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I'm easy-going by nature, and I get along with people from every background, always open to new ideas and opinions.
I grew up in an Irish Catholic family in multiethnic Queens. My mother died 20 years ago after a long battle with cancer, and I still miss her every day.
My beloved grandparents arrived from Ireland to New York as teenagers with little money, met here in New York City, and built a successful life together — a family of children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren now spread across our great country. That's only possible here. They had a strong work ethic and gave me a foundation of love, being true to yourself, and honest with others. I am so grateful for that.
My grandmother recognized my yearning for adventure early. At fifteen, she joked that I'd already traveled the world in my mind before I ever left home. She was right — I was probably the only teenager I knew who wanted to visit Moscow, and I did, while it was still behind the Iron Curtain. I went on to work around the globe as a TV journalist for almost two decades, covering historic events, summits of world leaders, wars, and more. I've also traveled to many countries for pleasure and to explore. Some of my favorites are France, Ireland (Counties Kerry and Cork), Cuba, India, and Israel. I'm also a history buff and enjoy visiting battlefields, from Gettysburg to Normandy to China Beach.
Living abroad and reporting from places torn apart by war taught me what a miracle America is. I never thought of us that way before. We're a melting pot of ideas and backgrounds who still find a way to feel like one nation. I worry that unity is slipping away, and I want to help bring it back — for my sons, and for every generation after them. I want to use my knowledge, passion for politics, and leadership skills to solve problems now instead of passing them on to our children.
I love Long Island — our beaches, our strong communities, our proximity to NYC, and how safe it feels here to raise a family. It's why, after everywhere I've lived, this is where I put down roots.
Above all, my two sons are my greatest treasures.
Above all, my two sons are my greatest treasures. Recent college grads, they're now forging their own lives and adventures, and I couldn't be prouder of the men they've become. Both are also graduates of Chaminade High School in Mineola, forever loyal to their alma mater and the lifelong friends they made there.
I became a dog walker to help pay for my sons' tuition because I have always loved animals, a passion I inherited from my mother and my grandfather, who grew up on a farm in County Cork. He was always kind to strays in our Queens neighborhood and often left food out for whatever animal needed it. That deep respect for animals lives in me, and I see it in my sons now too. Our pets have always been part of the family. Our cat Hazel, a street cat I adopted in Singapore, came home to Long Island to live a long life.
These days our house is ruled by our golden retriever Kerry, equally smart and goofy, and our cat Beatrice, who purrs like a teddy bear. I also love gardening, English-style from my years in London, and the remote Adirondacks — limited wifi, no TV, a simple cabin — swimming in crisp lakes and s'mores by the fire with the people I love.
I'm also a lifelong Mets fan, riding the 7 train to Shea with my mom and family since I was a little girl, and a Knicks fan through it all.
Overall, I feel lucky and grateful for it all.