Key Issues

Affordability

Chris knows what a great community Union is and he also knows that too many working families are being priced out of the dream of living here. The median home sale price in Union has increased over 38% in the last five years, far outpacing wage growth. Chris will prioritize lowering the costs that we can influence in our community. Union needs more of all types of housing, including single family homes, condos, townhomes, apartments, and senior living facilities. Chris will continue responsible and well-managed housing growth so that young families can raise their kids here and seniors can afford to age in place. As a City Commissioner, Chris will make sure new developments are value-adding for the community.

In addition to housing, Chris will also prioritize childcare availability for working families in Union. As a parent, he has personally experienced the struggle of finding reliable and affordable local childcare. Too many working families are paying the same amount for childcare as they are for their mortgages. Too many parents are adding hours onto their commutes every week to access childcare in other towns. Chris will work to ensure that Union can support parents with more widely available and affordable local options.

Ban AI Data Centers

Chris pledges to vote against any proposed AI Data Centers in Union and will move to outright ban AI Data Centers within Union's boundaries. Data centers built for artificial intelligence, learning language models, and social media companies have no place in our community. They exploit our water and electricity, increasing utility bills for working families. Unlike traditional manufacturing or small businesses, AI Data Centers provide no meaningful products or long-term jobs for our residents. Chris will also push leaders in greater Boone County to do the same.

Building a Livable Community

Chris will work to accelerate the development of our connected communities and green spaces. The Union Promenade has been a great success story of affordable housing within walking distance of a grocery store, retail spaces, fitness centers, and restaurants. Chris will work to build more of these multi-use areas. The new Union Town Square will also be the city's first major park.

Chris will work to continue the development of parks and green spaces for the residents of Union to enjoy. Development of new neighborhoods should also include sidewalks and connections to existing pedestrian and biking infrastructure, because Chris wants his young daughter and all Union kids to be able to safely bike between our neighborhoods. He will also advocate for these infrastructure improvements with our local government partners outside of city boundaries to promote better regional connections.

Fair Payroll Tax

The current Union payroll tax of 2% is capped at $184,500 annually for each worker, which means that any income over that amount goes tax-free in Union. This results in an unfair burden on Union's working families, where daycare workers pay a higher portion of their wages to Union than corporate executives do. As a City Commissioner, Chris will work to make the Union payroll tax apply to all high income earnings and evaluate the tax rate for low and middle income wage earners.

Transparency

We need greater transparency in city meetings. Currently, agendas are only posted online 24 hours ahead of meetings. This is simply not enough time for busy community members to plan to attend meetings that cover topics important to them. Commission meetings should be streamed online, recorded, and posted on YouTube. Chris will work with his fellow Commissioners to make our city meetings more accessible to Union residents. In addition, Chris pledges to provide explanations for every vote and keep you informed on what's happening with your tax dollars.

Ensuring Your Vote Counts

After an unintentional human error caused our last election for City Commissioners to be overturned by the courts, your votes were overridden by an archaic process defined by state leaders and the court system. Two years later, there are still precincts with multiple versions of ballots. Despite the outcries from the community, state leaders have done nothing to ensure a democratic resolution to voter disenfranchisement if it occurs in future elections. Chris will work with his fellow City Commissioners to push for a new approach to solving election issues so that your votes are always counted.