Who is Reece?

Born in 2003 in Indianapolis, Reece is a lifelong Hoosier. He graduated from Pendleton Heights High School in 2022 and attends Earlham College.

While in High School, Reece was a fierce advocate for Students' Rights. Starting the school’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA). When the school refused to officially recognize the GSA as a club, Reece, with the help of the ACLU of Indiana, filed a lawsuit against the school and won a preliminary injunction. Reece also advocated for the privacy rights of Transgender students in the Corporation and fought for their real names to be read at graduation.

After graduating from PHHS, Reece continued to advocate for change at SMCSC and became involved in the upcoming School Board election. Along with several other community members, they formed Citizens for Qualified Candidates, a political action committee set up to help elect Bill Hutton and Mark Thompson. After a hard-fought campaign, Bill and Mark were elected to the School Board. In 2024, Reece was the Campaign Manager for Suzanne Fortenberry in her run for Indiana State Senate. Despite losing the campaign, the experience gave them a lot of experience and only grew their passion for state and local politics.

A voice for
our youth

Why is Reece Running?

As a Gen Z’er born in 2003, I know what it's like growing up in the 21st century. I know the problems and the struggles that people are facing today cuz I'm facing them too.

I still live with my parents, I won't be embarrassed about that. But as I look towards the future, there's a lot of anxiety… will I be able to find a good-paying job? Can I ever hope to own a house like my parents? Am I going to be single forever? How long until I get my own place, and how cheap will it be? Life's hard right now, especially for young people. Politicians will lie to you and tell you how great things are, that the economy is doing amazing, that people can afford to live on $7.25 an hour, but you don’t have to be an economist or be a labor expert to know that life just isn't affordable right now. It’s easy for them to say that, sitting in their penthouses and mansions, but these people, who mostly grew up in the last century, have no idea what it's like to grow up in this century. It’s time that we finally elect someone born in this century to tackle the problems that we face this century. Young people are the future, but if the previous generations pull up the ladder behind them, there will be no future.

Why Support Reece?

The 21st century has its own unique problems and issues that it brings. We need someone born in the 21st century to help tackle those problems. As a Gen-Z'er, Reece brings a new, fresh perspective to the problems facing the world today. As technology and the world around us evolve, new problems and solutions to other problems develop. We need bold leadership, familiar with the ever-changing world to harness the new things this new century has brought with it. There are 21st-century problems that require 21st-century solutions. Let's elect someone from the 21st century to tackle those problems. Past generations have often made the world worse for future generations; let's end that trend with this generation.

What am I
fighting for?

The Future

For many young people, the future looks grim. Many don't know if they will be able to have a life like the grew up with. 21st century problems require 21st century solutions; it's time to elect people who grew up in the 21st century to tackle the problems of the 21st century.

Mental Health

As someone who has been fighting depression for going on five years, I am acutely aware of the mental health crisis facing America. 20% of American young people suffer from depression and other mental health issues. With all of the shit young people - and people of all ages - have to deal with, its no surprise why that rate is the highest its ever been. Unfortunately, there are still massive societal stigmas around mental heath, especially when it comes to men. We need leaders who know the mental health problems people face, and have ideas on how to help. It's time to destigmatize mental heath and start championing ways to get help.

Jobs

A job is a must. Without a job, a person cannot afford to take care of themself. In todays economy, people are struggling to find good paying jobs. Many young people are leaving college - burdened with debt - to find a workforce that is overly competitive and doesn't value their time. Even without a college degree, people are struggling to make ends meet. Good paying union jobs are harder to come by and wages are nowhere near the cost of living.

Housing

A house is a must. Back in the 20th century, a good paying union job could afford a single family home with a white picket fence. Now, what once took one job to afford a house, can take many people two or three. Let's lower our housing rates, and ensure that wages meet current cost of living demands so that we, the youth of today, can afford that white picket fence. The base of Maslow's Hierarchy is shelter. Without a safe place to lie your head, everything else in life becomes so much harder. There is no reason that in the richest nation on Earth, we have people facing housing insecurity or living on the streets.

Public Safety

Robust public safety is crucial for a functioning society. We must fully fund every part of our public safety system. Recent tax legislation meant that many local departments saw budget cuts. Small towns like Pendleton and rural communities like Vernon now had less money to spend on public safety. Many of those communities already rely on a volunteer fire/rescue department, and some even have a volunteer police force. Cutting funding from these departments means that more people are going to have to wait longer for the help they need. Firefighters will take longer to get to burn scenes, EMT's will take longer to get to patients in critical condition , and police will take longer to answer calls. In situations where a few seconds could mean the difference between life and death, every second counts. We need to be funding these services, not cutting them.

The Damn Roads

If you're anything like me, then you hate driving on Indiana roads. Aside from constantly having to swerve to miss potholes, there's constant road construction and massive problems with the roads themselves. I can't remember the last time I drove on I-69 and there wasn't construction on my route. But despite all of the road construction that seems to be going all the time, our roads never seem to improve. One of the reasons for our shitty roads is that Indiana uses an antiquated funding formula for our roads. Instead of giving funding per lane that a road has, the state caps that number at 2. So a 2 lane highway gets the same funding as 4 or 5 lane one. That doesn't make sense, but what does is why Indiana has such shitty roads. Our neighbors to the south managed to fix their roads, let's do it here too.

Opportunity

Many young people feel like there are no opportunities for them in todays world. Opportunities that their parents and grandparents once had seem like a dream nowadays. If future generations are deprived of the opportunities that past generations enjoyed, then those generations will grow stagnate. Without a prosperous youth, there is no future.

Our Youth

Without our youth, there is no future. Todays youth are facing problems no youth of any time has had to face. A devastating pandemic isolated many of us during crucial development years. The internet has completely changed the nature of communication and connecting with others. New technology is constantly being developed that completly changes how life is lived. All of these changes and developments have brought with them their own unique challenges and problems. Let's elect someone who grew up in the 21st century to tackle the issues the 21st century faces.

The Economy

IT'S THE ECONOMY STUPID!

Donald Trump and the Republicans ran on the economy and lowering prices. Instead, they have destroyed our economy and raised costs on almost everything. Politicians of both parities will tell you that the economy is strong and that everything is looking up, but it doesn't take a genius to see that the economy isn't great for everybody. We need to build an economy that works for the every day person, not the billionaires and millionaires. There's no reason that people working one job cannot afford to live a good life. It's time to do something about that

Community

In todays world, things can often feel lonely, especially for young people. The COIVD pandemic isolated many young people and caused many to loose out on crafting impactful relationships and community. Community is vital to a healthy, functioning society. Weither its a religious group, sports group, recreational group, or just family and friends, community is important. I would not be running if it were not the communities I have built, and I will lead with community at heart.

Equality/Diversity

Many people in todays culture have tried to cast equality and diversity as something dirty and to be avoided at all costs. In reality, the opposite is true. Diversity and equality are our strengths. Diversity of thoughts and opinions and experience allow for us to craft a future for everyone. When we fail to have diversity and equality, we fail as a society. We must craft a future together with diversity and equality at the core.

Unity

Todays political climate is a shit show. People rarely talk across the aisle and when they do, it is often past those on the other side. If we really want to build a future that is great, we have to work together, not against each other. Those in power want us to fight each other because then were too busy to focus on them. When we come together, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, and Independents, we can do great things, and make a future, and a present, we can be proud of.