Merrimack County District 4 represents Sutton and Wilmot.
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What specific policy do you see as most vital? The two items that impact the financial well being of residents of New Hampshire the most are high property taxes and high electricity rates. Regarding the former, at the end of the 2019 session of the General Court a “Commission to study school funding” was established. While I believe the commission’s task is important and necessary, it is myopic. The commission’s eventual findings and recommendations are known in advance: Disadvantaged towns with low property values face higher tax rates and, even with them, per pupil funding is significantly below that of wealthier towns. Therefore, the state should work towards equalizing tax rates and reworking the adequacy formula. The perennial assumption that more money for education will solve the problem is not even questioned. As to electricity rates, efforts to bring real competition to the market have been fought by the monopolies and, thus, implemented just halfway. Other states have done a much better job. Rates should be much lower even after taking into consideration regional obstacles like those imposed by ISO-NE.
How do you plan to address the significant budget challenges our state will face in the months ahead? In the year 2012, the budget was trimmed by 17.6 percent. The world did not come to an end. If we can bring state spending back to 2018 levels, just two years ago, the problem would be solved.
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Incumbent? If so, how many terms:
What specific policy do you see as most vital? I am a moderate Democrat for clear access to affordable health care for families and women’s concerns, have a strong advocacy for K-12 public education, believe in developing futures for and with people with developmental disabilities, promote and support the labor community and as a Gold Star father will support Veteran affairs for those who served this country and their families. To achieve these vital goals, the N.H. economy needs tax policies that are equal and fair for families and businesses.
How do you plan to address the significant budget challenges our state will face in the months ahead? In this COVID-19 atmosphere, the NH economy still needs forward-thinking tax policies that are family-friendly, have affordable child care, diverse housing selections, diverse energy sources and invest in the public education system. New Hampshire relies on it business profits tax revenues more than any other state and one approach that I introduced last session to House Ways & Means that I serve on was HB 1567, which was to reclaim N.H. tax revenue lost to offshore tax havens in the estimated amount of $142 million per year according to the ITEP. My analysis of this bill was published nationally in Tax Notes-State under the title of “Inequality Project-The America We Need.” This bill will be refiled to cut down on tax avoidance to maintain a level playing field for domestic/national businesses in N.H.