Candidate Spotlight: Maria Sorolis - Democratic Candidate for State Representative District 48

Candidate Spotlight 

Maria Sorolis 

Democratic Candidate for State Representative District 48

About Maria:

Maria has lived in the 48th since 2004 and raised three children in the district, each of whom graduated from JCPS schools. 

After 22 years as a practicing attorney focused on employment law, Maria answered a calling to teach. While maintaining her law practice, Maria has worked part-time with recovery students at Kammerer Middle School, helping them develop the confidence, discipline and skills they need for success. 

Maria has served as a PTA president, an officer of the Kentucky PTA, and as a member of the Site Based Decision Making Council.  She is a graduate of Emerge Kentucky. She’s donated her time to Restorative Justice Louisville, Legal Aid and to the Kentucky, Florida, Georgia and District of Columbia Bar Associations, and has served as a Girl Scout leader, among other volunteer work. 

A graduate of Duke University and the University of Georgia School of Law, Maria is working toward her Master's Degree in Public Administration at the University of Louisville. 

Q: What is the most important topic/issue to you personally? 

The starting point for me is increased governmental transparency.  This is our government and too many of our elected representatives seem to have forgotten for whom they work and to whom they need to report  - and its not their big money donors, lobbyists and cronies.  We need expanded public records and public meeting laws with stronger teeth.

Q: What goals to you hope to accomplish either if you are elected?

We need increased focus and funding on genuine public education with smaller classes, less testing and comprehensive Pre-K.  A highly educated and creative workforce will attract jobs that pay living wages to our wonderful Commonwealth. We must modernize our tax code to  encourage entrepreneurship and small business and explore alternatives to generate increased revenue. Our infrastructure has been neglected for far too long and, especially in the 48th we see the way unmanaged growth can impact our quality of life.

Q: Why should Kentuckians vote for your over your opponent? 

I am an independent thinker with an interest in being an activist for a better Kentucky - not a rubber stamp for my party.  One of my opponent's first actions was to support legislation that would disenfranchise his constituents by filing a bill that would take away the right of Jefferson County residents to conduct a special election in the event the position of mayor was vacated midterm.  He was the primary speaker in favor of the tax bill passed in the 2018 the created a tax on services, lowered taxes on the top wage earners but raised taxes on middle class Kentuckians. 

Q: With everything that has been going on locally and in our nation, how would you encourage people, especially in your district, to stay positive and to not give up?  

We need to remember that no matter our differences most of us are more alike than different.  We need to get out of our "silos" and make an effort to meet and talk civilly with people who may view the world slightly differently than we do.  We will not move forward when we allow a spirit of fear, division and "otherness" to dominate our interactions.

If you would like to know more about Maria or help with her campaign, please visit her website or Facebook page.

Candidate Spotlight: Lisa Willner - Democratic Candidate for State Representative District 35

Candidate Spotlight

Lisa Willner

Democratic Candidate for State Representative District 35

About Lisa:

Lisa Willner is a graduate of Yale University and received her PhD in Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology.

Lisa and her husband John Scruton have lived in the 35th House District for 24 years where together they have raised their two children, Ben and Eliza. They are members of First Unitarian Church, where Lisa formerly served as Director of Religious Education.

Lisa is a strong advocate for mental health issues and serves as the Executive Director of the Kentucky Psychology Association. Lisa is also a long-time faculty member in the Psychology Department at Bellarmine University.

In 2014, Lisa was elected to the Jefferson County School Board where she has been praised by educators, mental health professionals and her constituents for advocating for our public schools, and for her focus on mental health issues, advancing Fairness efforts, standing up for student voice and for greater labor/management collaboration. She was elected Vice Chair of the School Board and is known for her hard work, listening to all voices, and bringing board members together.

Lisa has been recognized by the Kentucky Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression for her work for racial justice, and has received awards from both the American Psychological Association and the Kentucky Psychological Association for her advocacy on behalf of psychology and mental health. She remains committed to standing up for all people.

Lisa was honored to win her primary election in May to become the Democratic nominee for Kentucky House District 35. Lisa is passionate about children’s rights, labor rights, human rights, environmental rights, women’s rights, Fairness, economic justice, and standing up for those who need a voice.

Lisa is committed to expanding economic opportunities and delivering positive change for the working people of the 35th District. 

Q: With everything that has been going on locally and in our nation, how would you encourage people, especially in your district, to stay positive and to not give up?  

