Merrimack 16 includes one seat representing Concord’s Ward 2. Republican Laurence Weissbrot is facing Democrat Connie Lane.
Weissbrot did not respond to the Monitor’s candidate survey.
Connie Lane
Party affiliation: Democrat
What town/city do you live in? Concord
Political experience: I have served four terms as State Rep for Ward 2. Before that, I was involved in numerous campaigns.
Professional experience: I practiced law in NH for 37 years in various capacities — in NH legal aid for 10 years, as a partner at McLane Middleton and at Orr & Reno, and as an adjunct professor at UNH Law.
Community service experience: I volunteered in the Concord Public Schools when my sons were students, served as Chair on the Red River Theatres Board, served on the Concord advisory council of Wayside, was on the Board of Concord First Night, served on the Board of the Trust for Concord Public Schools and volunteered at the Unitarian Universal Church in several capacities, including being a Sunday school teacher and a covenant group leader.
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and position?
Yes
What is the No. 1 action the Legislature should take to address the housing shortage?
Provide funding to developers for new infrastructure and housing development.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement?
NH should not be involved in routine civil immigration enforcement; local officers should only cooperate with federal agencies in narrow cases involving serious violent crimes and proper judicial warrants.
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all?
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why?
I would repeal RSA 194-F, which establishes and governs the school voucher program. It has diverted millions of dollars from public schools to private and religious schools, severely harming our public schools. Budgets for community public schools face severe strain. Resources for special education, teacher training and student services have decreased. A large percentage of voucher funds go to families already enrolled in private schools. Wealthier households utilize taxpayer subsidies for tuition they already afford. Lower-income families still struggle to cover remaining private school costs not met by the voucher. New Hampshire relies heavily on local property taxes to fund public education. State spending on vouchers creates state budget shortfalls. Local communities face rising property tax burdens to make up the difference. Private and religious schools receiving voucher funds lack the strict state reporting standards required of public schools. Taxpayers have minimal insight into how public funds are spent in private settings. Public education is the bedrock of democracy, and we must fund it well.
NH consistently struggles with funding its government and services. What is one way you would raise state revenue, and what is one area you would cut expenses? Be specific.
I would reinstate the business taxes that have been reduced in the past 10 years: the Business Profits Tax and the Business Enterprise Tax. According to the NH Fiscal Policy Institute, reductions in these tax rates have resulted in between $795 million and $1.17 billion less in State revenue from 2016 through 2024. While total business tax revenue rose during this time, evidence suggests revenue would have been at least $795 million higher if tax rates had remained at their 2015 levels. Research from other states and at the national level, as well as NH-based data, does not indicate lower business tax rates spurred sufficient investment to offset the revenue shortfall generated by reducing the tax rates. Increased business tax revenues in New Hampshire during the last ten years are likely due to factors beyond the BPT and BET rates. Given the draconian cuts to essential services in the 2025-2027 Republican budget, there is little left to cut. I would first target the over $50 million spent by the school voucher program.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education?
The State should be the central source for funding education, as required in our NH Constitution. The low funding by the State results in escalating property taxes to fill the gap. I support adopting the recommendations of the 2020 Report from the Commission to Study School Funding, a bipartisan legislative group that spent 10 months analyzing how to fund education. The recommendations include: (1) system should include increased state budget funds that are directed to communities that have greater student needs, which will also result in greater taxpayer equity by reducing disproportionate burdens on poorer towns; (2) if the state budget relies on a State Property Tax to fund its obligations under a reformed distribution formula, it should eliminate the “excess-SWEPT” grant and such excess funds should be applied to improve student and taxpayer equity that eliminate blanket rebates, abatements, refunds or grants; and, (3) the state should enhance taxpayer equity through property tax relief targeted to homeowners and renters and introduce a property tax deferral program.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today?
Energy is one issue that does not get much attention but affects everyone — it raises our grocery prices, utility bills, cost of goods and gas prices. Our utility bills have soared over the past 10 years, and businesses often list energy costs as a top concern. Little has been done to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels in NH — we had a PUC that actively sabotaged it. We certainly need to rely on oil, coal and natural gas over the short term, but the State should be planning for the future and increasing investment in other types of energy production. That will create jobs and independence for consumers. We should also focus on incentives for weatherization and winterization to give residents direct control over their energy waste and costs. We need to be sure that data centers and other large users of electricity do not further drive up our energy costs.
Find more information at the candidate’s website:
www.connielane4staterep.com and www.facebook.com/connielaneforstaterep