No Years Off! We’re not done recruiting great candidates for 2021

The year may be winding down, but at Run for Something we believe in always standing up great candidates for state and local office — no years (or quarters, or months off)! Meet the 25 incredible candidates that earned our endorsement for October. Be sure to chip in or volunteer if one of these candidates are near you — most are LESS than one month away from Election Day.

These leaders represent 11 states. They are diverse, savvy and reflect our country and the communities they serve. Check out these inspiring stats:

• 44% identify as people of color
• 56% identify as women
• 8% identify as members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

A whopping 28% of these candidates are running for school board. As we’ve witnessed with the start of the academic year, our school boards are more important than ever! They ensure accurate history is being taught in our schools and young people have access to literature and services that are often restricted when bold leaders aren’t in place to demand them.

Interested in learning more? Check out our awesome candidates below!

2021 CANDIDATES

CALIFORNIA

Courtney Welch
Emeryville City Council
General Election Date, November 2, 2021

Courtney is an East Bay native, experienced civic leader, and proud mother of two running to represent the residents of Emeryville on the Emeryville City Council.

Courtney currently works as the Director of Policy and Communications with the Bay Area Community Land Trust, (BACLT) where she and her team help create permanently affordable housing through cooperatively-run land stewardship projects.

​Prior to BACLT, Courtney was the Continuum of Care Specialist with EveryOne Home, where she played a key role in ensuring the Alameda County Continuum of Care is compliant and operates efficiently and effectively to address homelessness. In 2015, she founded Courtney Consulting Agency, a virtual assistant firm dedicated to assisting minority-owned startups and small businesses with administrative and operations needs.

​Courtney has a long track record of community service, including previously serving as an elected Assembly District 15 delegate to the California Democratic Party and secretary, chair, and political director of the California Young Democrats Black Caucus. Courtney currently serves on the Alameda County Housing and Community Development Advisory Board, Alameda County Commission on the Status of Women, the Center for the Vulnerable Child-Children’s Hospital Oakland Consumer Advisory Board, and was appointed to the City of Emeryville Housing Committee.

A graduate of Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, Courtney attended the College of Alameda and Hampton University. She resides in the Christie Core neighborhood in Emeryville with her sons Caleb and Cruz.

Elsa Mejia
Madera City Council, District 5
General Election Date: Nov 2, 2021

Elsa is the daughter of indigenous immigrant farmworkers — granddaughter of a Bracero — and first-generation college graduate who is seeking to fill the empty District 5 seat in the Madera City Council.

She is a lifelong Madera resident who attended Madera Unified schools and graduated from Fresno State with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Journalism, and a Certificate in Legal Studies. Her life experiences greatly influenced her professional and volunteer work.

Elsa has been heavily involved in social justice causes, including immigration reform and workers’ rights, since she was a teen. As a high school student, she pleaded before city council helping to secure land to create Madera’s first community garden. As an undergrad, she worked full time as a reporter, volunteered to help pass a bond to build a new high school, and now uses her communication skills to help union workers.

Elsa is committed to working toward better economic opportunities, a humane approach to addressing the growing houseless crisis, more opportunities for youth, fixing infrastructure and for a government that is transparent and accessible to all.

She lives in Madera, with her husband, Abrahan.

CONNECTICUT

Jon Trister
Newington Town Council
General Election: November 2, 2021

Jon is a father of two, a husband, and a grad student, who is seeking his first term on the Newington Town Council. Jon decided to step up and run for office when he was tired of seeing his kids’ schools get flat funded and the fields they play on fall into disrepair. Jon has always been passionate about helping others, so after spending 15 years working in sales, Jon left his career to pursue a life in public service. Jon is currently pursuing a Master’s of Public Administration at the University of Connecticut. In his free time he enjoys coaching his kids’ soccer teams.

Jon is running because he wants to ensure that the town of Newington has the strongest schools possible, so that all of Newington’s children can enjoy a top notch education. He also wants to make sure Newington is doing the best it can to grow their economy and ensure that there is an amazing quality of life for Newington residents. Jon knows it is time for a change in Newington’s leadership and he is the right person to bring progressive priorities to Newington.

