Lucius Parshall

Lucius Parshall was born in Penn Yan, New York. Parshall earned an associate degree from Finger Lakes Community College in 1982, a bachelor's degree in music from Ithaca College in 1987, and a master's degree in business administration from Binghamton University in 1989.[1][2]

Parshall's career experience includes working as a music teacher, in arts administration for WNYC Public Radio in New York and the Cummington Arts Colony in Massachusetts, in food service, as a ranch hand, and as a truck driver. Parshall has been affiliated with the UAW, the NEA, and the Unitarian Universalist Church.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

With my father’s encouragement, I began guitar studies at ten. Rather than proceeding directly to college after high school, I worked as a chef, cattle rancher, and in every aspect of the wine industry in my native upstate New York. My spare time was spent honing music skills with friends at the local coffee houses. This eventually led to scholarships, work studies, and a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Ithaca College.

Though a working student, I found time to help organize community festivals, the local arts council, and admin work with the Binghamton Symphony. During this time, I also gained a Master of Business Administration with a specialization in non-profit administration from SUNY Binghamton. For several years, I worked in arts administration, writing grants for New York Public Radio, and serving as Executive Director for the Cummington (MA) Arts Colony.

In the mid-nineties, I moved to New Hampshire to be part of the active contra dance and folk community. I met my present wife at a dance, and we immediately started a family. At this time, I also gained teaching credentials from Keene State College. In 2000, I began work as a public school music teacher in the Monadnock region, which I did for 20 years before retiring in 2020. In 2017, my wife and I moved from Keene to Marlborough, and I immediately became involved in the local Democratic Committee. In 2020, I ran to represent Marlborough in the New Hampshire House and am now running for a fourth term.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Lucius supported House bill 197 AKA the "Property Tax Relief Act of 2025.” It would have restored a 7.5% cut in state aid for participants in the NH retirement system.

As stated in the bill, “this act renews a promise made by state to municipalities and restores the state’s contribution of a portion of the retirement costs of teachers, firefighters, and local police.  Its purpose is to help ease the local property tax burden, provide property tax relief to the cities and towns, and enhance public education and public safety.”

Property tax relief was not a Republican priority. The bill was quashed along party lines, 171 of 178 Republicans voting down the bill and 151 of 152 Democrats voting for property tax relief.Homegrown renewable energy is kind to the earth and our wallets. However, big oil is in the habit of reminding legislators who paid for their vote every time they enter Representative Hall.

Industrial power users plead for fair solar compensation through a rise in the Net Metering cap. If NH energy prices aren’t competitive, these businesses will look elsewhere.

Republican legislators are on record for eliminating renewable energy from our energy mix, urging our utilities to invest in untested nuclear options and pass the costs onto already overcharged consumers.

Their biggest hypocrisy? Claiming that electric vehicles are a drain on our grid, then welcoming crypto mills and AI plants—known blights on our economy and our environment.I knew my Polish grandfather only through the veil of an oxygen tent—necessitated by the black lung disease from working in the yet-to-be unionized coal mines of his adopted country. Through unionization, he escaped the coal mines, his impediment being his debt to the company store. Dangerous and underpaid mining work beneath the earth was compromised by unmanageable debt levied by their employers above ground. It stole my grandfather.

Employer-provided healthcare is the company store of my generation. The promise of a right-sized government should be freedom from predatory insurance companies that care more for shareholder profit than the health of our families and neighbors. No compromise Medicare for all makes sense.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Money in politics, lack of ethical standards, ignoring our children’s education, crumbling infrastructure, rigged elections, unaffordable health care, predatory loan sharks putting our students into lifelong debt— these are the issues worth solving. And yet Republicans keep the legislature fighting over which books to burn or who gets to use the toilet. We are better than this, and I have full trust that working together we can come up with solutions to build a better New Hampshire.

Lucius Parshall did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

Lucius Parshall did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a former chef, arts administrator and public school music teacher, in that order.

I hold a B. Mus in composition from Ithaca College, and a M.B.A . From SUNY Binghamton, where I specialized in non-profit administration. I gained my teaching credentials from Keene State, after the birth of my son. I also have a daughter, both who attended the Keene school district, where my wife was twice elected to serve on the school board.

I moved from Keene to Marlborough three years ago when we needed a larger place to accommodate my mother in law, who we now are caregivers. After eighteen years teaching in the Conval district, I taught in Marlborough for two years before retiring.

While teaching took the bulk of my time, I served a few positions at the Keene Unitarian Universalist Church, including board president. A sometimes performer on guitar, I also lent my voice to various choruses and the Raylynmor Opera. My wife and I met at a contra dance, which is my other avocation.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Our government should never be for sale. Representatives need to listen to the voters and act on their conscience, rather than auctioning their principles to the highest bidder.We need to eliminate single use plastics, put an immediate end to fracking and rebuild our economies with wise use of renewable energy sources. There is no alternative, and we are running out of time. Economic justice cuts unequally across gender and racial lines. It fuels the race to the bottom in how health care is distributed. The injustice is found in minimum wage laws that hurt the disabled and in a tax structure that drives the elderly from their homes. We can no longer afford to subsidize the uber-weathy in the guise of a New Hampshire Advantage.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

The survival of our Democracy, and the survival of our planet. Pretty much every other issue relates to these two issues. The short-sightedness of a system that is fueled by greed does nothing to serve future generations.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I am a product of the sixties. I admired James Baldwin and John Lennon. Fred Rogers and Ram Das. I've been influenced by those that have come before me, like Mahatmas Gandhi, who liberated a country with non-violent resistance. Thoreau's "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" and Thomas Paine' "Common Sense" also colored my vision. While I am no longer a practicing Catholic, I am in awe of the work of Mother Theresa, Oscar Romero and Daniel Berrigan, and how they were motivated by their faith.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To balance the desires of their constituents with well informed council when considering legislation.

What legacy would you like to leave?

My time as a Boy Scout taught me to always leave a place better than I found it. I have no personal legacy, but that is my guiding philosophy.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

Size matters. I would suggest that the size of the NH House makes it difficult to fill all the seats. What seats are filled are too often by retired and wealthy people that often don't represent their constituency.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe in a mix of experience and enthusiasm.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

After years if allowing our infrastructure to decline, we need a way to rebuild New Hampshire. We can create more jobs and protect our environment, but first we have to commit to a fair and affordable revenue system for all.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

The executive branch needs to better carry out the will of the people,as defined by the legislature.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

It is of the utmost importance to have relationships, as politics is a give and take. We need to first represent our constituents, but also be able to come together to draft legislation for the good of our entire state.

What process do you favor for redistricting?

I favor an independent commission to redistrict our severely gerrymandered districts. Such work should be undertaken hand in hand with demographic consultants to restore fareness. We need to stop rigging elections.

If you are not a current legislator, are there certain committees that you would want to be a part of?

Finance law is a particular interest, but as a freshman legislator I am open to other committees.

If you are not currently a member of your party’s leadership in the legislature, would you be interested in joining the leadership? If so, in what role?

This question is a bit abstract to a first time candidate. I am not prepared to answer this question with at this time.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

No particular legislator, but I was good friends with Tim Robertson, and I would hope that I could remain as faithful to my values as he demonstrated with his.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I am not interested in future elections at this time.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I have been heard to say that you don't learn much travelling first class. I've enjoyed hearing many stories, not all of them pleasant. Some affected me deeply, and often from people that just want an even break. It is the later stories that motivate my run.