Bankruptcy, rising cost of living and deficit spending are just some of the impacts Nathan Mai-Lombardo predicts will come to fruition if the Missouri income tax bill is passed. 

“If [it] passes, everything’s going bankrupt. [After] year one, the state will be bankrupt, because the Governor is already spending all the state’s reserves in this year’s budget,” Mai-Lombardo said. “So there’ll be nothing to fall back on. Revenues will plummet because everything will be really a lot more expensive.”

These conclusions are not unfounded, as Mai-Lombardo has experience working with municipal budgets as the Planning and Development Manager of Ferguson and throughout his career.

“I [understand the impacts] because I’ve single-handedly read municipal budgets. I know how to read this stuff,” Mai-Lombardo said. 

Mai-Lombardo’s experience with and passion for the nitty-gritty details have their origins in a single class he took at St. Louis University. 

“I just love[d an] urban planning class. So I finished my undergrad, got my degree in psychology, and a minor in Political Science. I applied to Georgia Tech [for urban planning and] I got in, [and I went] off to Atlanta. So then I got a job right out of grad school, doing urban planning in South Georgia,” Mai-Lombardo said. 

Mai-Lombardo’s passion for urban planning has shifted his perspective on civic duty from lofty goals to utilitarian benefits for the people he serves. 

“When you repave most of the city, redo all the city parks, give your employees big raises and new union contracts, [their] lives are better. And it really feels great knowing that you helped people out,” Mai-Lombardo said.

Rationality is also the driving force behind Mai-Lombardo’s vision for making real change for all Missourians. 

“Let’s not necessarily be set in our ways, but let’s try and find a solution that just works and makes things better,” Mai-Lombardo said. “There’s a phrase I love to steal from a developer friend, ‘I’m a deal maker not a deal breaker.’ It’s fun to say, but I feel [that] way; let’s just get something done.” 

Mai-Lombardo is also critical of the current state government’s approach to serving the people it represents, especially regarding recent ballot initiatives. 

“So you take away [sections of Proposition A] under the guise of helping businesses, but then when people have less to spend and more challenges with their health care and time, it just affects everything on an economic basis,” Mai-Lombardo said. 

Ballot initiatives such as Proposition A and Amendment 3 seeing such success in a state like Missouri gives Lombardo evidence that Democrats can win statewide. 

“If we could just get to a place where we could have districts that are just competitive, I think Democrats will win on the issues,” Mai-Lombardo said.