In His Own Words . . .

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2026 General Election Questionnaire 

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1. Give three examples of waste you would cut in our NH state or county government.

 

Our state budget, per capita, ranks well below the national average for state spending. This, combined with the reality of our higher cost of living, would indicate that our budget is not overburdened with wasteful spending. However, there is always room for improvement.

 

Education Freedom Accounts – estimated 47.8 million dollars in 2027

 

The EFA program, now without income limits, is nothing short of a handout to the wealthy. Over 90% of students participating in the program were already attending private school, making over 90% of this massive budget item wasteful spending. This program has not accomplished its goals, and the cost has grown out of control. School choice can be accomplished in a way that has greater oversight, accountability, educational standards, and in a far less fiscally irresponsible way.

 

Northern Border Alliance – Initial 1.4 million dollar budget, $600,000 ongoing cost

 

The statistics did not justify the creation of this program, and the arrest totals since its creation have not justified the expenditure. The 58 mile border between NH and Canada certainly needs a law enforcement presence, but the irresponsible spending on this program appears politically motivated and unnecessary. I support solving problems, not creating solutions for problems that do not exist.

 

Administrative Costs – 658.3 million dollars - 8% of total budget expenditures

 

While the 8% of total budget is not out of line with other states, this portion of the budget is inflated with a number of salaries that are far out of line with the expected pay for those positions. There are potentially millions of dollars in savings by reviewing the higher level salaries for state employees. Furthermore, given the state’s expenditures for technology and IT infrastructure in this category, I would expect a higher level of efficiency, and lower operating cost, to justify those expenses.

2. Do you believe New Hampshire needs to explore additional sources of state revenue, or do you believe the state’s current approach to taxation and revenue is working? Please explain.

 

Yes. Spending has been increasing year over year, and sources of revenue have been cut. This directly correlates to increased property taxes, and a shifting of the tax burden on to property owners. I am a proponent of meaningful property tax relief within the existing tax structure, without new broad based taxes on income or sales.

 

·         Return the corporate tax rate to previous level of 8.5%

·         Return the Business Enterprise Tax to 0.75%

·         Return Interest and Dividends Tax rate (not including 401(k) distributions, and IRA withdrawals) to 5%.

·         Taxable sale of legalized cannabis

·         Increased property tax on second homes, or investment properties.

 

3. Do you support having an AI data center located in Belknap County?  Explain. 

 

Unfortunately, data centers are essential for the increasingly digital world we live in. However, the question asks specifically about AI data centers, and specifically in Belknap County. Compared to traditional data centers, AI data centers use much more power, have a higher impact on the environment, and in my opinion, have zero benefit to the taxpayer. I am sure someday AI will help solve important problems for humanity, but as currently implemented, it has no societal value. AI is currently having a massively negative impact on society, from the elimination of jobs, to the stifling of human creativity, and the propagation of misinformation. As someone in a technical profession, I am staunchly anti-AI. Furthermore, an AI data center would threaten one of our greatest natural resources in Belknap County, our water. At the state level, our energy policy has been short sighted and does not have the average rate payers best interest in mind. With our heavy reliance on fossil fuels, data centers are not a good fit here, and would increase our already high energy costs. I do not support an AI data center in Belknap County.

4. Because Laconia hosts more city and county services for the homeless, it also shoulders more of the impact and financial burden. Would you support a county-wide plan to offset those problems and costs? Why or why not?

 

Yes. A survey of Laconia’s estimated 400+ unhoused population in 2023, indicated that all of the respondents were from NH, but over 30% were from outside Laconia. The presence of services in the county seat of Laconia, does mean that we bear the greatest burden and impact. Any proposed solution would be much more effective at the county or state level, as Laconia has limited ability to support the organizations on the front lines of this issue. Both the housing shortage, and opioid epidemic contribute significantly to the increased numbers of people experiencing homelessness, and these issues deserve statewide attention.

5. Should Belknap County towns heavily impacted by out-of-state visitors receive a  higher share of Rooms & Meal tax revenue?

 

Yes, I think that is a fair idea. However, if Rooms & Meal taxes are kept where they are generated, which tax mechanism would the state use to fund towns that have low property values, and little tourism income? While I support this, it is part of a much larger tax issue. If the state did more to redistribute another tax, school taxes for example, than the impact of changing the distribution of Rooms & Meals could be better managed.

6. By 2030, what would be your vision for education, and its method of funding?

 

In 2030, A higher percentage of our school taxes will be managed by the state, to ensure adequate education funding statewide. Tax revenue from legalized cannabis goes directly to education spending. Parents are free to enroll their children in a neighboring school district, private or charter school, without unfairly affecting local school funding, or burdening the taxpayer with the cost of their choices. All children would receive an education from an in-state, accredited, and accountable institution. Every school would be held to the same standard of education, and a child’s education would not be determined by their zip code. Additionally, they get little attention in this discussion compared to public schools, but we need to do a much better job of funding our state colleges and universities. A system that provides affordable higher education for our residents is essential to our economic future. I believe having an educated workforce does more to attract businesses to NH than a 1% cut in our corporate tax rate ever could. 

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2026 State Primary Questionnaire 

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1. How long have you lived in Belknap County? If you moved to the county, why did you choose to do so? If you have always lived in Belknap County, why have you stayed? If you’ve been aresident for one year or less, what prompted you to run so soon?   9 Years
I found a good job in Laconia, and I wanted to move here. I love New Hampshire! The easy access to the mountains, lakes, and the ocean, and of course the fall colors. Laconia is beautiful, why would anyone want to live anywhere else?
 

2. Why are you running, and what is the most important legislative issue you hope to
tackle the next legislative term?

 am running to fight for the working class. Corporations and wealthy oligarchs are influencing our government at every level, and they are getting exactly the government they are paying for. The middle class is getting crushed with taxes, housing costs, healthcare, child care, and the soaring cost of everyday goods, while the wealthy get tax breaks and government contracts. We need people in government that represent the people, and the interests of the working class, not corporations. There are several very important issues facing
New Hampshire I would like to prioritize, but I think the most important is property taxes. The
state has spent ten years reducing revenue and increasing spending, and property owners are
picking up the bill. We need to reverse this trend, and shift the tax burden off of the middle
class.

3. What do you see are the biggest needs or issues in Belknap County, and what
would you do to fill that need? Housing!

The housing shortage in NH is driving up costs for renters and homebuyers state wide. We have existing housing programs to encourage the development of the workforce housing we desperately need, and these programs are working but they are underfunded. We need to properly fund these programs, take maximum advantage of federal matching funds, and make this issue a priority. We need tighter regulations for private equity firms and out of state investment buyers purchasing housing stock in New Hampshire. 

There should also be an incentive for sellers to sell to NH residents first. Having the houses isn’t enough, we need to make sure they are generating affordability for NH residents.
Another big issue is education, which I address in a later question.

4. What distinguishes you from the other candidates running in your district?
My experience on the City Council, I believe, gives me an insight into the challenges of local
government that would serve me well in the State House and in the County Delegation. And
although the State House is slowly getting younger, at 47 years old, I am still on the young side
to run for this office. I believe we need more working age representatives that better understand the challenges facing residents, and are more in touch with the issues.

5. A recent independent report found deficiencies in the current Belknap County jail.
Would you support construction of a building that meets modern standards? Or should the existing jail be renovated?

I am a HVAC engineer, and among other things, I design buildings just like this. I understand the complex decision process involved in choosing to renovate or
build new. It mostly comes down to cost, but the building lifecycle is also an important factor. A renovation could be less expensive, but how many years until it is again deficient? How does
that compare to new construction? Can we afford the building they really want? No answer I
could give would replace the engineering reports and life cycle cost analysis that goes into
these decisions.

6. Do you agree that traditional public schools are essential to attracting business and
retaining employees in Belknap county? Should our students’ education be funded at ‘adequate  education’ levels as defined by the NH Supreme Court’s in the ConVal decision? Why or why not?

Yes to both. In the past 10 years, NH has lost almost a billion dollars in revenue by cutting
the corporate tax rate by 1%. Why do businesses choose to move to NH? Because our tax rate

is 1% lower? Or because we have the educated workforce that they need? Investing in our
schools is the best long term decision we can make for our economy. Good jobs are getting
more technical, and require more qualifications. If we want technical businesses to find a home in Belknap County, we need to have the educated workforce first.

In regards to the supreme court decision, I think the point that gets missed is that per student
we are funding education at a reasonable level. However, since the state takes such a limited
role in education funding, education spending is highly dependent on the town you live in. I
believe the state should be held to the supreme court decisions, and rework the school tax
structure so that the quality of your education is not determined by your zip code.

7. The Belknap County Nursing Home continues to operate under capacity, yet it has a
waiting list of Belknap clients. What will you do as a member of the Delegation, to assist the County Commission to maximize our nursing care facility?

I believe this issue comes down to staffing. The nursing home does not have the budget to operate at capacity, because they cannot afford to fully staff the facility. We need a long term plan to get the nursing home to capacity, where it operates most efficiently. This may be financially difficult in the short-term, but will result in a better situation in the future. I am not a proponent of kicking the can down the road on issues like this. We need to find a solution, make a plan and stick to it.

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8. The county nursing home and the Belknap Mountain Recreation Area, including
Gunstock Mountain Resort, are revenue streams owned by Belknap County. As a County
Delegation member, do you support leasing out the property to a private company, or selling those operations?