These are anxious times for our nation and our state. There has never been a more important time for strong and steady progressive Democratic leadership.  We need to stay focused on turning out the vote this November, and to elect people who represent the values and the needs of the people they represent.  Here in the 35th district, we had the highest primary voter turnout in the county.  We need to continue to build on that grassroots movement in order to help increase Democratic performance up and down the ticket, not just this year, but in the years to come.   

Q: Why should Kentuckians vote for your over your opponent? 

I have a record of public service in the district, having represented the 6th school board district since 2015. In that role, I have championed our public schools and public school teachers, have stood firm against attacks on public education from a right wing governor and his administration, and have been an effective advocate on behalf of our most under-served students.  With 35th district State Rep Jim Wayne -- a licensed clinical social worker --  retiring, I would be the only licensed mental health professional in the entire Kentucky Legislature, and would bring an important perspective on policies affecting our most vulnerable Kentuckians.    

Q: In what areas do you think Kentucky has succeeded in the past, and where has it fallen short or failed? How can we do better? 

In 2013, 640,000 Kentuckians had no health care insurance coverage.  As the only southern state to adopt Medicaid expansion, that number dropped sharply and quickly as 505,000 Medicaid expansion members were insured, many of them for the very first time.  Kentucky was recognized nationally for the profound difference our progressive Medicaid policy made in the lives of so many hard working families.  The Bevin administration's rollback of Medicaid expansion, and its efforts to put in place illegal work requirements for Medicaid recipients had an immediate and devastating effect on many, many families. As a state with a notoriously poor public health record, we need to strenuously oppose the Governor's Medicaid waiver, and to accept federal Medicaid dollars in order to provide coverage to more of our hardworking families. We need to submit public comments, apply pressure on the current administration, and elect a progressive Democratic Governor in 2019.  

For more information on Lisa Willner and how to help her campaign, please visit her website or Facebook page.

Candidate Spotlight: Sheri Donahue - Democratic Candidate for State Senate District 36

Candidate Spotlight 

Sheri Donahue 

Democratic Candidate for State Senate District 36

About Sheri:

Sheri is an engineer and received her BS in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University in 1990. She currently serves on the Purdue Engineering Alumni Association Board of Directors. She has been an invited speaker for industry and technology groups on many topics as well as for undergraduate and graduate students on creative career planning.

She was most recently the Cyber Security Strategic Partnerships Director for Humana’s Enterprise Information Protection Department where she engaged with external partners and internal customers to improve Humana’s cyber security posture through accessing threat information and best practices from partners in many sectors besides just healthcare.

Prior to Humana, she was Program Manager for Security & Intelligence at Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division where she managed a $60M portfolio of Intelligence and Intelligence-related projects for Navy, DoD and other Intelligence agencies of the US Government fusing science and technology with Intelligence to provide knowledge solutions for the warfighter.

Currently, Sheri is pursuing her life-long dream of running for KY State Senate District 36, a

position where she hopes to bring her engineering skills and experience to bear in solving

problems for the people of Kentucky.

Q: Why are you running?

My life motto is “change the world”.  I have spent my life working to help others and to make the world a better place.  For over 19 years, I worked as a civilian engineer for the U.S. Navy on gun systems, ship-building programs and in intelligence.  I never forgot that my “customer” was each and every sailor aboard ship.  Additionally, I volunteered for a national non-profit for 12 years helping ensure the safety of our local, state and national critical infrastructures.  I believe that with the current situation our country and state are facing, it is now my duty to bring my experience, knowledge and talent to the table to help make the world a better place here in our Commonwealth.

Q: What is the most important topic/issue to you personally?

Broadly, my interest is in making life better for all Kentuckians.  To me, that means: providing a living wage; ensuring unions are able to protect workers’ rights; providing quality education in our public schools while ensuring our children are protected from gun violence; keeping our promises to our state employees and retirees by paying them the pensions they earned and were promised; helping our veterans, elderly and disabled by legalizing medical marijuana; ensuring access to affordable healthcare; and, providing comprehensive opioid treatment programs.

Q: What goals do you hope to accomplish either if you are elected?

My goals as a senator are to legalize medical marijuana, legalize gaming, ensure pensions are protected, stop the state takeover of JCPS, repeal the “right to work” law, and reinstate prevailing wage.

Q: Why should Kentuckians vote for you over your opponent?

My loyalty lies with the people of Kentucky.  I am not beholden to any outside political influence or party kingpin like my opponent is.