Alexa Tomassi
Wallingford Town Council, At-Large
General Election: November 2, 2021

Alexa is a lifelong member of the Wallingford community, an activist, advocate, and organizer. She currently serves as an Associate Communications Officer at Yale School of Medicine and previously worked for Sandy Hook Promise. She has extensive professional experience in non-profit work, digital communications, and marketing. She has been especially active on issues surrounding voting rights, organizing voter registration drives and outreach every year on National Voter Registration Day. In addition, she spearheaded the outreach campaign that led to a Council veto of the current mayor’s most recent tax and mill rate increase during this year’s budget hearings. She knows there is no time to waste on issues such as climate change and racial justice, and she is ready to help the residents of Wallingford in ways that will improve their everyday lives.

Jaymie Bianca
Bristol Board of Education
General Election: November 2, 2021

Jaymie is a recent graduate of Trinity College with degrees in English, Human Rights, and Education. She is running for the Bristol Board of Education because she desires to bring an increased understanding of special education needs, college and career readiness programs for first generation college students, and an interdisciplinary curriculum that combines both science and the arts.

As a first generation college student and twin sister to Brandon, her brother who is on the Autism Spectrum, Jaymie understands the needs of the special education and first generation college student populations quite well. She has been an avid volunteer in her community since a young age. Her recent accomplishments include being the President and Co-founder of the Trinity College IGNITE Political Leadership Chapter, serving as Class Senator and on Trinity’s Curriculum Committee, and working with administrators on Title IX, non-discrimination, campus climate, and equal pay policies. She has also worked and was a student teacher in a wide variety of K-12 classrooms, teaching art, English, and mathematics.

Jaymie’s personal ventures as well as her multi-faceted knowledge with an Education degree and experiences within classrooms and educational policy initiatives allows her to bring both enthusiasm and expertise to the Bristol Board of Education. She is a lifelong resident of Bristol, CT and in her hobbies include baton twirling, dancing, baking, walking, and enjoying life with her family.

Aigné Goldsby
Mayor of Cromwell
General Election: November 2, 2021

Aigné is a UConn Law grad who started her own firm to help children with Special Education needs. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and the Founder of Black Esquire® which focuses on increasing diversity in the legal profession. Aigné also serves as a mentor to teens and young adults and knows a thing or two about making ends meet. She does that every day as a small business owner, put herself through college as a waitress, and sees possibility where others see problems.

Aigné is committed to ensuring increased opportunity is available to the next generation and that Cromwell’s next mayor has the energy to move Cromwell forward. ​

Aigné is a born leader. Aigné is a past President of the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association in Connecticut. She is also active in the Connecticut Bar Association as a member of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the Diversity Director of the Young Lawyers Section. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Connecticut, on the Steering Committee for the Governor’s Council on Women and Girls, and as a member of the Division of Criminal Justice Community Engagement Board.

Aigné is ready to bring her leadership skills to the office of Mayor and help lead Cromwell into the future.

Abdul Osmanu
Hamden Legislative Council, District 3
General Election: November 2, 2021

Abdul is a 19-year-old running to represent the 3rd District of Hamden on the Hamden Legislative Council. A graduate of Hamden Public Schools and long-time organizer on many of Connecticut and Hamden’s most progressive, paradigm-shifting Democratic campaigns in the last four years, Abdul has had the opportunity to view and dedicate himself to the issues as a product of his community, volunteer, organizer, and leader. This has given Abdul first-hand experience on the importance of community outreach and organizing to tackling problems such as inequity in infrastructure and inadequate funding. These are problems that have plagued Southern Hamden for decades, and Abdul is running to provide the leadership and galvanizing energy that is needed to bring long-lasting change.

As Hamden continues to grow, Abdul believes that the needs of our residents, in addition to what our residents look like, are in constant change. With such changes in needs and demographics comes the need to run the town drastically differently. With such a short but manageable window of opportunity to turn the town around, we need leaders that show they are committed to the community with honesty, inclusivity, and transparency. Equipped with fresh ideas and a track record of rising to the occasion when goals need to be met, Abdul has the exuberance and experience needed to move Hamden towards a brighter, relentlessly equitable future at a time where it is desperately needed.

Dr. Forrest Helvie
Newington Board of Education
General Election: November 2, 2021

Dr. Forrest Helvie lives in Newington, CT with his wife and two middle school-aged children. He is a long-time educator and academic leader within Connecticut’s community college system. He is a passionate advocate for ensuring all students have access to a quality public education that encourages their mental, emotional, and academic growth with multiple pathways for students to pursue after high school: college, technical or trade school, direct entry to the work force, or enlistment into military service.Dr. Helvie is someone who believes in public service. He began a career in teaching after completing service to his country as an Army combat officer. He also volunteers regularly as a Cub Scout leader and works in his church to support local organizations like Got Lunch Newington and Family Promise, which address food security and homelessness. Now, he seeks to leverage his professional experiences and passion to continue to find ways to serve and support Newington, CT as a member of the board of education.

