1. Why are you running, and what do you hope to achieve in the next legislative term?
I am running because service is important to me. After a 25+ year career as an active duty Army officer, I'm not interested in going into the corporate world to make more money. I'd rather do something than be somebody. If I am elected, I hope to bring some civility back to our legislative process by building relationships with like-minded people that are able to get things done while not worrying about who gets credit.


2. Assess the recent performance of Gunstock. If elected, would you keep it in the same direction or change course?
I have not educated myself on how Gunstock operates as thoroughly as I should, but it is my understanding that the recreation/ski area is now on a positive, profitable trajectory. I have no intention of changing that. I would seek to make adjustments if that situation were to degrade for some reason. Needless to say, the turmoil we witnessed in 2022 was deleterious, at best. I have no intention of re-igniting that argument.


3. Given budget constraints for the Belknap County Nursing Home, how would you stretch county taxpayer dollars and still meet our high standards of care?
Like Gunstock, I am not as well-educated on the Belknap County Nursing Home as I should be. I cannot provide a complete answer to this question (how to stretch county taxpayer dollars to maintain standards of care, given current budgetary constraints) without studying the problem.


4. As a member of the Belknap County Delegation, how would you improve county hiring practices to attract the highest quality candidates for our nursing home, public safety, and administrative positions?
My experience with hiring practices within the federal government (that is, as the hiring officer for Department of the Army civilian positions, aka DAC positions) in several different organizations leads me to believe that the biggest issues we face in hiring practices are ones of timeliness and speed. I can't tell you how many potential employees I made offers to as the result of administrative/bureaucratic delays. Having said that, I would seek to improve the county's hiring practices by:
Improve recruiting. I don't know how well/poorly the county agencies are reaching out to potential quality applicants. I assume that there's room for improvement.
Streamline the hiring process(es) and reduce the time from application to job offer (or rejection) as much as possible.
Improve retention. We hire because we have vacancies. We have vacancies because we have attrition. Some of that is unavoidable, but some of that attrition is likely due to poor retention practices (I can't say how much...I simply don't know).


5. Should the county manage its own nursing home, correction department, and rec/ski area, or privatize them?

There are three questions here, not one. I'll try to answer them each succinctly.
Nursing home: I see this as a health facility, like a public hospital. While I don't know if it would be wise for the county to open another health facility, the fact is that this one already exists, and the citizens obviously want to keep it public, not privatized. It should remain that way.
Corrections Department: I see this an extension of law enforcement, and part of the social contract with the citizenry. It's a government function, and therefore should not be privatized.
Rec/Ski Area: I would be against the county getting involved in another venture such as this. I'm not a fan of government at any level getting outside of its lane (in this case, recreation is not a government function). Having said that, this is already in place, and has been for years/decades. The citizenry of the county spoke clearly and the message was to keep Gunstock as a public entity. Thus, it should remain that way.


6. What are your ideas for the former 220-acre Laconia State School property?
I continue to learn about the Laconia State School property. Some of my ideas are recycled ones, others are a little newer:
Affordable housing. This is a state-wide issue. Some of the property could be used to attract younger workers and their families to the Lakes Region.
Work with UNH (specifically the agriculture program) to use some or all of this property to support agricultural endeavors to address food insecurity in the region.


7. What would you do as a State Representative to improve the opioid and drug problem in the region?
Addressing opioid/drug use in the region is bigger than just the user. The supply into the state has to be addressed at the state/federal level (cooperation between state and federal agencies); the demand has to be addressed (how do we wean users off of these substances); and the criminality portion has to be addressed (there must be consequences of note for individuals). I don't have a good, complete answer to your question, and can't formulate one without significantly more data than I have at my disposal.


8. What do you think is the most important skill of being a good State Rep, and why?
In my opinion, the most important skill for a State Representative to have is being able to build respectful relationships: in order to generate and pass meaningful legislation, you have to be able to convince other reps (to include representatives from the other party) that what you're trying to do is worth their support. The relationship is built on mutual respect (not mutual agreement). Externally, being able to build relationships with state, county, and local agencies will assist in getting better data and analysis to inform decision-making on legislation.


9. What do you see as the biggest needs of Belknap County, and what would you do to fill that need?
I think the biggest need of Belknap county (in the long term) is the retention of our young people. They leave to go to college, etc., and don't come back until they retire, if at all. I'd like to find a way to provide opportunities for them here, rather than elsewhere.


10. What percentage of your campaign funding comes from outside the county? How much from out of state?
As of this moment, my campaign is completely self-funded. Zero percent from out of county, or out of state.


11. Do you think our current county government should be smaller, larger, or stay the same?
Currently, I'm alright with the size of our county government.


12. What distinguishes you from the other candidates?
What distinguishes me from other candidates is my individualism. I'd rather do something than be somebody (results over personal title). I'm not interested in being a "party man." I'm interested in making Belknap County better for its citizens.


13. What endorsements have you received?
No endorsements received thus far. To be completely honest, I haven't sought any, either.

14. How long have you lived in Belknap County?
I planted my family in Meredith in May, 2019, while I finished up my time in the Army. I retired in 2022, and returned to NH (I grew up in Jaffrey, leaving for college and what would become my Army career) to begin the next chapter of my life.