Candidate Profile: Ivy Vann
Ahead of this Wednesday’s (8/31) Peterborough Parley Debate and Salon and in preparation for the 9/13 Democratic Party Primary, GoMonadnock sent some basic questions to the three candidates running for two seats representing Hillsborough 33 in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. We will be publishing candidate responses, unedited, as we receive them.
—CJD
GoMo: Why are you running for the NH House this year?
I am running because I believe I can be an effective member of the NH House and as a progressive Democrat I can act to balance the ongoing trends fraying our safety nets, both those that affect individuals and those that affect our larger environment.
I will vote for policies that help people live full and complete lives: policies that create housing, make our streets safer, and keep our schools lively and vibrant.
I believe I have a good chance of actually changing housing policies for the state of NH to allow more housing, and more kinds of housing, to be built, which given the desperate state of housing in NH needs to be a priority. This is something I have been working on for a number of years because making change is a slow, incremental process in the NH House.
If elected/reelected, what will be your top legislative priority/priorities?
Working to provide more opportunities to create housing, particularly housing that is neither a big, single-family house on a big lot nor an apartment in a big garden apartment complex far from a walkable neighborhood.
I am also interested in making changes to ensure that our state roads are safe and usable for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as trucks and automobiles.
If elected/reelected, what do you see as the most important thing you can do specifically for Peterborough?
Work for adequate school funding and the creation of more housing.
Be a resource for Peterborough residents in their interactions with the state and its agency.
Pass legislation that means when the DOT rebuilds a street in Peterborough they rebuild it as a walkable street, not as a highway.
What is your ideal vision for the relationship between a member of the NH House and their constituents?
I want to act as a resource for people as they negotiate state agencies, and respond to their concerns about issues where we need either additional legislation or improved legislation or, even, less legislation. My phone number is easy to find, I maintain a lively social media presence, and my email is my name. I’m always happy to talk to people and act to help in any way I can.
The Peterborough Parley II will take place on Wednesday, August 31, at 6:30 pm at the Peterborough Town Library in the 1833 Room. It is cohosted by the PTL and GoMonadnock.
