Opinion: Why I’m Voting For Leland Moore

By Alder Henry Murphy, Sr.

The following writeup was submitted by Ward 11 Alder Henry Murphy, Sr. about the 97th State House District race.

In the election for state representative, I’m supporting Leland Moore. He has built the relationships in our district and city that will make him an effective advocate for us at Bella Vista, and he understands and cares about working people. He has made affordable housing his top priority as State Representative and he has never wavered on his stance that he is an advocate of tenants. As we face $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, I’m also glad Leland has made funding healthcare a major priority and has already joined national efforts to push back on attacks against our healthcare.  

Life in Bella Vista is hard and complicated. Everyday many of us struggle to figure out how to afford basic necessities, while contending with disabilities that make everyday tasks even harder. If these challenges weren’t enough, we have had to contend with broken elevators, power outages, roaches, cancelled bus routes, and fear of evictions. Many of us rely on public transportation, Livable Cities Initiative, rental assistance, effective enforcement of the American Disabilities Act, HUSKY, and many other public services. Therefore, we need a state representative who will get involved and effectively advocate for us.  

Leland has built the relationships with the elected leaders who have advocated for us and who are committed to working with him to advocate for solutions to problems that make our lives unnecessarily hard. He is endorsed by our current State Representative Al Paolillo, our current State Senator Martin Looney, our Attorney General William Tong, our City Clerk Michael Smart and eighteen Board of Alder members. Rafael Ramos, who spent his career effectively enforcing our city’s housing code is also backing Leland, along with nearly all the labor unions who have endorsed in this race including New Haven’s teachers. When it comes to advocating for us and helping us confront our challenges, Leland is a leader on a strong team that has a long track record of prioritizing housing, public transportation, access to good jobs, and investment in infrastructure that increases accessibility. 

It takes a team to ensure that our housing conditions at Bella Vista are moving forward. Take just one example. Brownouts that have killed elevator service in our buildings have put many of our residents at risk and made accomplishing daily tasks impossible. Challenges with elevator maintenance has led to breakdowns that pose the same challenges. Representative Al Paollilo and Senator Martin Looney are the top leaders in the state in proposing and passing laws that require backup power and better elevator maintenance. In this work they have assembled coalitions across the state and our city to build power on an issue that is vital for our quality of life. The team that has led these efforts is the same team that supports Leland and will work with him in prioritizing our issues. 

I’ve learned that as an alder, no one gets anything done in government by themselves, and the stakes of getting things done means a lot to us in Bella Vista. I have seen Leland work at the Board of Alders and I have seen him work in our district. He shares my perspective that we must build teams and stay focused on the right issues to solve problems as complicated as the ones our residents in Bella Vista face.