of improving overall safety and stability for all city residents.

I will work to bring first time home ownership education programs to Easton residents. Many people are unaware of the federal down payment assistance and mortgage loan programs that are available. It is my goal to help members of our community become homeowners and to help create generational wealth.

Nine years ago, my husband & I were able to take advantage of an FHA 203k mortgage loan, a government loan program that permits homeowners to finance repairs, improvements, and upgrades to a home. This federal loan program allowed us to buy a blighted home in downtown Easton and renovate it into a place we are proud to call home. As the housing market levels out, there will be great home ownership opportunities throughout the city of Easton.

I believe all Easton residents and small business owners should have a voice at the table and help contribute to the City’s decisions and plans for the future.

As a Downtown Easton resident, my neighbors and I often feel left out of the conversation. We haven’t had a city council representative from our neighborhood in many years. Council members from other neighborhoods are making decisions that affect our quality of life. When elected, I will work with my neighbors to help relaunch the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA). Neighborhood associations are great tools for feedback about city policies and infrastructure and can serve as valuable platforms for discussion and community connection.

Besides helping the Downtown neighborhood. I promise to regularly attend community meetings in the West Ward, South Side, and College Hill. I also promise to make myself available when anyone needs someone to listen about an issue and connect them with the appropriate city resources.

I will work with the City of Easton, fellow council members, economic development organizations, and our county & state representatives to help attract larger businesses to the vacant office and retail spaces throughout the City of Easton. Hearst was a great recent addition to the City. We need more businesses to relocate to Easton. Attracting larger businesses like Hearst will bring higher paying job opportunities to our residents. It will also bring heavier foot traffic to our local businesses during the weekdays when business tends to drop off after the weekend.

After speaking with many small business owners, I found there to be a disconnect with navigating the codes process & related landlord issues when trying to open a business in Easton. I feel that hiring a Small Business Liaison within the city government can help navigate the codes system, provide small business resources, and help hold retail landlords accountable for code issues.