No. First of all, decreasing revenue streams will lead to higher property taxes.
Secondly, show me somewhere the government has privatized something, and I will show you
where corruption has entered the system. It is rarely the cost savings that is advertised, and
typically involves shady preferential contracts, and reduced services to the taxpayer. Most
importantly Gunstock is a beloved resort, and it belongs to the people. The people have a say in its future and it exists to the benefit of all.

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9. Opioids and other drugs continue to be a problem in our communities. What are
your ideas to reduce the impact of these drugs in our community? What resources are you willing to commit?

We need to increase the public private partnerships that exist to better handle
this issue. Despite the recent anti non-profit sentiment, these organizations are on the front
lines, doing the job. There is no need for the government to set up parallel efforts, we need to
work with these organizations and help them to expand where needed. It is difficult to expend
taxpayer money on these efforts, but at some point we have to ask ourselves, if these
organizations disappear, what would the tax burden of these services look like without them? I
don’t think the average taxpayer would like the answer.

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10. Belknap County’s delegation of state representatives has the poorest rate of
attendance in the state at 78% for the 2024-25 legislative session. It’s so bad that the 2nd lowest, Strafford County, is 89%. Do you commit to attending at least 80% of committee meetings, and 90% or more of Session vote days?

I do have a full time job, so this is not as easy for me as some of the other candidates, but yes, I do intend to meet those metrics. Being in session to vote, is the job. If I am not making votes, I am not doing my job.

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11. The Belknap County Sheriff’s Department has entered into an agreement with U.S
Immigration & Customs Enforcement 287(g) program agreement.  Do you support this, and why?

No, I emphatically do not. ICE has continually demonstrated a disregard for due process, has consistently put American citizens in danger in pursuit of politically motivated quotas, and as an organization has lost the trust of the American people. Local taxpayer money should not be used to do the job of a federal agency, a very well funded one at that, and we should not cooperate with an organization that stands opposed to our constitutional rights. Local law enforcement should be focused on local issues.  Immigration enforcement is not a high priority concern in New Hampshire.

12.  Ignore - Duplicated  The county nursing home and the Belknap Mountain Recreation Area, includingGunstock Mountain Resort, are revenue streams owned by Belknap County. As a County Delegation member, do you support leasing out the property/operations to a private company, or selling the property/operations? Same as Question 8.

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13. Affordable housing continues to be a problem, causing challenges for our county
economy, including limiting the worker pool, attracting business, and attracting younger families.
If elected, what will you do to increase the stock of affordable housing? I addressed this issue in my response to Question 3. 

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14. Without clean lakes and rivers, the Belknap County tourism economy would be in
jeopardy. Should the county financially support pollution control and water quality monitoring programs? Why or why not?

Yes. The lakes are, of course, a massive financial benefit to the lakes region, and neglecting the condition of the water is short sighted. We need to utilize our natural resources responsibly and sustainably if we want a sustainable tourism economy. The county should take a greater role in the effort to conserve this resource, because each town that borders the lakes only has a small piece of the problem. Left to the towns, the effort is uncoordinated, underfunded, and reactionary. The county can look at the bigger picture. We need a county level, comprehensive, and proactive plan for pollution control, invasive species, fertilizer runoff, and shore erosion.

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15. Do you agree that the tax reduction for State revenue streams (Business Enterprise
Tax, Rooms & Meals, Income & Dividends Tax, et. al), resulted in downshifted costs to Belknap county and local schools, and increased local property taxes? Why or why not?

I do agree, because it is a fact. The New Hampshire Municipal Association published an article saying that 100% of the property tax increases are due to state level policies and not increased municipal spending. As a Laconia City Councilor I see first hand how each year we are expected to do more with less, and we are falling behind while property taxes keep going up. You cannot decrease revenue, increase spending, and also cut taxes. The math does not work.

 

I believe strongly that we need to ease the burden of property taxes, and if we cannot cut spending, we must increase revenue elsewhere. Not only have these tax cuts downshifted costs to local taxes, they are shifting the tax burden from the wealthy to the middle class. We need to go the other way, and we need to do it now.

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16. Would you favor reforming the Delegation’s meeting format? Should the Delegation
conduct monthly meetings? Would you increase public input opportunities? Continue with Roberts’ Rules?

I am not sure that the format needs to be changed, or if it is necessary to meet
monthly. Given the limited times a year they do meet, providing ample time for public comment and a place in the agenda for them to do so is extremely important. If someone takes the time to come to a meeting, and they have something to say, they should be given the opportunity to say it. Robert’s Rules are a fairly standard way to run a meeting, I have no issue with continuing to use them.

 

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