Alex Lloyd, Milford State Representative Candidate

Alex Lloyd

Age (as of Election Day)

31

Position Sought

State Representative

Party Affiliation

Democrat

Family

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

I work at NH's Department of Health & Human Services

Education

NHTI, University of Manitoba - BA Psychology / Sociology. Rivier, SNHU - Progress towards IO Psychology Masters

Occupation

State social worker. Previous: DOL workforce development, small business owner, education.

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Campaign website

alex4milford.com

Why are you seeking elective office?

The short answer is Trump and Sununu failed us - in the pandemic as well as long before. I see in my line of work how families all over the state are struggling. Our state has an aging population as well; I have first hand experience working with young adults who have barriers to living in NH to raise their families, whether it be the low minimum wage, lack of accessible transportation to better paying jobs or high housing costs. I'll fight back against the downshifting of costs to the working class.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Corporate campaign contributions are bribes. In May 2020, Sununu gave hundreds of thousands of dollars in CARES Act funding to his political donors instead of giving it to more struggling small businesses. It's long past time we reduced the influence of corporate donations. Given the recent development of Senate republicans forcing their Supreme Court nominee through, it's clearer than ever that for reform we as states - not congress - need to come together as outlined in The Constitution to hold a Constitutional Convention to address this specific issue.
That said, there's no denying COVID-19's affect on our community. NH cases are spiking again due to lack of leadership, emotional burnout and economic hardship. I will work towards providing relief to our community in any ways that we can at the state level, as well as pressure our federal government to do the same.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

In Milford, you can vote for 4 state representatives in district 23. The biggest difference between me and my opponents is that I see directly in the families across the state I meet with what their barriers and struggles are. I have no intention of imposing a sales tax or income tax. Look at the republican candidates' pages and you'll hardly see a word about the pandemic or what they'll do to help the working class, instead focusing on partisan political issues, which frankly we don't have the time to focus on. This is a time for us to come together to solve problems, not leave people out in the cold. I don't particularly think arguing over gun laws or arguing to 'limit government' does us any good. Let's beat this pandemic first.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community (or district or constituency)

For the first time in over a decade, the property tax rate went down. Democrats fully represent this district for the first time in Milford's history and that's not a coincidence. In this cycle, they fought to get over $2.5 million dollars in taxes refunded to the towns. At the town level, appraisals going up cancelled out the effect of this but the net result is that our properties are worth more. If elected, I will not support any measures that net increase taxes on the working class - instead, it's time we make those profiting off of the pandemic and large corporations pay their fare share. Why is it when we shop at places like Walmart we pay twice? We first pay when we make the purchase, then pay again when our tax dollars go to the employees of these companies in the form of food stamps and other benefits. If these profitable companies paid a living wage to their workers we'd all be better off.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform

Education - Our public schools need more support. Increasingly, tax dollars have been siphoned from them towards private schools and charter schools. Tax dollars should not be given to private or charter schools, but rather to publicly accessible school districts and programs.
Transportation / Housing - I support expanding access to public transportation. One frequent comment I hear from job seekers is that their lack of transportation keeps them from accepting a job offer. Increasing transportation will lead to more families being able to stay in NH. I will work to increase options for affordable housing as well.
Marsy's Law - Victims of crime do not have the same rights as alleged criminals. Most states in the country have Marsy's Law in effect to increase rights to protect victims. It's long past time NH joins the rest of the country on this issue.
Public Safety - Black Lives do matter. That said, I rely on the police and coordinate with departments across the state often in my line of work to protect families. I'm mindful to the pains felt post-George Floyd and will work towards a real solution, whether it involve increasing resources, sensible policy reform or additional oversight.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

In my time working for a Department of Labor training program, I connected with industry leaders across the state in sectors of our economy vitally important to NH's success to get workers connected to them - Construction, Healthcare, Hospitality, Manufacturing. I've seen the barriers from the employer end as well as from the applicant's end and worked to remove those barriers.
In my time as a social worker for NH DHHS, I've connected countless families to services that could help them, whether it be domestic violence advocate groups, court involvement, mental health services, housing, early intervention services, substance use and more. Wait times for some of these services even before the pandemic were upwards of over 6 months. I will continue to work towards removing barriers to ensure the economy works for the working class.

The best advice ever shared with me was …

Kill them with kindness. While I and my opponents will disagree on policy, when we agree on an issue I will have no problem working with them. I believe unjustified political attacks have no place in local politics.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I'm endorsed by several pro-working class groups, including the state employee's union SEA/SEIU as well as the NH state teacher's association NEA-NH.