I live in downtown Cheyenne. I moved into my current house with my family 25 years ago, and I have rented and owned homes in Senate District 8 in Cheyenne since I arrived in Wyoming in 1980. I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

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I lived around the world as part of a US Air Force family and eventually moved to Cheyenne as a reporter for The Associated Press in 1980. I was twice elected to the Laramie County School District 1 Board and remain involved with k-12 education on local and state levels. As a lobbyist for the League of Women Voters, I have been an advocate for free and fair elections. I am known for working with diverse groups to seek practical solutions to real problems. In 2006, I wrote a 400-page guide to state government, A Look at Wyoming Government. I hold master’s degrees in education and journalism. I have been a business owner and have been active in many organizations, including Wyoming State Board of Nursing, Wyoming Children’s Trust Fund, League of Women Voters, Cheyenne Schools Foundation, COMEA (homeless shelter), Wyoming Breastfeeding Coalition, Wyoming Girls State, Wyoming High School Mock Trial, St. Mary’s Cathedral music and Hispanic Organization for Progress and Education (HOPE).

Years of reporting and advocacy have given me a thorough understanding of the legislative process, the people elected there and the priorities of lawmakers and Wyoming people who have joined debates during and between sessions. I also understand state agencies that serve our citizens and support our elected officials. During the campaign and afterward, I will reach out to people who DON'T engage with their government, to hear their concerns and questions. A major goal is to help people exercise their voice, to register and to vote. I'd like to revise our public records law to clarify public access. I know the legislative debates. I have the knowledge and collaborative skills to work across the aisle on issues important to my district: strong k-12 public schools, strong and healthy families and elections that are fair, free and secure. I also am eager to understand and solve problems that other lawmakers bring to the Capitol so we can work together to find solutions.

I strongly support local control and the authority of lawfully elected, accountable public bodies. Legislators are tempted to step in and regulate via state law when local residents complain or when they (or their non-Wyoming influencers) think they know better. Occasionally, however, state action is required to avoid local overreach that conflicts with state law and constitutional restrictions, but that is rare. I defer to local voters who elect and empower local governing bodies to understand local needs and act accordingly. Examples? I disagreed with the Legislature's decision to take charter school approval away from local districts. I strongly support local school districts' authority to write curriculum and to budget their block grant funding to fit local needs. But I also support state-level education, graduation and accountability standards.

Some solutions make sense for state action, for a rational and consistent state-wide reach, for effectiveness and for fairness. The four areas you mention are good examples of that. They require state-level and statewide resources that are too much for all but the largest communities. Sometimes solutions may require changes in state law and regulations, too. Legislative and executive branches of our government definitely have a role in advancing the well-being of Wyoming people. I have heard that self-reliance will solve every problem. It definitely is a strong factor. I also know that the whole state benefits when families who struggle (for various reasons) are helped to succeed with resources the state can provide or coordinate. The state can help local initiatives succeed and can conduct its own programs. I want to support individuals and families and will work with officials to provide the accountability they require, to the benefit of the whole state.

I know "compromise" has a bad reputation, but politics gets things done in the Wyoming Legislature. It brings together diverse viewpoints to solve problems. I was privileged to I will talk to anyone. I may not agree to every concession, but I will work for compromise and will respect others when we struggle to find agreement. I also will appreciate better understanding of issues by conversation with those of different opinions. These are lessons I have learned in 40-plus years of observing and advocating in the Wyoming Capitol.

The first step is recognizing the importance of all those factors to the diverse people of Wyoming and to our state's future. We cannot begin by insisting that one of those interests must trump the others in all cases. My friend Steff Kessler wrote about "the Wyoming way" of finding balance, using existing regulations, taking a case-by-case analysis and always building on broad consensus that we value all of those things: development AND wildlife/open spaces. We can identify spaces necessary to conserve wildlife habitat (including migration corridors) and at the same time acknowledge development essential to take care of our people and accommodate development essential to our economy. You also must consider the various management requirements for various federal and state lands. Within that framework, we can find accommodations for all essential needs. It's necessary to see the whole state and all its interests in every decision. As Kessler wrote, "It's hard work but we can do it."