South Central Young Democrats Endorsement
As part of our endorsement process, this candidate has answered our questionnaire. Below are their verbatim answers.
2025
Multi column
Do you pledge to run a campaign that supports the values of the Democratic Party and to support Democratic candidates, where possible, in the 2025 Primary?
Yes
Info
County: Cumberland
Office: Cumberland Valley School Director
Incumbent: No
Vote For: 2
What is the most pressing issue facing the office you are running for and what do you plan to do to solve it?
Both my wife and I were born and raised here in Pennsylvania and are proud products of Pennsylvania public schools. After graduating from high school, we went to the U.S. NavalAcademy. I then spent 20 years in the Marine Corps as aTOPGUN fighter pilot and finished my career as a Lieutenant Colonel and squadron commander. Upon retirement, for the first time in our lives, we had a choice of where to live. Based upon family, community, and the reputation for academic, athletic, and extracurricular excellence, we chose to live and raise our two children, Brooklyn (11) and Jadon (8), here in Cumberland Valley School District.
I am running to ensure that other families continue to make thatsame decision, and that Cumberland Valley School District continues to remain a beacon of educational excellence. I am running to ensure that all of our children, grandchildren, and young neighbors have the resources, curriculum, educators, education support professionals (ESPs) and administrators they need to develop into future leaders in society. I am running to ensure that they are able to learn in an environment that is safe and authentic, without exception.
In answering this specific question, the unfortunate political reality is that there is another group of candidates, some also in Hampden Township, supported by “Moms For Liberty” and “Take Back Our Schools PAC”. They use fear mongering, divisiveness, politicization, obstruction, and conspiracy theories to achieve their goal of undermining public education. Their agenda will undoubtedly result in the departure of our best educators, staff, and administrators here in CV and will make recruitment even harder. I am a candidate who will instead put politics aside and focus on uniting the community and supporting those who pour their heart and soul into our future every single day.
Please outline two examples of how you are improving your community.
CV RESIDENTS FOR CHANGE: I am part of the leadership of a group called CV Residents for Change. This is a group dedicated to empowering a new generation of school board candidates and actively educating the electorate to drive positive transformation of the Cumberland Valley School Board. We aim to end partisan distractions and extremism that politicize our schools, elevate our district’s reputation, and promote transparency en route to providing high quality education.
CCDC AREA LEADER: I hold a position within the Cumberland County Democratic Committee (CCDC) as an Area Leader for Hampden township. Area Leaders coordinate and promote voter registration and campaign activities in their areas. They keep the Voting Precinct Committee Persons (PCPs) in their areas informed of the actions of the CCDC Executive Committee and report monthly to the Executive Committee on the programs and projects being conducted in their areas.
TURN SOUTH CENTRAL PA BLUE: Lastly, I also hold a board position on the Steering Committee of Turn South Central PA Blue - an organization led by George Scott (former PA-10 Congressional Candidate) that is focused on electing Democrats within the region.
What would you do in office to benefit and help young people?
This election and this office is entirely focused on the development of our next generation - our future. That said, I am a firm believer that young students’ educational experiences are a function of educators’ capacity. This fact must guide decision-making such that tough budgetary and funding decisions made do not exacerbate the existing problem (our budget deficit and high class sizes) and lead to a breaking point in educators/administrator retention and recruitment. Overall, these are my top three priorities - all geared towards increasing educators’ capacity such that there is an optimal educational environment for Cumberland Valley students:
Support the Staff: Listen to, and be an advocate for, our Cumberland Valley School District staff, educators, ESPs, and administrators. Protect them from unwarranted attacks at school board meetings and in online forums. As a school director, provide them clear guidance and leadership. Be present in the school environment, when able, and an active participant in the District community.
Regain Financial Health: Work with the administration to set clearly defined budget goals that lead to sustainable, long-term fiscal and employment stability. Clearly articulate budgetary goals and options for how to achieve those metrics. Effectively communicate with all stakeholder groups to provide education and encourage buy-in for the tough choices that will have to be made. These choices must not, in any case, lead to increased class sizes.
Leverage Relationships to Increase State Funding: The current formula for PA state adequacy gap funding is inherently unfair to Cumberland Valley, who receives the 2nd lowest amount of overall state funding in the region. I will lead the school board in a campaign with a bipartisan group of state lawmakers to correct the disparities posed by this formula and/or provide Cumberland Valley state funding relief that it is owed.
What is an issue that you are passionate about and why?
Between my previous PA-10 Congressional campaign and this one, I’ve made it very clear that we as a party and as a country need to focus on the working class and on unions in particular.
As a PA-10 Congressional Candidate in the 2024 Democratic Primary, I regularly voiced strong support for unions and the right to organize while receiving the endorsement of the Teamsters, SMART-TD (Rail Workers), and Ironworkers. Here within the CV School Director race, I have received the recommendation for PSEA endorsement by the Cumberland Valley Educational Association (CVEA).
Specifically, I strongly believe in union values and I’d like to define myself as a staunchly pro-union candidate. I believe that unions are indeed essential to protecting democracy itself. We’ve seen wild levels of income inequality over the past few decades that have also led to wild levels of political inequality. That, in my opinion, is one of the root causes of the polarization and grievance politics that we see today. Additionally, collective bargaining is what can be used to guarantee a living wage, a safe and effective workplace environment, and balance in the life of employees. For those reasons I fully support the right of, and need for, employees from all sectors to unionize.
What is the last book you read or what is your favorite book?
The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth by Jonathan Rauch is my favorite book. It specifically paints the path toward the ‘epistemic crisis’ we’re currently in where distinguishing fact from fiction is incredibly complicated. It points to issues on both sides - disinformation, trolling, conspiracy theories, cancel culture, etc.
Is there anything else that you would like the Young Democrats to know about you or your campaign?
I strongly believe in the need to support an increase in available mental health resources and the incorporation of social-emotional learning (SEL). That is about our values, and about the mental health of our students and staff. My last job in the military was as a commanding officer of a squadron of 220 Marines. To be honest, the mental health and well-being of my Marines was my top concern. Luckily, we were supported by a staff of professionals -chaplains, counselors, medical staff, etc., who literally saved lives with their work.
Schools have changed dramatically in the decades since I graduated high school, and I believe that we have to dramatically change our investment in qualified staff, programming, and paraprofessional supports in order to meet the moment and reflect the support that we received in the military. This starts with having transparent conversations about the conditions that students and staff are experiencing, and recognizing the importance of mental health-related programming and staff. It will save lives and produce more resilient, confident graduates in our community.