When our streets aren’t safe, our city isn’t safe. We need more community-based policing to bridge the gap between LMPD and the larger community. All people deserve to feel like they can rely on the police when they need them. This includes when police are called during a mental crisis situation. There need to be options beyond jail that provides quality, affordable mental health services to individuals in the short and long term.

We also need to make sure that people are safe inside their homes. Jennifer supports creating better access to opportunities that teach how to manage a household, providing financial incentives to homeowners to help make necessary repairs to their homes, and generating asset-based wealth through more homeownership.

Better infrastructure starts by developing a clear vision for a holistically healthy city and making sure progressive urban planners are leading the way.

Jennifer supports increasing our urban population density, but that can only happen if a clear investment is being made in our infrastructure, affordable housing, public transportation, walkability, small businesses, and arts and culture. The investment needs to be extended to revitalize existing historic buildings and preserve the cultural fabric of our city.

By the way, when Jennifer talks about better public transportation she’s not talking about just improving our lackluster bus system. She’s talking about creating a system of multimodal choices so that whether you’re traveling around on four wheels, two wheels, or two legs, you can get from point A to point B with ease.

Clean water, air, and soil is a human right. Communities that prioritize urban green spaces have cleaner air and water, reduced heat islands, lower energy use, experience less crime, and can even elongate life expectancy. Jennifer plans to fund programs and initiatives that increase our tree canopy. She will work to further the impact that existing green organizations in our communities are making, especially ones that promote native plants, increase water catchment, reduce waste, and expand urban agriculture. Jennifer will support existing city-led initiatives, such as Solar Over Louisville, to advance Louisville’s commitment to transition to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2040.

From the womb on, we need to make sure that we are supporting mothers and fathers so that they can foster healthy development and a nurturing atmosphere for children. Jennifer will advocate for private and public sector maternity/paternity leave, increasing the minimum wage to a liveable wage, and investing in early childcare education and childcare providers. She will fund programs to create extracurricular activities and provide greater resources for our young people beyond the classroom. This includes fully funding our schools, supporting teachers, and prioritizing mental, emotional, and physical health. Jennifer plans to help expand vocational schools so that when young people are entering adulthood, they have more opportunities aside from a traditional “higher education” trajectory.

In order to give people a seat at the table, we have to make sure that they are receiving the invitation. As a communications professional, Jennifer seeks to improve how the District 15 office communicates with residents so that the many excellent Metro and non-profit programs that already exist are made available and accessible. Too many programs are not used to their full potential because residents are simply unaware of their existence.