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My Priorities

My Priorities

Prepared. Present. Accountable.

When our community isn’t at the table, we get missed in budgets and forgotten in rulemaking. District 3 needs representation that’s prepared, trustworthy, and stays on the work until it’s truly done.

Prepared. Present. Accountable.

When our community isn’t at the table, we get missed in budgets and forgotten in rulemaking. District 3 needs representation that’s prepared, trustworthy, and stays on the work until it’s truly done.

Good jobs and workforce training

Good wages, real benefits, and pathways for young people and career changers. Training that matches local employers in the trades, healthcare, education, and small businesses. State programs that work the first time.

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Care for children, older adults, and their caregivers

Affordable child care. Home-based supports for seniors and people with disabilities. Better pay and career pathways for caregivers, so to prevent burnout and turnover.

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Preparedness and emergency resilience

Plan before the crisis, not after. Stronger local emergency planning, better coordination, and response dollars that reach communities quickly. Preparedness costs far less than rebuilding.

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Prevention, mental health, and recovery

Expand mental health care, addiction treatment, and recovery supports. Invest earlier in housing, behavioral health, and community-based prevention so fewer people fall into crisis.

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People shouldn't have to fight through a maze to get answers and support. No matter where you live in Josephine County, the systems that support our lives should be clear and reachable.

Why Experience Matters

The 2027 session will bring tight budgets, complex tradeoffs, and growing pressure on rural communities. I’ve spent my career navigating complex systems and making sure implementation matches intent. I know how decisions move through Salem and how they land here.

Meet Susan

Good jobs and workforce training

I will fight for job growth that fits District 3 and brings new resources for good wages, real benefits, and pathways for young people and career changers. That includes training that matches the needs of local employers, including the trades, healthcare, education, and small businesses. I’ll also push for state programs that work in rural communities the first time. That means clearer requirements, faster turnaround times, and lower administrative burden. The government must match the pace of local innovation so we don’t lose time or momentum.

Care for children, older adults, and their caregivers

I will support policies that make it easier to care for children and older adults. This care is the backbone of a working community and a functioning economy. That means expanding access to affordable child care and preschool, including strengthening Oregon’s child care assistance so working families aren’t stuck on waitlists or priced out. It also means protecting and improving home- and community-based supports so seniors and people with disabilities can get reliable help at home when that’s what they choose without families having to “do it all” alone. And we can’t get safe, consistent care if we don’t support the people doing the caring. That means better pay and benefits, stronger training and career pathways, and staffing levels that protect safety and quality, so care isn’t a revolving door of burnout and turnover.

Preparedness and emergency resilience

I will push for planning to happen before a crisis hits, not after people are already hurting. That means investing in readiness for extreme heat, wildfire, smoke, flooding, winter storms, and power outages. Communities recover faster when local plans are clear, roles are defined ahead of time, and coordination across counties, cities, nonprofits, and state agencies is practiced. I will work to strengthen local emergency planning, improve communication systems, and make sure response dollars reach communities quickly and flexibly when emergencies happen. Preparedness saves lives, protects homes and livelihoods, and costs far less than rebuilding after the fact.

Prevention, mental health, and recovery

We also have to address the root causes of addiction and homelessness. Prevention and intervention work best when services are easy to find, quick to access, and coordinated. That means expanding mental health care, addiction treatment, and recovery supports, including harm reduction strategies that keep people alive and connected to help. It means investing earlier, through stable housing, behavioral health supports, and community-based prevention so fewer people fall into crisis in the first place. I will focus on approaches that are proven to reduce harm, stabilize families, and help people regain their footing, while respecting the realities of rural communities and local service capacity.