CT Patch Candidate Profile: Alex Armstrong For State Representative In 119th District

MILFORD, CT — On Nov. 3, residents cast their votes for several key federal and state positions, including the office of governor, Congress, state representative and state senate.

There are 151 seats in the state House of Representatives and 36 in the state Senate. Democrats currently hold majorities in both chambers.

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Connecticut Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Alex Armstrong is running for state representative in the 119th District, which covers Milford and Orange.

Party:

Democratic

Campaign website:

https://armstrongforct.com

Occupation:

Vice president at a nonprofit organization

Family:

Wife, two daughters (ages 8 and 5), and a dog

Does anyone in your family work in government?

No

Previous public office:

I served for three years on the Milford Sewer Commission, including a term as the Vice Chairman. I previously served a term on the Milford Pension and Retirement Board, which manages the City's pension fund.

Why are you seeking this office?

I grew up in Milford, attending Orange Avenue, Harborside, and Foran, and now I'm raising my own family here. I cannot imagine a better place to grow up. And now I hope to give something back to the community that has given me so much. I'm running because I think Milford and Orange deserve a representative who will fight hard and deliver for them when times are hard. Connecticut residents are being squeezed from every direction right now. Energy bills are 53 percent above the national average, housing costs keep climbing, and the federal government is actively trying to take away healthcare coverage. These aren't abstractions to me, they're the things people tell me about when I knock on their doors.

I'm running because Connecticut property taxpayers deserve a strong advocate in Hartford for our schools. We need strong schools to give our children the educational foundation they need, but every dollar of state education funding we fail to bring back to Milford and Orange is a dollar that comes out of residents' pockets instead.

And I'm running because I believe our government has a responsibility to protect people in times of crisis: from a federal administration targeting vulnerable communities, from corporate surveillance networks that track our movements without our consent, and from the accelerating effects of a changing climate on our 17 miles of coastline. Voters across the country are rejecting the kind of extremism we've seen from Washington, and I believe Milford and Orange are ready for a change.

I bring more than a decade of professional experience in clean energy and environmental policy, a record of civic service on the Pension Board and Sewer Commission, and a deep personal investment in the future of this community. I'm going to fight -- every day -- for the families who are counting on us to get this right.

What do you believe is the No. 1 issue facing Connecticut, and how do you plan to address it?

The number one issue facing Connecticut is rising costs. Families across our state are having a hard time making ends meet, and it's our job to help address that challenge.

Energy costs are where I would start, because high electric bills are a burden on every family and every small business in Connecticut. Part of the problem is structural: we generate over half of our electricity by burning natural gas, which means that every time gas prices spike – as they are right now, driven in part by the Trump administration's conflict with Iran – our bills go up. The solution is to diversify our energy mix and reform how we regulate utilities so that companies are rewarded for keeping rates affordable and the grid reliable.

But affordability is a system of connected pressures, not a single problem. As I mentioned above, we also must fight to bring more education funding back to Milford and Orange, so that state dollars – not local property taxes – are doing more of the work of funding our schools. Addressing affordability also means thoughtfully increasing housing supply to bring down costs for renters and prospective homebuyers. And it means protecting the nearly one million Connecticut residents on HUSKY who are about to face federal eligibility changes designed to push them off the coverage they depend on. We need elected leaders prepared to take on these challenges.

This is a great place to live. My goal is to make sure it stays that way, both for the families who are here now and for future generations.

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

I'd point to three areas: professional experience, civic service, and a track record of independent judgment.

Professionally, I have managed multi-million dollar budgets for a charitable organization operating across six continents. I have planned alongside teams when funding was plentiful. I've also managed through lean times. Working in the nonprofit sector teaches you something that I think translates directly to public service: every dollar belongs to someone who trusted you with it. You don't spend recklessly, you deliver results. That is the approach I would bring to my time in the state legislature.

On the civic side, I served on Milford's Pension and Retirement Board, where I helped oversee one of the largest public pension funds in the state. I also served as Vice Chairman of the Sewer Commission, where we voted to approve the public-private partnership with Athletic Brewing Company, a project that improved our wastewater infrastructure while supporting a growing local business. I also helped approve an ARPA-funded pump station upgrade that saved Milford taxpayers money. These roles taught me how municipal government actually works: the budget constraints, the tradeoffs, and the important infrastructure decisions that will affect people's lives for decades.

They also gave me opportunities to demonstrate independent judgment. On the Pension Board, for example, I cast the lone vote against a proposed Canadian tar sands investment that I believed posed an unacceptable long-term risk.

Is there anything else you would like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I just want to say thank you. Running for office means asking a great deal of strangers -- their time, their trust, and ultimately their vote. The people of Milford and Orange have been extraordinarily generous with all three. Every conversation -- whether it was at a door, on the Milford Green or at the Orange Country Fair, at a volunteer event, or even just walking down the street -- has reminded me why this community is worth fighting for.

If elected, I will work every day to be worthy of that trust. So, to the people of Milford and Orange: Thank you for everything, and I hope to earn your vote.