GEORGIA

Royce Carter Mann
Atlanta School Board, Seat 7 At-Large
General Election: November 2, 2021

Royce is a candidate for Seat 7 At Large on the Atlanta Board of Education. A native Atlantan and current Robert Woodruff-MLK Scholar in his second year at Emory University, Royce has always had a passion for social justice. This interest has led to Royce serving in roles including Legislative Director of March for our Lives GA and Student Activist Coordinator for Amnesty International.

In 2016, Royce began to receive international acclaim for his spoken word poetry that addressed issues of race and gender. As a result, Royce was invited to speak at numerous events nationwide, including at the inaugural Obama Foundation Summit and at the MLK Day Commemorative Service at the Historic Ebenezer Church where Royce had the honor of sharing the stage with Sen. Bernie Sanders, Dr. Bernice King, and others.

In recognition of his activism, Royce was honored as one of 12 Grand Marshals for the 2019 Atlanta Pride Parade and more recently was awarded an Excellence in Advocacy Award from the Georgia-based Alliance for Black Lives. Royce previously interned for the Board of Education, served as a Legislative Aide for State Rep. David Dreyer, and has worked to elect numerous progressive candidates, including as Co-Founder of the group Students for Ossoff & Warnock which helped mobilize thousands of young voters leading up to the Senate runoffs in Georgia. Royce also led the successful effort to change the name of his alma mater from Henry W. Grady High School to Midtown High.

Alexis Weaver
Tucker City Council, District 3, Post 1
General Election: November 2, 2021

Alexis is a working mom with three children (ages 10, 7 and 2!) and is running to serve on the Tucker City Council in Tucker, Georgia. She is an anti-hunger advocate, nonprofit leader and urban planner with nearly 20 years of experience in economic and community development. As a senior manager with Atlanta’s food bank, Alexis works daily to help low-income Georgians achieve economic mobility utilizing the charitable food system. A life-long community volunteer, she is a board member of Tucker’s largest local social service nonprofit.

Alexis is running to ensure that everyone in her community has an opportunity to flourish and find success. She’s fighting for inclusion, seeking to pass a much-needed Non-Discrimination Ordinance to protect her LGBTQ neighbors, and pushing back against the current leadership’s efforts to criminalize homelessness. Tucker is a diverse city experiencing rapid growth, and Alexis is committed to transparency, equity, seeking creative solutions to complex problems, and amplifying unheard voices. She is passionate about connecting with and convening residents to hear their hopes and concerns, and responding with action.

MASSACHUSETTS

Dana Bullister
Cambridge City Council, At-Large
General Election: November 2, 2021

Dana is an award-winning data scientist, a skilled technologist and policy analyst, and a passionate advocate for transparency, responsibility, and equity in government.

She is running for City Council in her longtime home of Cambridge, MA, a global hub of profound technological innovation as well as severe problems with inequality, racial disparity, and social division.

She is running to fight for inclusive policies on housing, economic mobility, climate, and equitable political voice. She believes those of all backgrounds should have a seat at the table — not just in living within her city, but in shaping the critical decisions that impact our collective future.

Her training started at Wellesley College, where she researched misinformation in politics before studying Data, Economics, and Development Policy at MIT. As a citizen advocate, she pushes for empirically effective economic, criminal justice, and climate policy at the local, state, and national levels. As a young woman in tech, she hopes to add a fresh, distinctive voice and vision within the community she loves.

To learn more about Dana, visit DanaForCambridge.com.

MICHIGAN

Hector Santiago
Detroit City Council, District 6
General Election Date: November 2, 2021

Growing up in Detroit, Hector Santiago learned the value of faith, community, treating others with respect, and hard work as the oldest of four kids.

A graduate of Western High School, Hector excelled in the classroom and on the baseball field and was the first in his family to attend college. He helped care for his father on dialysis, an experience that gave him a firsthand understanding of the importance of healthcare access.

Following a nonviolent offense charge, Hector qualified for the city’s Project Clean Slate program and successfully obtained expungement, giving him the opportunity of a second chance and inspired him to pursue public service.

