In His Own Words . . .

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​Mr. Wheeler returned his Citizens for Belknap Questionnaire with these responses:

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CITIZENS FOR BELKNAP COUNTY
Seth Wheeler
Democratic Candidate for Belknap County District 2 State Representative (Meredith)

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 a resident for one year or less, what prompted you
to run so soon?
I moved to Belknap County 34 years ago for a job at the now-defunct Laconia
Citizen newspaper. At the time, I only needed an affordable apartment and the
chance to get my start in journalism. Along the way, I met my future wife, and
together we bought a small house in Meredith and started a family. In retrospect,
settling in Meredith was the smartest (and luckiest) life decision I’ve made. We
love Meredith – its people, its natural beauty and its public services. It was an
ideal place to raise our two children, both of whom attended Inter-Lakes schools
from kindergarten through high school. Now, with more free time on our hands,
we are finding even more to enjoy in this beautiful area.

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2. Why are you running, and what is the most important legislative issue you hope  to tackle the next legislative term?
I’m running to preserve and protect the quality of life we enjoy here in Meredith
and Belknap County. The biggest threat right now to that quality of life are
skyrocketing local property taxes. Year after year, the Republican/Libertarian
majority in Concord has cut state aid to public education and shifted those costs
to local property taxpayers. As a result, property taxes are skyrocketing while the
state continues to shower big business and the wealthiest residents with tax
breaks. Local property taxpayers need a louder voice in Concord. Reversing the
damage done to this state by the Republican majority and their Libertarian allies
is my top priority.

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3. What do you see are the biggest needs or issues in Belknap County, and what
would you do to fill that need?
AFFORDABLE HOUSING: The median home price in Belknap County is over
$500,000. In Meredith it’s nearly $700,000. How can young families afford that? If
elected, I will support legislation that expands state funding for water and sewer
infrastructure, establishes state-backed loan guarantees for developers, offers
tax incentives for housing rehabilitation, and continues to streamline local zoning
mandates to encourage the spread of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU), cottage
court developments and limits the number of short-term rental units.
HEALTH SERVICES: If elected, I will sponsor and/or support legislation that
addresses the critical need in Belknap County for expanded mental health
services, elderly services, and substance misuse treatment.
CHILDCARE: The average annual price of center-based childcare in Belknap
County is about $15,000. That means a family with two young children may
spend almost half their annual income on childcare alone. To help working
families, I will support legislation that encourages employer-sponsored childcare,
removes zoning barriers for home-based daycare centers and reduces the high
price of liability insurance.

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4. What distinguishes you from the other candidates running in your district?
With all due respect to my fellow candidates, I bring a real-world perspective that
they may lack. To my knowledge, I am one of the few candidates in this race
without an advanced degree (doctorate, law, etc.). I still live in the same house I
bought for $99,000 more than 30 years ago in Meredith Center. My wife and I
had to make every dollar count while raising our children, but it made us
appreciate what we have here in Meredith – a roof over our heads in a
community that nurtured our kids, both of whom attended Inter-Lakes schools
from K-12. We have all we need here and can identify with most Meredith
residents who don’t have lakefront property or initials after their names.

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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?
Rather than throw good money after bad, I support construction of a new facility
that will not continue to burden taxpayers indefinitely as the County plays an
expensive game of “whack-a-mole” with every problem that crops up at the
current facility. If possible, the construction of a new facility should be integrated
with the Belknap County Community Corrections facility, which was built in 2017.

 

6. Do you agree that traditional public schools are essential to attracting business and retainin g 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, public schools and public vocational schools like the Huot Career &
Technical Center are essential not just for employers but for students as well. I
believe the State of New Hampshire has been shockingly negligent in its duty to
support public education. The Republican/Libertarian majority in Concord cannot
be trusted to adequately fund public education because it does not believe in the
very concept of public education. Through means both overt and underhanded,
the Republican/Libertarian majority has made it clear that they aim to dismantle
the public education system as we know it. By continually cutting funding,
wasting millions on so-called Education Freedom Account vouchers and
intimidating teachers and administrators, they have forced local property
taxpayers to pick up the tab. It’s a cynical game they are playing - squeeze off
state funding, force up local property taxes and then claim that public schools
aren’t working. Instead of pitting us against each other at the town level, the state
should be contributing its fair share of revenues to public education. Instead, they
have showered tax breaks on the largest corporations and wealthiest individuals
in the state. It’s no coincidence that the state has cut $2 billion in tax revenue
over the past 10 years while local property taxes have increased by the same
amount. It’s a testament to the good people of New Hampshire that we still have
one of the best public school systems in the country, even though the state
remains dead last in support for schools.

