Touting a three-term resume that includes successful efforts to enact telecommunications rights for the incarcerated, paid family medical leave and $15 minimum wage, Rep. Josh Elliott is vying for two more years as a Hamden state representative.
Elliott, who has represented the 88th district since 2017, is on the ballot for the Nov. 8, Connecticut General Election against Republican candidate and political newcomer Mike Pace.
A Hamden resident since 2010, the 37-year-old has deep ties with the town, as a graduate of both Hamden Hall Country Day School and Quinnipiac University School of Law. He also owns Thyme and Season, an organic food market on Whitney Ave.
After winning his previous two races with a roughly 70% margin of the vote respectively, Elliott said he is leaning on his experience to push Hamden voters to bring him back for a fourth term.
“I’m operating from a place of privilege in a sense that this is a very Democratic district … and I have six years worth of name (recognition), three terms worth of already winning,” Elliott said. “So people are so familiar with me that I think I’m going to be hard to beat now. It affords me the opportunity to push bigger, broader things that I think are important.”
Those bigger things include continuing advocacy efforts he started in his past terms, Elliott said.
In 2021, Elliott sponsored a bill that made Connecticut the first state in the country to make voice communication, including video, email and phone calls, free for incarcerated individuals and their families. In September, California became the second state to do so, a result Elliott called a “huge deal.”
“Now, a lot of states hopefully will follow suit as a result of that,” Elliott said. “And that’s really exciting, because it means the work that we did, that helps (incarcerated individuals and their families) here, really acted as the beginning of dominoes falling to help millions and millions of people across the U.S.”
If re-elected, Elliott said he hopes to continue criminal justice reform work, including reinstating voting rights for incarcerated people and increasing services like job training and housing for individuals released from prison.
“There’s a lot of work that can be done there,” Elliott said.
Additionally, before the legalization of recreational marijuana use in Connecticut in July 2021, Elliott spent time advocating for the effort as a member of a task force with Gov. Ned Lamont. He said he hopes to continue work on decriminalizing the drug in Connecticut if he remains in office.
“My goal is down the line, regulating, decriminalizing everything, treating substance abuse and addiction as mental health issues as opposed to criminogenic issues,” Elliott said.
Other successful bills that Elliott has co-sponsored, both in 2019, include the Paid Family Medical Leave Act, which guarantees paid leave for eligible workers tending to family members, and the increase of minimum wage to $15 per hour.
He also serves as the co-chair of the House’s Joint Committee on Higher Education and Employment Advancement, where he said he aims to work on student access to care for issues of bodily autonomy.
Beyond the legislative work, Elliott said much of his time is spent interacting with constituents to help them navigate issues at any level.
“What I tell people at doors is that I’m rarely going to be the person that solves your problem, but I’ll always be able to connect you with someone that will,” Elliott said. “I think people understand and are happy with that, because at least I can make sure that people get the help they need. And so that’s really satisfying.”
Being active in the community is something Elliott has prioritized throughout his incumbency. Most recently, he participated in an event sponsored by the Quinnipiac Democrats to allow students to meet local candidates for state representatives.
Paul Cappuzzo, the president of the Quinnipiac Democrats and a senior political science and economics double major at Quinnipiac, said he felt it was important to bring Elliott to campus to inform community members of his policy positions.
“I also think it’s important that he’s talking to the greater community because at the end of the day, he does represent us,” Cappuzzo said. “I want people to know what he cares about, what he thinks is important, and provide him that opportunity come speak to students because quite frankly, a lot of time the university doesn’t offer that opportunity for students to interact with their local politicians.”
As for the most pressing issues for residents, Elliott acknowledged the town’s high property taxes. With the state bonding projects to build a new Keefe Community Center and fire station, as well as the recent change in town leadership, he said he’s hopeful taxes can remain “relatively flat for the next few years.”
Ashish Upadhyaya, a Hamden resident since 2000, owns a home in the West Woods neighborhood. He said while property taxes are the “number one thing” residents care about in the upcoming election cycle, he recognizes the high rate is a result of town debt that has built up over decades.
“The one thing I will say, with this current administration, at least with the mayor (and) Josh Elliott is absolutely on board with (paying off the town’s debt), I do appreciate the transparency,” Upadhyaya said.
Upadhyaya said he has historically voted for Elliott due to his track record addressing social issues.
“I know Josh Elliott agrees that you need to tackle the actual root cause of the problem, which is poverty or wealth disparities, like they’re much deeper, more difficult problems to address,” Upadhyaya said.
Elliott said he finds it important to prioritize the issues that he feels are most pressing, rather than only focusing on topics presented by residents.
“Otherwise, you’re sort of at the whim and will of things that are happening externally, as opposed to really hyper-focusing on what you personally as the elected feel like are the problems that you want to focus on,” Elliott said. “I think I owe it to my constituency to let them know what my priorities are.”