Hillsborough District 44 includes Goffstown and Weare.
Four candidates are on the ballot for two seats. Republican incumbents Ross Berry and Lisa Mazur will face Democratic challengers Bob Jones and Chris Conroy in the general election. Mazur did not respond to the Monitor’s survey.
Ross Berry
Party affiliation: Republican
What town/city do you live in? Weare
Political experience: Incumbent state representative.
Professional experience: My wife and I run two childcare centers.
Community service experience: Elliot Perry Foundation board member.
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and possession? Yes
What is the No. 1 action the Legislature should take to address the housing shortage? Lift state regulations on development.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement? NH should proactively seek opportunities to assist with immigration enforcement.
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all? It should keep the current law of restricting abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why? I would repeal the mandate requiring tradespeople to hold a bachelor’s degree and a teaching certificate to teach their craft in NH’s public schools. We should not keep experienced tradespeople out of the classroom simply because they did not attend a four-year institution.
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. This is a biased and leading question. Current state revenues are $67 million over projections. The other bias is referring to tax increases as “raising revenue.” They are taxes, and I will never vote to raise taxes.
As for expenses, we need to find ways to streamline local spending and reduce property tax burdens. That could include moving purchases such as software to the state or county level, where they can be bought more efficiently and at a lower cost.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? The state is made up of those same people struggling with out-of-control property taxes. When some people advocate for the state to “pay more,” what they mean is that those same working families must pay more, just through the state instead. This may not show up directly on a property tax bill, but it still comes from taxpayers through higher prices, lower wages and fewer jobs.
I support the property tax cap, which limits property tax growth to the rate of inflation. NH has some of the highest per-pupil spending in the country, and asking taxpayers already besieged by high property taxes to simply pay more through the state does not address the underlying problem. There is no magic pile of someone else’s money out there.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? The cost of living. Wages are being decimated by inflation, and our children are facing an uncertain future with an education system that is not preparing them for the modern world. We need to bring costs down, retool our education system to be forward-looking and protect our economy.
Find more information at the candidate’s website: BerryForNH.com
Chris Conroy
Party affiliation: Democrat
What town/city do you live in? Weare
Political experience: Working with clients is an exercise in diplomacy!
Professional experience: I founded and ran a successful video production company called Heartwood Media for 28 years. As a producer and director I led crews, but I also had to collaborate, compromise and work with my clients to get to the best end result. I know how to read and analyze budgets to make sure the numbers add up – but also to ensure the budgets are appropriate and make sense. We were very good stewards of our clients’ dollars. Our projects came in on or under budget.
Community service experience: I served on the Goffstown Solid Waste Commission and currently serve as Vice Chair of the Weare Energy Commission. I have served on the boards of the Piscataquog Land Conservancy, the New Hampshire Creative Club and the New Hampshire Center for Nonprofits. I have also volunteered for CVTC-NH, an organization that provides rides to people who can’t drive themselves to appointments. I’m also a crew member at the American Legion breakfasts in Weare.
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and possession? Yes
What is the No. 1 action the Legislature should take to address the housing shortage? Resurrect the Housing Champions Program. This was a successful and cost-effective program that was killed by the Legislature. It provided grants to towns to help with infrastructure – water, sewer, electric – to help get more housing started. Almost half of all new housing starts in the state were in towns that participated in the program.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement? We should not enter into 287(g) agreements to partner with ICE. These agreements erode trust between the public and law enforcement. Also, my town of Weare is a town with a very large geographical area that is covered by a relatively small police force. We are on a default town budget and that affects how effectively the police can respond to and manage public safety. Working with ICE should not be part of their duties.
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all? It should not restrict abortion at all.
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why? HB 1300, the school spending cap. This is an issue that was decided at town meeting in Goffstown and Weare. The citizens of these towns debated the issue, amended it and ultimately rejected it.
This law negates our vote and takes away our voice. There was no reason for the legislature to get involved. The people had spoken. Ross Berry and the Republicans can spin it any way they want‚ saying things like “it’s local control on steroids!” But clearly, it’s not. It’s the state inserting itself into a local issue because they don’t like the decision we made.
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 reverse the business tax cuts. Large and out-of-state businesses are the primary beneficiaries. Small businesses, the largest employers in our state see little benefit. We have lost over $1 billion in revenue since these cuts were instituted.
I think there are ways for the state to help our schools and SAUs. We can supply technical assistance that can help make sure we are getting all of the funding we are due from the state and federal government.
We should also support the schools in finding ways to economize. This should not be a fiat handed down from the state. We should work with the schools – they are the people doing the work and they understand the requirements (mandates) they must meet from the state and federal governments.
I believe this approach will lead to savings without sacrificing the promising gains our schools in Weare and Goffstown have made.
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 obligations.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? A lack of civility. If we cannot listen to each other we will not be able to work together to solve the problems that we face. I have had hundreds of conversations with people in Weare and Goffstown and just about everyone — from the most progressive Democrat to the most conservative Republican — agrees that we need to work together so that we can move NH forward.
Find more information at the candidate’s website: www.conroy4nh.com
Bob Jones
Party affiliation: Democrat
What town/city do you live in? Goffstown
Political experience: Treasurer local committees, former candidate for State Senate and State House in Bedford
Professional experience: Retired Systems Engineer
Community service experience: Chair of Bedford Land Trust, Volunteer educator NH Audubon, NH Fish and Game, Coverts, Cooperative Extension.
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and possession? Yes
What is the No. 1 action the Legislature should take to address the housing shortage? Reduce property taxes by transition to other taxes.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement? NH should not assist at all.
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all? It should keep the current law of restricting abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy.
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why? I do not have one single law on my list. Every law needs to be reevaluated periodically.
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 not focus on cutting expenses, which usually focuses on vital needs of the less wealthy people in our community. Instead I would reinstate the taxes on corporate profits to pay for necessary services to all people in the state.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? The state should establish a wealth based tax to replace the SWEPT tax that disproportionately taxes lower income households.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? I believe the biggest issue is the attempt by a minority of citizens to defund education, to stigmatize minority segments of the populations and to do this while denying their obvious objectives. We need to shine the light on these deceptive practices.
This candidate did not provide a link to a campaign website.