For nearly a decade, Hector has led a workforce development program dedicated to improving residents’ quality of life, job training, and expanding youth education opportunities for Detroiters. His direct work with returning citizens has helped hundreds of people overcome barriers to employment and get a second chance when most had counted them out of society.

Hector and his wife Liz are raising two girls in Southwest Detroit. In his spare time, Hector coaches youth baseball, mentors in conflict resolution, and teaches Sunday school.

For Hector, the challenges facing Detroit aren’t just rhetorical — they are deeply personal. He is running for Detroit City Council to bring people together and get results for the community he’s proud to call home. Hector’s fresh perspective, lived experience, and commitment to economic and social justice ensure he will be a strong voice for the people.

NEW JERSEY

Danielle Freire
Jersey City Council, Ward D
General Election: November 2, 2021

Danielle (she/her) is a lifelong resident of Jersey City, New Jersey, daughter of emigrated parents from Ecuador, first-generation college student, and nonprofit development professional. She’s dedicated her career to ensuring success for nonprofit missions she cares about.

Danielle has worked as a fundraiser for social justice issues such as housing, education, mass incarceration and the criminalization of communities of color, and now works in the environmental justice space. Her commitment to social justice enables her to authentically promote programming that supports overlooked and underfunded communities.

This past year, Danielle made the decision to run for local office in her hometown. She is running to break barriers in Jersey City, one of the most diverse cities in the country and also a city that is heavily influenced by machine politics. Her top issues are transparency and accountability, housing for all, climate justice and finding ways to be more environmentally sustainable, quality social services, and increasing civic education and awareness in local government.

Danielle hopes that her campaign is a model that shows others that they too can step up, run, and do politics your way, without asking for permission.

OHIO

Megan Czako Reamsnyder
Westerville City Council
General Election: November 2, 2021

Megan is a community leader and public servant, serving on the board of several local organizations. A life-long Westerville resident, Megan couldn’t think of a better place to raise her own two daughters. If elected to Westerville City Council, Megan would be one of the youngest women to hold the office. While serving on multiple city boards Megan has noticed a lack of younger generations holding decision making positions in Westerville. It is important have a variety of voices and perspectives in local government.

Civic literacy and community engagement are a key focus of the campaign and tenure on city council. If elected, Megan plans to prioritize encouraging younger and more diverse voices with the city, including the city’s boards and commissions. Continuing to support sustainability efforts and the city’s parks and recreation facilities are also areas of focus. As a board member of several non-profits in the city Megan is engaged and tuned in to how the city functions and ready to dive in and get to work.

Mac Driscoll
Toledo City Council, At-Large
General Election: November 2, 2021

Mac Driscoll is an urban planner who works for the Downtown Toledo Development Corporation. As an economic development professional, Mac has worked to attract hundreds of millions of private and public sector investment to downtown Toledo. He is running to make sure that all of Toledo’s neighborhoods get the same kind of attention and investment. He wants to use the same strategies employed in redeveloping downtown Toledo to encourage development in our other neighborhoods. This will require the City of Toledo to focus on repairing our neighborhoods’ housing stock and promoting home ownership, making investments in quality of life upgrades such as pedestrian infrastructure, parks and public spaces, and public transit, and in growing our economy. A neighborhood should provide all basic services to a resident, and Mac is running to make that happen in Toledo.

Marty Gehres
Dayton Municipal Clerk of Court
General Election: November 2, 2021

Marty is a lifelong resident of the City of Dayton. He graduated Cum Laude from the University of Dayton School of Law. Then went to work for his hometown as a City Attorney. As a City Attorney, Marty advocated and crafted the legislation to decriminalize marijuana in the City and fought national corporations who brought blight into his community by challenging their liquor licenses. Marty wants to make the courts more accessible and help people navigate the courts. Marty looks forward to advocating for the residents of Dayton.

Mary Wineberg
Cincinnati Public School Board
General Election: November 2, 2021

Mary is a proud CPS graduate, CPS teacher, and CPS parent. She was raised by her mother to work hard and to make the most of her opportunties. Mary is passionate about education and knows what the students, teachers and families need to be successful within her school district.

Mary is extremely proud to have made history by winning a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She was able to find success as an athlete because of the skills and determination that were nurtured throughout her education.

As a member of the CPS Board, Mary will ensure that every child receives a world class education through equitable education, communication/transparency and a diverse curriculum. Mary wants all of the students and families to be seen as vital participants in their education. Mary will be the board member that will be a voice for all.

