Millennials deserve representation on County Commission: Judd

Lindsy Judd | Reno Gazette-Journal

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I’m a millennial and a mom running to be the Democratic nominee for Washoe County Commission District 5.

Why does that matter? Millennials are a generation defined by the financial crisis of 2008. Median incomes are 43 percent lower for millennials than they were for our parents at the same age. We are about half as likely to own a home as young adults in 1975 and we carry three times as much student debt as our parents.

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As a millennial, I know first hand how important it is to tackle the housing crisis that’s gripping Washoe County. Through forums with EDAWN and JOIN, I believe raising wages and closing the 95,000-worker gap in construction will end the housing crisis.

The proportion of homeless in their 20s has grown every year for the last five years. In 2017, the Eddy House served 769 homeless youth between 18 and 24 years of age. Between wage stagnation and record-high housing prices in Washoe County last year, homelessness is a real threat. In college, I worked two minimum-wage jobs and slept in my car. As someone who’s been there, I know what works and what doesn’t work. In fact, I chose to run for County Commission because of my work with ACTIONN; it was there that I learned County Commissioners could make the greatest difference for homelessness through activating the government services fee to generate more funding for social services.

While three of the five commissioners are women, my opponent Jeanne Herman said “I’m not even sure I totally agree with inequality in the workplace where we should even be talking about it” (Washoe County Board of Commissioners meeting, April 10.) The gender wage gap is real and there are concrete ways Washoe County can combat it. Transparency in pay differences based on gender need to be identified so Washoe County is a better place for women to work, especially single mothers of whom 35 percent live in poverty in Nevada. As a child, my mom relied on social programs like SNAP to make sure that I didn’t go hungry. I know firsthand how important these programs are.

As a millennial parent, the threat of climate change is particularly worrying. As young adults, my children will face rising sea levels, heat waves, droughts and more extreme weather. We must deal with carbon emissions now. I support the Reno Citizens Climate Lobby as it pushes for a carbon fee and dividend as well as RTC’s expansion for electric buses. When I see climate change projections, I don’t see a far-off future: I see my children's reality. I know that the choices we make today define the world they will become adults in.

A vote for Lindsy Judd is a vote for solutions to homelessness, affordable housing, and the environment.

Lindsy Judd is a candidate for Washoe County Commission District 5.

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