For more information on Sheri Donahue, visit her website: https://donahueforky.com/

"Ten Minutes is better than Zero" Member Spotlight: Donna

“Ten minutes could be a phone call, a postcard etc. We can all do something--big or small. All of those ‘somethings’ can have a big impact on what happens in the future.”

Member Spotlight Donna

Donna is a native Canadian and a biostatistician working on cancer research. Having grown up with universal healthcare and now working in medical research, she thinks America’s healthcare system could take a page from Canada’s book.

After being a member of the support team for the Hillary Clinton-KY headquarters in Louisville, Donna joined TWW Louisville when we were still Pantsuit Nation, and even went to vote in a pantsuit. Like the rest of us, she was devastated by the election results, and decided she needed to be more active.

Donna is part of a fitness group which has the mantra “ten minutes is better than zero”. She likes to apply that to activism as well. “Ten minutes could be a phone call, a postcard etc. We can all do something--big or small. All of those ‘somethings’ can have a big impact on what happens in the future.”

From distributing hand knit hats for the Women’s March, to lending the seed money for TWW’s most successful fundraiser, to helping organize Data Parties for the Louisville Democrats, Donna has been a leader. She really shines in organizing introverts and has collected a squad of shy folks which meets at her home to write postcards to voters. This squad has written thousands of postcards encouraging people to vote for Democratic candidates all over the country. Next on their agenda is focusing on local candidates.

Participants in Donna’s postcard parties can expect excellent company, good food and drinks, and a huge sense of accomplishment. Sometimes there are even party favors! If you would like to join a squad of amazing people saving democracy one postcard at a time, message TWW and we will get you connected to Donna. And if postcards aren’t your thing, you can do something different, as long as you do something. Ten minutes is better than zero. 

Candidate Spotlight: Josie Raymond - Democratic Candidate for State Representative District 31

Candidate Spotlight 

Josie Raymond  

Democratic Candidate for State Representative District 31

About Josie:

District 31 includes Hikes Point and Jeffersontown in Louisville. Josie is running to succeed Rep. Steve Riggs, who has held the seat since he was elected in 1990. She has dedicated her career to creating opportunities, particularly pathways to education, for people in poverty. In her current role in Student Success at the University of Louisville, Josie is responsible for making sure thousands of students have the best shot at graduating. 

Q: Why are you running?

I grew up here in District 31 in a family that sometimes struggled, but we got a ton of support - from family, community, and the government. I'm running now because I've dedicated my career to poor people and anti-poverty work and I see the supports that took me from free lunch to the Ivy League under attack and the people who rely on them demeaned, and I don't see enough legislators standing up to fight it.

Q: What is the most important topic/issue to you personally?

Here's what amounts to basic human decency and makes economic sense: invest in people. As an educator, and with a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old, I know the value of quality early childhood options. Doing anti-poverty work, I know that universal pre-K in Kentucky would be an effective two- and three-generation approach to poverty that creates jobs and allows parents to study and work while their children get prepared for kindergarten. 

Q: With everything that has been going on locally and, in our nation,, how would you encourage people, especially in your district, to stay positive and to not give up?

I knock on doors a few days a week, and it has amazed me how open people are. When someone shares her concerns, I often tell her, "You are not alone" and watch her visibly exhale. This is the year we band together - women, parents, young people, LGBT people, people of color, educators, laborers, immigrants - and say, we have worked too hard for too long to get what we've got, and we will not go backward. This is going to be a good year.

For more information about Josie Raymond, please visit her website: www.josieraymond.com

Candidate Spotlight: Dr. Karen Berg - Democratic Candidate for State Senate District 26

Candidate Spotlight

Dr. Karen Berg

  Democratic Candidate for State Senate District 26

About Karen:

Dr. Karen Berg has been a physician in Louisville for 31 years.   In 2017, Dr. Berg semi-retired from practicing diagnostic radiology and decided to focus on running for public office. She believes that people of good will and integrity should step up and make change in Frankfort, and she will be a powerful voice for change in the Commonwealth. She believes that all people deserve access to affordable healthcare, high-quality education, and fairness.

Q: What goals do you hope to accomplish either if you are elected?

I have several goals in mind that I believe will move Kentucky forward:

I am committed to exploring new revenue-generating options, such as legalizing marijuana and expanded gaming, to fully fund our pension deficit, support our teachers and public employees, and improve access to high quality public education in Kentucky.  

