Merrimack 7 includes two seats representing Newbury and New London. Republican Dorothy Hitchmoth faces Democratic incumbents Karen Ebel and Gregory Sargent, who both ran uncontested. Hitchmoth and Sargent did not respond to the Monitor’s candidate survey.
Karen Ebel
Party affiliation: Democrat
What town/city do you live in? New London
Political experience: I am running for my 8th term. I served as Deputy Speaker 2018-2019 and have served as Democratic Leader Pro Tem for three terms under three different Democratic Leaders. I’ve served five terms on the House Public Works and Highways Committee. I’m serving my second term on House Finance, and currently, I’m the Deputy Ranking member of that committee and the ranking member of Div. 1 of Finance. I chair the Solid Waste Working Group and have served on multiple other state and local committees.
Professional experience: I am a former corporate attorney.
Community service experience: I have served on multiple state and local boards and committees, including The Nature Conservancy, the NH Land and Community Heritage Investment Program, the American Cancer Society, the New London Hospital Board of Trustees and almost two decades on the New London Planning Board.
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and position?
Yes, but how recreational use and possession is regulated when legalized is nuanced and requires careful consideration.
What is the No. 1 action the Legislature should take to address the housing shortage?
Provide funding to municipalities and developers for necessary infrastructure and housing, as well as municipal planning grants.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement?
NH should only assist if its legally required to do so by the federal government and that is funded. We have enough of our own challenges with insufficient funding to perform those.
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all?
NH law should respect the rights of women, their families and their doctors in making abortion decisions. Trust them and not intervene. Government does not belong in the middle of such difficult decisions.
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why?
Over time we should repeal the school voucher program because it is draining taxpayer dollars away from public schools. There is no income cap, no real qualitative expectations, too few guardrails and a private corporation gets 10% of the taxpayer money for administration.
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.
See previous answer — clearly repealing/overhauling the school voucher program would decrease expenses. We should analyze at our state’s existing fee-for-service funding structure to ensure it is adequate to support the services the state is expected to provide. This includes Fish and Game, and the Departments of Environmental Services and Natural and Cultural Resources and our courts, among others. The political expediency of ignoring funding needs of state obligations hurts Granite Staters who rely on those services. Our agencies are expected to perform myriad functions and severely challenged because their ability to do their jobs has been undermined by underfunding and hiring freezes.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education?
The state should fulfill its constitutional obligation to pay for an adequate education and that number should be a data-based number. NH is dead last in state funding, with at least 70% coming from property taxpayers. This state is a national outlier in this regard, its contribution falling far below that of other states. School districts are struggling due to inflation and increasing operating costs and infrastructure needs. The state must do its part and not try to evade it.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today?
Spiraling property taxes due to persistent downshifting of state obligations to towns and school districts is the biggest issue facing the state. This affects everyone because ultimately everyone faces cost of living increases. Businesses pass through property taxes to customers, whether it’s food or clothing stores. Landlords pass through costs to rent. While cutting expenses, municipal and school boards are struggling to keep up with unavoidable costs using the only funding tool they have: property taxes. They should not be blamed as they try to fill the holes because state government walks away from its funding obligation. The recent Business and Industry Association Legislature Report legislative rankings clearly showed that the BIA, and the businesses it represents, want well-functioning state government and House Democrats did the best by far in the bill rankings.
Find more information at the candidate’s website: