ISSUES

Athena’s priority issues for 66B include:

Reimagining public safety, creation of affordable housing, fighting for climate justice, healthcare for all, quality education and access to childcare. Scroll to read more about Athena’s priorities and plans when elected to office.

 

PUBLIC SAFETy

We need to seriously reconsider how we allocate funding for police departments. Nine out of 10 incidents where the police are called are nonviolent. We need to redirect significant funding to social services that target specific issues like mental health, addiction, and homelessness. This is a better use of taxpayer money, and gets at the underlying causes of the most preventable crime. In office, I will prioritize:

  • Fight to statutorily change the standard for use of force in Minnesota.
  • Allow citizens to bring excessive force and equal protection cases, while circumventing the qualified immunity doctrine.
  • Push for a creation of state-wide database of all police misconduct.
  • Demand public reports and hearings on all police misconduct, not just killings.

 

 
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AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Everyone deserves safe, affordable housing, and no one should be priced out of their neighborhoods. In high-demand areas like Saint Paul, prices have skyrocketed. When I am in office, I will fight for:

  • Statewide investments and strategies to address increasing home prices that displace our neighbors.
  • Improving and maintaining our current housing stock.
  • Holding predators in the housing market accountable for their actions and preventing future abuse.
  • Investments in mixed income, multi-family housing.
  • Protecting the rights of renters.
  • Free public transit fares so people have increased flexibility to choose where they live and work.
 
 

CLIMATE JUSTICE

Immediate action must be taken against the existential threat of climate change, which disproportionately impacts the economically disadvantaged and communities of color. When I represent you, I will fight for bold policy initiatives:

  • A statewide commitment to 100% clean energy.
  • A green economy founded on good, accessible union jobs.
  • Electric school buses and public transportation.
  • Collaboration with communities of color to end the cycle of our neighbors being disproportionately burdened by the effects of climate change.


 
 

HEALTHCARE FOR ALL

All Minnesotans deserve access to high-quality, affordable healthcare and coverage shouldn’t be dependent on an employer. I will fight for:

  • The Minnesta version of Medicare for All, The Minnesota Health Plan- a single, statewide plan that would cover all Minnesotans for all their medical needs. Senator Marty has championed this plan, and I wholeheartedly support it. However, I would like to see it pushed even further, to include long-term care and dental care.
  • Holding pharmaceutical companies responsible for affordable drugs that don’t pass on costs to those who need them.
  • Paid Family Medical Leave Act, so that Minnesotans don’t have to choose between losing a paycheck or caring for a new child, an aging loved one, or themselves.
  • Banning Conversion Therapy, a dangerous and discredited practice that aims at changing an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. It has been denounced by every mainstream medical and mental health association, including the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. It’s time that Minnesota prohibits this practice for good.
  • Ensuring that access to birth control and abortion rights are protected in the state of Minnesota.

 
 

EDUCATION

Our public schools are the foundation of our economic and democratic future. Our schools are underfunded and are putting our children at a disadvantage. When I represent you, I will champion:

  • Statewide investments and strategies to ensure funds are allocated fairly and proportionately.
  • Ensuring that our educators reflect the makeup of our students and understand their experience.
  • Eliminating Q-Comp (Quality Compensation), which dictates that educators’ pay is dictated by standardized test scores.
  • Increasing wages for educators, so that education is a more desirable profession to enter.
  • Expanding access to full-service community schools.

 
 

CHILDCARE

All families should have access to high-quality, affordable childcare and COVID-19 has made the importance of childcare even more evident. We are facing a shortage of childcare professionals, and the price is too high for many families to afford. In office, I will make sure that we can:

  • Encourage more people, especially traditionally underrepresented groups, to become childcare workers
  • Ensure providers are paid a livable wage
  • Work to create sensible regulations to encourage current providers to stay in business