Welcome

Since filing to run for office I have received about 25 requests to fill out surveys.  Every single one of them has questions that are driven by their agenda, as you would expect.  Many only allow you to answer questions in a restricted manner and not fully enough so that your answer would not potentially be misunderstood.   Some even state veiled "threats" that if you don't respond they will put you in a negative light, such as "declined to answer".   Based on these observations I initially decided not to complete any surveys and rather speak directly with people, which is always my preference.  However, some people whose opinion I greatly respect suggested that I should complete the Citizen's Count survey as it has the reputation for being fair and unbiased.  Therefore, as of 10/31 I have done so in hopes that it will provide more voters the opportunity to learn about my candidacy,.  Hopefully this web site will provide much more specific answers to your interest in my candidacy than any survey.  Absolutely feel free to contact me and we could set up a time to meet personally.

When elected I will be your representative.  It will be my charge to make every effort to know and understand my constituents'wishes and to vote accordingly.  As it is not possible to poll the constituency for every vote it is essential that a representative learn the makeup of their constituency and understand their wishes.  Most people that I have spoken with, however, are wanting to know where I stand on certain issues so that they can decide if I would properly represent their interests.  Therefore, I have included where I stand on a few issues of concern. While my stand on issues may not change, or could be changed with more knowledge, it is still my intent to vote according to my constituents' wishes.  As a nearly 50 year resident of the area and an active member of both Bristol and Bridgewater for many years I have a good start on a core understanding of the nature of the constituency. 

We have all noticed and experienced the significant increase in the cost of our daily living expenses.  My wife and I, like many others, are retired and essentially live on an income that will not be increasing.  Many New Hampshire families live paycheck to paycheck as did our family for many years, making it nearly impossible to absorb numerous drastic changes in the cost of living.   There are many ideas proposed at the state, federal and town levels which would require more tax dollars to implement.  While there are many ideas that it might be nice to implement, it is absolutely imperative that the management of the State's expenditures minimize the impact to the cost of living to the residents of New Hampshire while maintaining our quality of life. I am not in favor of a state income tax or increasing the tax burden on business. I will strive to not raise your taxes. Nearly every single person that I have spoken to during this campaign has expressed that  the cost of living is a priority.

We must assure that the citizens of New Hampshire continue to have  dependable, affordable sources of energy.     I am not in support of setting deadlines or policies that force our citizens from using whatever energy source that they believe is the best, or only affordable option, for them.  At about $5 per gallon for home heating oil and a minimum delivery amount of 150 gallons families have to be prepared to pay in the range of $750 for slightly over a half a tank of oil.  That is simply unacceptable, and basically not possible for many families.  Our legislature should not be legislating energy policies which drive up the cost to the citizens. Forcing electric vehicles on an already stressed electric grid is unwise; where will this extra electricity come from as the push to eliminate fossil fuel power plants continues?  Alternative sources and renewables are not enough, at this point, to provide our needed power supplies if our existing energy infrastructure is degraded by forced policy/law.   Sensible, cost effective policies regarding New Hampshire's energy supplies must be a priority.  Repeating myself, nearly every single person I have spoken to is concerned about energy costs. 

As someone who attended public schools in 3 different states and 3 countries I was very well served by the dedicated educators in all instances and I have always been a supporter of the public school system.  However,  I, and many I have spoken with, see the quality of our education system has eroded.  Our schools should be concentrating on the basics of education to assure that our children are ready to move on after graduation, whether it be in the work force or further education.   I have heard from many people their concerns regarding exactly what is being taught to our children, especially our youngest.   Our schools should not be providing politically, racially or other biased views of any subject.  The curricula should reflect the values of our communities and be allowed to be closely scrutinized by parents to assure that they do.  An ongoing challenge for our legislature will be to determine how best to fund education in New Hampshire without placing an unfair burden (many believe that it is already unfair or even illegal) on the taxpayers.  I have already heard many opinions on education and will look forward to hearing from constituents as to their thoughts. 

This is one of the issues that some voters count as the single issue that they will base their vote on.  It is important, therefore, to be clear on where I stand on this.  It is the topic that I have been asked about the most to this point. I will absolutely make it a priority to know what the constituents of District 10 want regarding abortion in New Hampshire.   However, everyone who has discussed this with me still has wanted to know my position. We have discussed this at length in our family.  I, and my wife, believe the choice for  abortion should be left to the pregnant woman up until the time of "viability"  (currently generally set at 24 weeks). We do not agree that abortions should be allowed past the point of viability except if there is a danger to the woman's survival or if there is solid evidence that the child will not be born alive.  So far I have spoken to no one who is at either end of the spectrum of possibilities on the topic, ie. there should never be an abortion for any reason, or it is acceptable to have abortion at any time up until the time of birth.  Most I have spoken with are somewhere in the middle of the alternatives, similar to where I stand.  As far as our N.H. law on abortion I have heard concerns about the liability for doctors, which is an issue that I share a concern about.  Additionally, my wife and I share a concern that the parental notification may cause young woman to seek abortions in an unsafe way.  I very much look forward to your input on this topic.  

Difficult and complicated.  This topic has led, without question, to driving our energy economy, stability and nationlal security into a tenuous position.  The attempts to eliminate fossil fuels before there are adequate, affordable, equally dependable replacements is directly placing a financial burden on the citizens of our state and country.  My position is that we must, as your representatives, thoroughly understand this topic and make decisions based on that knowledge, not on media sound bites.  Frankly, I question that human caused carbon emissions will produce the prophesied cataclysmic results proclaimed in the media.  As your representative I will promise to know this topic as thoroughly as possible (already studying), consider the true science for future potential impacts to our state's environment and then be able to present fair unbiased information back to the constituents for their consideration.   I urge you all to carefully study this topic by researching information from both viewpoints.  This will directly impact your finances. 

I absolutely support our law enforcement community.   Without question they step up to protect and assist their communities.  They must have the moral and financial support of their governing officials and they will get that from me.   In the past few years there has been a drive to demonize our law enforcement and to no longer respect what they do or their position in our communities. Nationally, this has demoralized their community and impacted recruitment. Defund the police was a completely ill-conceived philosophy enacted much too carelessly across the country.  New Hampshire, fortunately, has not seen a significant drive towards the defund movement.  I personally do not support "defund the police" efforts.