State Senate District 17 includes Allenstown, Barnstead, Canterbury, Chichester, Deerfield, Epsom, Loudon, Northfield, Northwood, Nottingham, Pembroke and Pittsfield.
Republican incumbent Howard Pearl faces Democratic challenger Bob Lawliss. Pearl did not respond to the Monitor’s survey.
Bob Lawliss
Party affiliation: Democrat
What town/city do you live in? Pembroke
Political experience: None
Professional experience: Software engineer, direct care (inpatient psychiatric and community based with the developmentally disabled), EMT, fast food industry, factory production and single enlistment in the U.S. Army as a wheeled vehicle mechanic.
Community service experience: Volunteered in a mentoring program for kids for several years.
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? This is a complex issue that requires a multi-pronged approach. Some will require compromise by local zoning/planning boards (grants for revising zoning restrictions may be helpful), requirements for the state to speed up approvals, make underused state-owned parcels available for housing development and allowing conversion of vacant offices and retail space by right. We need bipartisan solutions that make make quick, meaningful progress on this important issue.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement? If local or state law enforcement arrests someone for a violent crime or felony and that person doesn’t have legal documentation I believe that they should be reported to ICE. I do not believe that crime victims should be reported, nor do I believe that local law enforcement should spend local dollars coordinating with or aiding ICE in apprehension of nonviolent individuals, regardless of immigration status unless there is a judicial warrant for their apprehension.
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all? I believe the current 24 week law is acceptable but should also include exceptions for rape or incest.
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why? The uncapped school voucher program should be repealed. It’s generally a giveaway to families that don’t need it and a repeal would return tens of millions of dollars to NH towns. Our education system is suffering needlessly because of this law.
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. NH has significant revenue needs in upcoming years and we need a number of solutions to address them, not just one. Municipal pension shortfalls, critical aging infrastructure, education and healthcare which have suffered due to federal cuts.
We need to undo some of the cuts to the business profits and business enterprise taxes related to big out-of-state businesses. Those cuts resulted in significant revenue losses for the state, contrary to the rationale used to institute them.
Legalize recreational cannabis. We lose tens of millions in tax revenue annually to our surrounding states. Treat it exactly like we do alcohol including impaired driving enforcement and punishment. Sales at state liquor stores. Consider a tax on luxury homes that are not the owners’ primary residence. Reinstate the interest and dividends tax and negotiate the threshold or tiers.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? The state simply needs to fund a much larger portion of education. Currently we rank last nationally in terms of state funding with the largest share of education costs borne locally through property taxes which significantly burdens property owners and renters. This requires the state to raise revenue and several methods were mentioned previously.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? NH’s biggest problem is one party rule when that party is less concerned with the needs and well-being of working-class Granite Staters and more interested in legislating for the interests of their donors, their own personal gain and for organizations pushing extremist agendas. We need real bipartisan solutions for real problems.
Find more information at the candidate’s website: https://www.bobfornh.com/