Rhonda Crawford
Twinsburg City School Board of Education
General Election: November 2, 2021

Rhonda is an alumna of the University of Akron and she is in upper management at Key Bank. Her husband, Cameron, is a manager at UPS. Like herself, he is very involved in the community dedicating a lot of his free time to recreational sports teams. They value service to the community and teach this to their children by their example. All of their beautiful children are Twinsburg Public School students or alum!

Rhonda has been volunteering in her community for a long time. She has volunteered for Twinsburg Vocal Music Boosters as a Parent Chaperone and Board Member, Summit County Board of Elections Precinct Election Official for the TSCD community, Head Room Parent, Committee Chair, and Board Member for PTA in the various schools, the community recreational sports programs and more! She also volunteered outside of her community in foodbanks, nursing homes, homeless shelters, vacation bible school and more!

Rhonda realized that by being on School Board, she could multiply her impact by helping every single child in Twinsburg, which is why she decided to run. Running for the school board will allow her to continue working and advocating for the education of ALL children in her

community. She will strive to elevate and enhance the Twinsburg school district and make a real impact in the students’ lives.

PENNSYLVANIA

Zach Cole-Borghi
Lehigh County Board of Commissioners, District 3
General Election: November 2, 2021

Zachary is running for the 3rd District Commissioner seat in Lehigh county. He is a lifelong resident of the city of Bethlehem, having spent his childhood in both the Marvine-Pembroke Housing Development and west Bethlehem. He understands the economic disparities in our community.

Zach currently works as Supervisor/Trainer of a sales team for Amresorts. Prior to that, he was the Program Director for the Northeast community center a non-profit that services the Marvine-Pembroke community.

Joel Folkemer
Central York School District
General Election: November 2, 2021

Joel is running for the Central York School Board because he believes strongly that all students should be provided a safe and strong education. His experiences as a local Lutheran pastor, the proud father of two Central York students, and an involved community leader have helped Joel to understand our school district’s needs. As the lead pastor of an active and community-focused Lutheran congregation, Joel has the experience and skills that are necessary to work with the diverse viewpoints of our community stakeholders.

A pattern of anti-diversity and racially charged actions by the current school board have divided our district, caused badly needed updated educational programs and required curricula to be tabled indefinitely. This includes the banning of 300 diversity resources from use in the classroom. Joel is running to make sure that our students and educators have what they need to prepare our students for a 21st century global economy. The challenges facing our school district are vast: falling test scores, difficult budgetary decisions, and a serious need for improved transparency. In situations like these, experience and integrity matter.

Joel is not running for Central York School Board because he expects the job to be easy. He is running to stand up against the current board and their own extreme political agenda. Joel is running because he believes in being a servant leader, because he feels called to serve the students, parents, and senior citizens in our district during these challenging times.

TEXAS

Matias Kopinsky
Houston Independent School District, District 1
General Election: November 2021

Matias is the son of Argentinian immigrants, first-generation American, and a native Houstonian who attended Houston ISD schools his whole life. His mother and grandmother have been lifelong educators, and together combine for more than 50 years educating young Houstonians. He has always been passionate about education due to believing that a quality educational foundation allows people to achieve their professional goals and contribute to their communities.

While attending 6–12th grades in HISD, Matias volunteered for TOPSoccer, an organization that teaches kids with disabilities how to play soccer. He then attended UT Austin where he received his Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering, while working three part time jobs in order to pay for his own schooling and housing. After graduating, Matias moved back to his hometown, Houston, in order to work for Chevron as an Engineer, developing and deploying more environmentally friendly ways to extract oil. During his time at Chevron, Matias has been invited to judge the “Introduce a Girl to Engineering” competition where he judged papers written by grade school students. He also participated at the Chevron STEM Camp where he taught students about STEM, as well as, regularly attending Houston Food Bank Activities. Matias, being a lifelong learner, is currently working on his Masters in Engineering at The University of Houston.

Matias is running for the HISD School Board of Trustees to represent District 1. Due to over 200 teacher shortages, numerous scandals involving the HISD School Board over the previous years, lack of consistency in school leadership, and special interest money being involved, all students are not receiving a quality and equitable education. Matias wants the city of Houston to be proud of its school district and see it in the news due to achievements, not scandals.

