Benjamin Clemons, Nashua Candidate For Alderman At Large

Benjamin Clemons

Age (as of Election Day)

41

Position sought (including district number if applicable)

Alderman at Large

Party Affiliation

Family

Wife, Ashley Clemons

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government?

No

Education

Graduated Nashua High Class of 2000; Franklin Pierce University, Class of 2004, Bachelors of Arts in American Studies

Occupation

Consumer Lending Assistant Manager, MIT Federal Credit Union; 17 years experience in finance/lending

Previous or Current Elected or Appointed Office

Alderman at Large 2008-2012; Alderman Ward 6 2016-2018; Alderman at Large 2019-Present

Campaign website

N/A

Why are you seeking elective office?

I am running for re-election to continue the work we have begun in the last few years in Nashua. Nashua was recently ranked the 2nd safest city in the nation; the 4th best run city in the nation; and is always consistently ranked in the top 100 places to live in the nation. We have to keep Nashua on this path that promotes the right balance of spending and restraint that promotes growth so we can lower the tax burden for residents. I intend to ensure that we continue to support our Police, Firefighters and Educators. We have to promote further economic development in the DW Highway corridor and Amherst street corridor; and we need to ensure that we follow through with the EPA backed plan to re-develop the Mohawk Tannery. Last but not least we need to continue to manage our city budgets wisely and keep up the good work by consistently ranked as one of the best run cities in the country.

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

The largest challenge facing Nashua is to ensure that we continue to invest in our community both publicly and privately. We need to continue to support our Educators and staff, Firefighters, Police and all our public servants; we need to work to promote our city to private investors and encourage new and re-development; and we have to ensure Nashua taxes dont escalate out of control.

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

I have been serving on the Board of Aldermen on and off since 2008. I served as Vice President of the Board of Aldermen from 2010-2012. I have a great deal of experience on the board working with both Republican and Democratic Mayors to achieve great success and drive Nashua's economy out of the great recession, through the covid 19 pandemic and into a great spot where we are recognized as one of the safest, best run and best places to live in America. I have the experience and leadership experience needed to continue to guide Nashua in the future through any challenges we might face.

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

I am an incumbent and very proud of my record on the board of Aldermen.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

We need to keep investing in our city, and we need people in office who believe in a positive vision of our city. It's far to easy to cast blame, and find reasons why things are not as good as they should be; it's much harder to find solutions to those issues that balance the needs of everyone and move the city forward in a positive direction. My record on the board of Aldermen shows that I have the experience and know-how to get things done. I believe Nashua is a great place to live and work and I believe that it will continue to only improve as long as we continue to reinvest in our community.

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

I have been serving on the Board of Aldermen on and off since 2008. During my terms Nashua secured ownership of the Pennichuck Water Works, taking our public water supply out of the hands of a private entity and shareholders and into city ownership which helps keep rates low and protect the water supply better. We also built the Veterans Memorial Parkway which helped open up the Millyard to economic development and created another crossing of the Nashua River; I was involved with Redevelopment of downtown, including building the Nashua Center for the Arts which has brought thousands of people to our downtown and helped boost downtown businesses; I've voted on many different housing developments over the years that have brought thousands of new units of housing to Nashua, and worked on developing an inclusionary housing zoning which requires developments to have affordable housing units; I have supported the construction of the Mccarthy Middle School; The City Completed implementation of Nashua Community Power,which has cut energy costs significantly for residents.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Always be honest. People will discover the truth no matter what.

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