We need to have sustainable communities.” If elected, Doherty says the everyday person will be engaged and connected to their federal government, aware of resources and opportunities, and have feedback solicited regarding legislative matters. She believes that elected officials must empower their constituents, and this is a three-step process. First, citizens must pick elected officials, not elected officials creating the districts they want to represent. “We need nonpartisan redistricting that is about people, not politics. We should not gerrymander districts to give a party an edge or to protect an incumbent,” she explained. “To adequately represent the citizens, the district should make sense geographically, not politically.” Even with economic hardships, she does not want anyone, particularly young people, to skip voting. As more Americans grow weary of politics, Doherty believes that voting provides
Second, everyone should have an opportunity to participate in obtaining resources such as grants.
checks and balances along with a voice.
“The same folks are getting things not because
“We are not married to any elected official. We
they are the only ones who know,” she said.
have a chance to vote them out every term but that involves the people,” she said. “Younger folks need to be shown the value and importance of voting.” In terms of getting things done, she says the government needs to stop being boring, focus on the people's work, and be visionary and forward-thinking. As many complex issues impact people, such as gerrymandering, affordable housing, and living costs, solutions are reactionary and rushed. “Look at the way we are doing affordable housing. We are just tossing housing any and everywhere without regard to infrastructure and other community needs,” she said. “We need to consider transportation, services, and
they are smarter or more interested but because “Everyone must be aware and shown how to compete for these opportunities.” Finally, processes must be modernized for today’s needs, not yesterday’s. “School funding is one example of draconian formulas. We are funding education at a formula devised in the 1970s and 1980s,” she said. “The representatives have used this to underfund education severely.” Doherty represents the younger generation that refuses to wait her turn and says that it’s time for a new era of politics. “We are not waiting for the torch to be passed. We are going to take it,” she concluded.
amenities, not just say we are building housing. GAME CHANGERS MAGAZINE | 55