2022 CANDIDATES

CALIFORNIA

Jimmy Biblarz
Los Angeles City Council, District 5
Primary Election: June 7, 2022

Born and raised in West LA, Jimmy is an educator, policy expert, and housing advocate. Shaped by his own experience with housing insecurity and eviction, Jimmy centers empathy and compassion in his approach to the homelessness and housing crisis. He is running for Los Angeles City Council District Five to get to the heart of these issues — no more short term fixes for lasting problems.

Jimmy earned his JD at Harvard Law School, and is currently finishing his PhD in Sociology and Social Policy. While at Harvard, Jimmy worked at the LA Public Defender’s Office, and fought the Trump administration’s cruel immigration policies and racist voter disenfranchisement efforts with Protect Democracy. Inspired by the progressive wins in Los Angeles in 2020, Jimmy decided to take on the fight himself.

Like much of his district, Jimmy is a renter, union-member (UC-AFT), and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. He lives with his partner Harry, in Beverly Grove. He works as a faculty member at UCLA Law School. If elected, he would be the youngest member of the LA City Council, and the first LGBTQ+ member to represent District 5.

IDAHO

Natalie MacLachlan
Idaho House, District 21
Primary Election: May 10, 2022

Natalie is a lifelong Idahoan and an experienced educator currently teaching Theatre and Visual Arts in the West Ada School District, the largest district in the state. Natalie has a deep love for service, and when she’s not teaching or campaigning, you’ll find her volunteering for her community. She is a member of the Association of American University Women, a Union member, and has been endorsed by the Idaho Education Association. She is passionate about people and her community and is fully committed to the work of honestly representing Idahoans.

Natalie has already spent months on the ground talking to her neighbors in District 21 and is ready to represent them in the Idaho Legislature. The issues she’s running on respond to the needs that she’s heard from neighbors from every walk of life. As an educator, Natalie is running to push for fully funded education, and as the former Teacher’s Union Representative at her school, she’ll work for competitive pay for teachers. As a neighbor, she will work with other legislators for better infrastructure investment to support the second fastest growing district in the state, while also ensuring that this doesn’t increase the tax burdens and prices on homeowners and renters. And as a resident of District 21, Natalie will work with local business owners to ensure that Idaho’s economic growth benefits every Idahoan, not just those at the top.

NEBRASKA

Sarah Slattery
Nebraska Legislature, District 2
Primary Election: May 10, 2022

Chef Sarah Slattery was born and raised in Nebraska’s Legislative District 2. Sarah knows the community and its needs because she has been there her whole life. Philanthropy and community service are in Sarah’s blood. That’s why she has given so much of her time and talent over the years to lots of area nonprofit organizations, such as March of Dimes, Visiting Nurse Association, No Kid Hungry, the Nebraska Student Nutrition Action Committee, and St. John the Baptist School in Plattsmouth. Sarah even spent a year building Habitat for Humanity houses in Omaha as a member of the AmeriCorps National Service program.

Sarah is a single mother to Helen Rose, a 6th grader at St. John’s. Sarah is also currently the head of the school’s hot lunch program, where she has re-introduced fresh produce and scratch cookery with incredibly positive results. Sarah aspires to be the representative for ALL of District 2, and will work to fight for the rights of all its citizens. Sarah currently lives in Plattsmouth with her daughter Ellie, their dogs Alfred & Moxie, cats Pickles & Bean, and a whole lot of house plants.

TEXAS

Susanna Ledesma-Woody
Travis County Commissioner, Precinct 4
Primary Date: March 1, 2022

Susanna is a native Central Texan, born in Austin to working poor parents who, like so many in East Travis County, struggled but did what they could to provide for their family. There were times when her family did not have running water or electricity. Susanna knows what it is like to face income inequality and has taken an active role advocating and volunteering for her community over the last 10 years.

Susanna is a married, working mother with three kids in the Del Valle Independent School District. This district serves a community within Travis County that has areas outside of Austin proper which has contributed to years of neglect in the area. As a founding member and current President of the Del Valle Community Coalition (DVCC), she has led advocacy efforts for residents in Southeast Austin and Travis County. She has advocated for increasing community access to healthy and affordable food, comprehensive healthcare services, equitable conservation of green space, and distributive justice regarding COVID-19 relief and vaccine distribution in Commissioner Precinct 4.

As a school board trustee, she led the efforts to create a district that not only focuses on providing an excellent education for students, but also takes pride in diversity and dreams of each student as well as increased teacher pay, increased healthcare benefits and expanded access to childcare earning her the reputation of the most active member of the board. Now Susanna is ready to bring active, community informed leadership to the Travis County Commissioner’s Court.