I want to provide affordable, quality healthcare to all citizens.  This includes protecting the Medicaid expansion that occurred under Gov. Beshear.  

I believe we should institute a statewide Fairness ordinance to ensure that all Kentucky residents are treated equally under the law and to help attract new business to our state.

I support common-sense gun legislation, including expanded background checks, required licensing and registration for all firearms, and mandatory waiting periods.

Q: Why should Kentuckians vote for you over your opponent?

My opponent is a 23-year Republican incumbent who has an A rating from the NRA, did not support our teachers in the last legislative session, supports dismantling the Medicaid expansion, strongly opposes a woman’s right to choose, and has voted against expanded gaming.  He has also refused on several occasions to meet with his LGBTQ constituents and our state’s teachers.  I plan to replace him in November.

Q: The federal judge recently ruled that Kentucky cannot require certain Medicaid recipients to get jobs or lose their benefits. There is talk that the governor will eliminate Medicaid expansion. If you had your way, what would Kentucky's future healthcare/Medicaid program look like?

The Medicaid expansion that occurred under Gov. Beshear is one of the most positive, progressive steps that Kentucky has taken in recent history.  As a practicing physician for over 30 years, I have seen the tremendous positive impact that the Medicaid expansion has brought to the people of the Commonwealth.  All citizens have the right to affordable healthcare.

Q: Why are you running?

Our democracy is in danger.  People of good will need to stand up and become voices for positive, progressive change in our Commonwealth.  I will be that voice.

For more information about Dr. Karen Berg, please visit her website: www.karenforkentucky.com

Candidate Spotlight: Tina Bojanowski - Democratic Candidate for State Representative District 32

Candidate Spotlight

Tina Bojanowski

Democratic Candidate for State Representative District 32

About Tina:

“Tina Bojanowski is a proud Mom of three children, including Brandon, who was diagnosed with autism at age two. Providing the medical care for Brandon was a tremendous struggle for Tina and her family. Today, while Brandon is thriving, Tina’s experience shaped her belief that the government and private sector must work together to ensure that everyone can access affordable health care. Tina Bojanowski is a certified special education teacher who works with students who have learning and behavioral disorders such as autism. A fierce advocate for her students and their families, she ensures parents have the information and resources they need to raise their kids.  She sits on the Board of Directors of the Jefferson County Teachers Association as well as on the Board of the National Alliance for Mental Illness Kentucky.  Her passion for advocacy has extended from the classroom into the community.”

Q: Why are you running?

I am running to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and considered in Frankfort.  I’m gravely concerned about the impact of outside interests on our Commonwealth, as well as with the process being used to push through legislation without granting sufficient time for the public to consider the legislation – and not even allowing the legislators to read the legislation before being forced to vote on it!

Q: What is the most important topic/issue to you personally?

The most important topic for me personally is education.  I believe that a strong public education is the foundation of our society.  The issue that brought me to state-level politics is the emphasis on high-stakes standardized testing.  I envision a revamped Kentucky Education Reform Act to ensure that our children are offered the best education possible.  The main issue is that what is measured is what matters.  However, when we focus on test scores, we are not considering the whole child.  Our most at-risk students come to school with significant issues, including trauma, mental health issues, and the impact of living in poverty.  I plan to support research-based legislation to meet the needs of every child in our Commonwealth.

Q: What neighborhood do you live in? What are your favorite places or things to do in your town?

I have lived in District 32 for most of my life.  I grew up on Cardwell Way off of Taylorsville Rd. and I now live in St. Matthews.  I enjoy exercising in Brown Park and (when I’m not in the middle of running a campaign) biking along the waterfront.

Q: With everything that has been going on locally and in our nation, how would you encourage people, especially in your district, to stay positive and to not give up?

I think about this question on a daily basis.  For me, the most relevant aspect of staying positive is to stay involved.  I encourage others to volunteer for a campaign.  That could include canvassing, donating, or simply sharing information on social media.  Most importantly, vote!  Two years ago, I could not have told you who my State Representative was.  Today, I sometimes worry that I’m too tuned in as it can be incredibly frustrating to see how some politicians govern on both a state and federal level.  I find that I often wonder if I should just leave the country, but I am making an intentional choice to fight for our democracy.  My part of that fight is to win this seat in the Kentucky House of Representatives.  As John Yarmuth frequently states, it is at the state level that we will reclaim our country.

For more information about Tina Bojanowski, please visit her website: www.tinaforkentucky.com/