The climate crisis is the greatest existential threat to our civilization and requires bold action from the local to the national level. As a member of the Democratic National Committee, Megan fought to have a Climate Debate so that this crisis could be given the national attention it deserves. As Alderwoman, Megan has co-sponsored legislation to require new construction projects be solar-ready, and to update our building codes. In St. Louis City, environmental racism has a direct impact on the quality of life, including life expectancy, of residents of the 5th Senatorial District. Megan is committed to:
Megan has spent most of her adult life being a champion for our children and believes in the Ferguson Commission’s Call to Action that we must place our youth at the center of our decision making. Through her work at Lemay Child and Family Center and ChildCare Aware of Missouri she saw first hand the difference that having access to high-quality early childhood education can make in the difference of our children. In fact, 80% of brain development occurs before age three and every dollar that is invested in early childhood education results in $8 of future savings. As a daughter of two public school teachers and a product of public schools, Megan understands the need to protect our public school system from privatization. While Charter Schools held promise when they were initially proposed, in the two decades that they have been operational in Missouri, very few have lived up to that promise by outperforming the Public School District.
Megan holds a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from St. Louis University, and is in the process of completing her Ph.D in Education Policy. Megan is committed to:
Supporting our Public Schools
Universal Early Childhood Education
Eliminating Child Hunger
Halting the School-to-Prison Pipeline
With public trust in government at all time lows, it is more important than ever that we implement campaign finance and ethics reforms to restore trust. In 2018, voters in Missouri overwhelmingly supported CLEAN Missouri, which enacted fair redistricting and campaign finance laws. Megan had worked to bring these reforms to the local level and opposes any efforts to repeal CLEAN Missouri.
Megan believes that all people should have access to high quality, affordable healthcare, including mental healthcare and reproductive healthcare, no matter where they live or how much money they make. In St. Louis City, healthcare disparities fall along racial lines, with the City having Black infant and maternal mortality rates that rival developing nations. Megan has been a long time advocate of abortion rights, passing legislation at the local level to protect access to abortion and fighting to include abortion rights in the Missouri Democratic Party platform. The 5th Senatorial District is home to the last abortion clinic in the State of Missouri and Megan has been an instrumental part of the fight to keep the clinic open. Megan is committed to:
Access to Healthcare
Protecting Abortion Rights
Healthcare as Violence Interrupter
Megan believes that all people deserve access to safe, affordable housing regardless of zipcode. The City of St. Louis is rapidly building new housing, yet over 80% of new housing is considered luxury, making affordable housing out of reach for more and more people in the City of St. Louis. This problem is compounded by the Missouri Low Income Housing Tax Credit program being put on pause. At the same time, the City of St. Louis has over 100,000 renters and Missouri has some of the most lax renter protections in the United States, making it difficult for renters to hold landlords accountable for not fixing their properties. Megan is committed to:
In recent years, basic human rights have been under attack in Missouri. From the passage of SB 43, which makes it easier for employers in our state to discriminate, to prohibiting DACA recipients from accessing in-state tuition rates at public universities, to the fact that Missouri continually ranks among the lowest states in the nation for protections for our LGBTQIA+ community, it is clear that we have a lot of work to do to create a state that is inclusive for all people who live here. As Alderwoman, Megan co-sponsored legislation to ban conversion therapy and sponsored resoutions to support immigration into St. Louis. Megan is committed to:
Prohibiting public universities from discriminating against applicants as a result of their immigration status
Megan has been a long time criminal justice reform advocate, introducing legislation to bring the City of St. Louis use of force policies regarding First Amendment rights into compliance with the Ferguson Commission recommendations and two Federal Injunctions against the City. As a Board Member with Local Progress, Megan co-facilitated a national working group of local elected officials to develop a policy tool-kit for criminal justice reform. Megan has been a long time advocate of drug reform and the legalization of adult use of marijuana. As an employee at Shalom House, Megan has worked first hand with chronically homeless individuals with mental illness and substance abuse, experiencing first hand how our criminal justice system often does not support our most vulnerable members of our community. Megan believes that we need public safety solutions that prevent crime, build trust between police and our community, and keep people out of the criminal justice system. Megan is committed to:
Reforming our Criminal Justice System
Supporting Victims of Crime
Public Safety Beyond Policing
Megan has been a lifelong advocate for working people. She was raised in a union household by a mom who was President of her local Teachers’ Union, New York State United Teachers – NYSUT (NEA, AFL-CIO, AFT Affiliate) and a father who was a member of United University Professors. As a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Washington University in St. Louis, Megan is a member of Washington University Graduate Workers Union – an affiliate of SEIU Local 1. Megan previously worked with the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562 on efforts to stop so-called Right to Work laws. As Alderwoman, Megan was instrumental in the passage of legislation to raise the minimum wage in the City of St. Louis and is committed to paying all of her campaign staff at least $15 per hour. Megan is committed to:
Championing Workers
Protecting Consumers