04/25/2026
Public announcement
Because I speak strongly about transparency and accountability, I believe those standards must begin with me. I cannot ask government or anyone else to be open and honest if I am unwilling to do the same in my own life.
That is why I chose to address my past directly rather than avoid it. Years ago, I made reckless, immature, and poor decisions that do not reflect the man I am today. One of those decisions was getting a sw****ka tattoo when I was younger. It was wrong, offensive, ignorant, and something I deeply regret. I reject everything that symbol stands for, and I later covered it because it did not reflect my values or the person I wanted to become.
I also have past legal issues, including misdemeanor convictions. One of those was a misdemeanor simple assault conviction from around eight years ago involving a family matter with my child during a difficult chapter of my life. I understand the seriousness of that and how people may view it. I am not hiding from it, and I take responsibility for my actions.
I know some people may choose to judge me only by those mistakes, and that is their right. I am not asking anyone to excuse my past or ignore it. What I ask is that people judge me by the full picture, not only mistakes from years ago, but by the growth, maturity, and accountability that followed.
Those failures taught me hard lessons about discipline, humility, patience, responsibility, and consequences. They forced me to look inward, grow as a man, and choose a better path. Since then, I have worked to build a better life through service, education, hard work, and personal accountability.
Transparency is not only about exposing others. It is also about being truthful about yourself. Accountability is not only something we demand from leaders. It is something we must demand from ourselves. That is why I chose to speak openly about these matters rather than hide from them.
Now that I have addressed these issues honestly, I do not intend to keep reliving the past. I have spoken on it directly, and I will let the public decide for themselves.
From this point forward, my focus is on the future and on serving the people of New Castle. My goal is to help make our city stronger through transparency, accountability, responsible spending, safer neighborhoods, cleaner streets, economic opportunity, and leadership that puts residents first.
Some may never move past my past, and that is their right. But I also believe people can learn, people can grow, and people can become better than their worst mistakes.
I am ready to move forward, and I am ready to work for New Castle.”