About this response & our editorial approach
About this candidate response
DutyStation contacts candidates to ask whether and how they support service members, military families and veterans, and invites them to share their thoughts and priorities. We share their replies here in the candidate’s or campaign’s own words, with minor formatting for readability and correction of obvious spelling mistakes.
No endorsement in either direction. Publishing a reply does not mean DutyStation endorses the candidate. Replying does not mean the candidate or campaign endorses DutyStation.
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Organized by topic. Email greetings and sign-offs are omitted; campaign contact details appear alongside.
Military family background
- These issues are personal to me. My father served more than 27 years in the U.S. Air Force and retired as a colonel. My grandmother, Nelle Kelly, served as an Army nurse in Korea shortly after World War II. Both are buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
- I grew up in a military family, took part in Air Force ROTC, and began volunteering with Civil Air Patrol in 2002. While attending law school, I also volunteered with the Service to Soldiers program, which helped service members and their families with legal needs.
- I did not serve in the military myself. But I understand that military service affects the whole family, and I believe our country must keep its promises to those who serve.
Veterans' Care and Benefits
- My first concern is making sure veterans get the care and benefits they have earned.
- My father had trouble getting VA care in New Jersey. He had to travel out of state to receive care. After he died, a VA error left my mother without her annuity and healthcare coverage for more than two years. Think about that. Someone serves our country for decades, and then their family spends years trying to fix a government mistake. That should never happen.
- I would work to: Hire and keep more VA doctors, nurses, mental health workers, and claims staff.
- Make it easier for veterans to get care outside the VA when the VA cannot see them in time.
- Reduce delays in disability claims and appeals.
- Give veterans clear updates about their claims and benefits.
- Protect surviving spouses and families when government errors interrupt their benefits.
- Expand mental health services, suicide prevention, and treatment for substance use.
- Help veterans find jobs, housing, education, and healthcare when they leave the military.
- I would also push for faster reviews when the VA makes a mistake that cuts off essential benefits. Families should not have to wait years for the government to correct its own errors. When someone qualifies for benefits, I believe there should be a way to keep or restore those benefits while the mistake is reviewed.
Safe and Affordable Military Housing
- Military families deserve safe homes. Period. No family should have to live with mold, unsafe water, broken heating, or other serious problems while a housing contractor ignores their complaints.
- I support regular inspections, clear repair deadlines, and stronger penalties for companies that fail to maintain military housing.
- Families should have a fair way to report problems without fear of retaliation. When a home is unsafe, there should be a clear process for repairs or temporary housing.
- I would also review military housing allowances to make sure they reflect the real cost of living, especially in places like New Jersey. Housing is already expensive for many Americans. Military families should not face an added burden simply because they have been ordered to move.
Pay, Childcare, Healthcare, and Military Spouses
- We hear people say they support the troops all the time. But those words should mean something. Service members should receive fair pay, reliable healthcare, and enough housing support to care for their families. Military families also need affordable childcare, good schools, and access to medical services.
- I am especially concerned about military spouses. When a family moves every few years, a spouse may have to leave a job, transfer a professional license, or start a career over again.
- I support making professional licenses easier to transfer between states, expanding job and training programs, and helping military spouses find work that can move with them.
- We also need to make sure children do not lose access to education or medical care because their parents have been reassigned.
- Military families make sacrifices that many Americans never see. Our policies should make their lives easier, not harder.
Defense Spending and Contractor Accountability
- I spent nearly 13 years working for the Department of Homeland Security, including work involving federal purchasing, records, and government oversight. One lesson from that experience is simple: spending more money does not always mean getting better results.
- I support fair competition for federal contracts, stronger audits, and real consequences when companies waste public money or fail to deliver what they promised. That includes companies responsible for military housing, equipment, healthcare support, and other services.
- I also believe Congress must take a closer look at wasteful defense spending. We can support a strong national defense without giving contractors a blank check. Every dollar wasted is a dollar that could have helped a service member, a veteran, or a military family.
What I Would Do First
- My first priorities would be reducing VA healthcare and benefits delays, protecting surviving families from government errors, and holding military housing contractors accountable.
- I would also work to create a Military and Veterans Advisory Committee that includes veterans, military spouses, surviving family members, healthcare and benefits experts, and people familiar with military housing. I want the people affected by these policies to have a real voice in reviewing them.
- The committee would help identify problems, review proposed solutions, and recommend changes. I would also want younger veterans and military-connected families represented, since their needs may differ from those of earlier generations. I believe members of Congress should listen to people who live with these issues every day, not just agency leaders and contractors.
- I would also work with the Government Accountability Office, inspectors general, and veterans' organizations to find problems and make sure they get fixed.
- My years in federal service taught me that government programs need more than good intentions. They need clear rules, proper staffing, honest oversight, and people willing to take responsibility when something goes wrong.
Responsible Military Leadership
- There is one more issue I believe belongs in this discussion. Supporting our troops also means being careful about when we send them into war.
- Congress has a duty to take its war powers seriously. I support diplomacy first and believe military force should never be treated as an easy political choice.
- Every deployment affects service members and the families waiting for them at home. We owe them responsible decisions, not just gratitude after the fact.
Candidate information
- I am the Independent candidate for New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District in the November 3, 2026 general election. My nominating petition was accepted, and the New Jersey Division of Elections confirmed in June that no objections had been filed.
- I understand that DutyStation conducts its own independent reviews and that my participation does not mean I endorse its findings or scoring methods.
Keeping our promises
- I believe we have a duty to care for those who serve and the families who sacrifice alongside them. That duty does not end when someone retires, leaves the service, becomes disabled, or passes away. People deserve a government that keeps its promises. Our military community deserves nothing less.
ELECTION REFLECTIONS · IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Looking ahead to Election Day
Brief answers to DutyStation’s questions about hope, America’s future, unity, the next generation and a closing message. The earlier policy answers and their received date remain above.
Hope heading into the election
- The people I meet every day. Even with everything going on in this country, people still care about their neighbors, their families, and their communities. They're tired of the fighting and just want a government that listens and actually gets things done. That gives me hope.
Vision for America
- People Before Politics.
Bringing Americans together
- The fact that we're all Americans. We don't have to agree on everything, and we never will. But we should be able to put our differences aside and work together to make life better for everyone. Our loyalty should be to our country and each other, not a political party.
The next generation
- A country where they can afford a home, get healthcare when they need it, earn a decent living, and enjoy the freedoms so many before us fought to protect. I don't want the next generation spending their lives trying to fix the problems we were too busy arguing about to solve.
Closing message to voters
- I'm not running to serve a political party. I'm running to serve you.
- My father served our country and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery. My grandfather served as a police officer in Jersey City and died while still on the force. I grew up understanding that service means putting others before yourself. That's something I believe we've lost in Washington.
- You don't have to agree with me on everything. I'm asking you to look beyond the party labels, look at where I stand, and decide who you believe will actually work for you.
- And regardless of who wins, I hope we can remember that we're neighbors first.