Merrimack District 4 includes Canterbury and Loudon.
Three candidates are vying for two seats. The Republican incumbents, Jose Cambrils and Michael Moffett, face a challenge from Cody York, a Democrat. Cambrils did not respond to the Monitor’s survey.
Michael Moffett
Party affiliation: Republican
What town/city do you live in? Loudon
Political experience: Four-term State Representative, current chair of House Committee on State-Federal Relations and Veterans Affairs, former public school board member, current charter school board member.
Professional experience: Retired professor, Retired Marine Corps Reserve infantry officer, author/columnist
Community service experience: Loudon Lions Club, Loudon American Legion, Concord VFW, Concord Knights of Columbus, Marine Corps League, President Groveton High School Alumni Association, former vice-president of Plymouth State University Alumni Association.
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and possession? No
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 assist only when directly asked by the federal government.
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? We need to take a hard look at tort reform and legal costs.
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. Government should serve the people, not the other way around. The NH state budget spends $16 billion. Before we even think about new taxes, we need to look at every state agency line item, government positions and salaries. There are many possible efficiencies and cuts that should be considered.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? Every school district is different. The state already sends considerable extra revenue to districts in need, on top of universal adequacy grants. NH school spending per student is over $23,000 per student per year during a time of decreasing enrollments. Citizens need to show up at school meetings dominated by the education establishment and demand efficiency and accountability and reasonable cuts. I write this as a former public school teacher and public school board member.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? Housing.
Find more information at the candidate’s website: https://mikemoffettnh.com/
Cody York
Party affiliation: Democrat
What town/city do you live in? Canterbury
Political experience: Campaign manager, Stu Green for State Senate District 7, 2024; Member, New Hampshire Democratic Committee; At-Large Delegate, Merrimack County Democratic Committee; Intern, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen, 2023.
Professional experience: Master of Public Administration Student, Northeastern University; Bachelor of Music – Trumpet Performance, New England Conservatory, 2024.
Community service experience: Assistant karate instructor, Bodyworks Martial Arts Training Center; Trumpeter, NH State Veterans Cemetery ; Canterbury United Community Church Youth Group.
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and possession? Yes. The reality is that cannabis products are easily available in every surrounding state, and there are few areas of NH where another state isn’t an easy drive away. Legalizing cannabis here will allow us to implement sensible rules that limit dependency and marketing to youth, and prioritize public health rather than industry profits.
What is the No. 1 action the Legislature should take to address the housing shortage? We need to increase the supply of affordable housing so that NH can attract and retain the skilled workers our economy needs to provide growth and opportunity. I will specifically be a strong supporter of expanding the NH Housing Champion program which partners local communities with planning expertise and state infrastructure aid.
I will also work to provide more revenue sharing on the Meals and Rooms Tax when towns undertake housing initiatives that would increase services demand. While we build housing that’s affordable to meet the needs of our younger workers and seniors, local communities need to be able guide and control development and not be saddled with skyrocketing property taxes to fund infrastructure upgrades.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement? NH should only be involved in federal immigration enforcement when it pertains to individuals who have committed violent crimes or are a danger to the community. Otherwise, I am skeptical of siphoning away our limited state/local manpower to carry out operations the federal government already has the capacity to undertake itself. I also fear that such involvement would set a bad precedent that opens the door for other federal agencies to try and co-opt local law enforcement in the future, whether voluntarily or not.
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all? I believe this a choice between a woman and her doctor. My concern with the current law is that it could create a climate where doctors may hesitate to terminate a life- threatening pregnancy for the mother out fear of whether the state may try to claim they made the ‘wrong decision’ and prosecute them, even with exceptions provided in the statute. Allegations of malpractice in reproductive healthcare would be better handled disciplinarily through the Board of Medicine so that doctors can perform their jobs without distraction.
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why? The provision in RSA 198:39 IV which moves any surplus of the State Education Trust Fund in excess of $20,000,000 to the General Fund. School taxes are the biggest share of property taxes here in NH, and state aid to local school districts is 50th in the country. The Legislature has consistently used the Education Trust Fund as a piggy bank that lets them cut taxes on huge out of state corporations (like Walmart), and any number of other projects that haven’t paid off. Education funds already collected by the state should only be used to fund education, so that property taxpayers aren’t left holding the bag.
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. Raise revenue: A small 0.5% surcharge on multimillion/billion-dollar trust funds held by out-of-state beneficiaries but managed in NH.
Cut expenses: Restore means-testing requirements for Education Freedom Account school vouchers so that the state does not expend taxpayer money subsidizing wealthy families who never had children in the public schools to begin with.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? The state must do more to provide targeted property tax relief to communities facing the highest local school tax rates. For rural communities especially, the current level of base per-pupil funding and differentiated aid for special education is not enough to meaningfully offset local tax burdens – even in communities without many free- or reduced-price meal qualifiers. I would like to see the state’s base funding level scaled to each district’s median income, property wealth and number of students so we can direct state funding to where it is needed most while being responsible in how we spend tax dollars.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? I believe the dual pressures of an aging population and an exodus of our youngest workers put NH on the precipice of a demographic crisis. Seniors I speak with on the campaign trail say they cannot downsize due to a lack of housing options, nor retire comfortably due to high costs. Some are afraid they will not find someone to take care of them when they can no longer care for themselves. Simultaneously, many young people cannot find affordable housing either because older Granite Staters are also frozen in place, limiting our ability to build a workforce to care for our seniors.
Find more information at the candidate’s website: codyfornh.com