 

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 will support efforts to add staff to the county nursing home. I also propose that
the county conduct an audit of the home’s policies and practices to identify areas
where it can be more efficient in its operations.

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8. 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?
New Hampshire has made progress in addressing drug overdose deaths during
the past decade, moving from the 9 th highest rate in America to 23 rd , but much
more can be done. Winning the battle against opioid abuse requires a
partnership of law enforcement and health care. Currently the state needs more
inpatient and outpatient treatment options. Additionally, people in recovery need
stronger housing and employment links to support their long-term recovery.
Public-private partnerships should be encouraged so that any NH resident can
get the help they need.

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9. 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?
As someone who’s never held political office but has worked continuously for 40
years, this is an easy question to answer. Of course I will commit to these
attendance goals. I will do so because it’s my job to represent the people of
Meredith. Shame on those Belknap County reps who view this honor as a part-
time gig. They don’t deserve to be re-elected.

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10. The Belknap County Sheriff’s Department has entered into an agreement with U.S Immigration & Customs Enforcement 287(g) program agreement with Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). Do you support this, and why?
I do not support local law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE because the
federal agency has forfeited any moral authority it may have had. Hiring under-
trained, inexperienced agents and giving them the authority to snatch people
from the streets is a recipe for disaster, as of course it has been. While I fully
appreciate the need to control immigration to this country, I believe the conduct of
ICE is a permanent stain on this country’s ideals and sensibilities. Instead of
cooperating with ICE, the Belknap County Sheriff’s Department should be
monitoring ICE agents and protecting human life here in the county.

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11. 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/operations to a private company, or selling the property/operations?
I favor keeping both facilities county-owned because it will allow us to keep local
control over our most important assets. That said, I do not have faith in the ability
of this current Belknap County Delegation to operate a fruit stand, much less a
multi-million-dollar business like Gunstock. For that reason, I favor leasing out
the properties to a private company.

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12. 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?
The median home price in Belknap County is over $500,000. In Meredith it’s
nearly $700,000. How can young families and working people afford that? If
elected, I will support legislation that expands state funding for water and sewer
infrastructure, establishes state-backed loan guarantees for developers, offers
tax incentives for housing rehabilitation, and continues to streamline local zoning

mandates to encourage the spread of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU), cottage
court developments and limits the number or short-term rental units.

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13. 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?
Belknap County already participates in state-level pollution control and water
quality monitoring managed by the NH Department of Environmental Services.
Additionally, the county delegation provides a modest amount of money each
year to the Belknap County Conservation District, which is used to leverage
additional federal grant money. We are fortunate to live in a county that values its
natural resources. In addition to state and county involvement, the Lakes
Region’s many lake associations provide essential monitoring and pollution
control programs. Our lakes are a rare example of an issue that enjoys bipartisan
support here. That said, I would like to see the county devote funds to address
the spread of invasive species on the land and water, which is the result of rapid
climate change. At a recent “needs assessment” held by the Belknap County
Conservation Commission, I was surprised and alarmed to hear the impact of
invasive species on county residents who operate agricultural businesses.

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14. 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?
Absolutely. It’s no coincidence that the state has cut business profits taxes more
than $1 billion in the past 10 years, while local property taxes have increased by
the same amount. When you add in the removal of the Interest & Dividends Tax,
which only applied to the state’s wealthiest residents, local property taxpayers
have been forced to make up the difference - about $2 billion over 10 years.
While I am all for reducing taxes for everyone, I do not approve of the selective
tax cuts the Republican/Libertarian majority have imposed. At present, local
property taxpayers pay 70% of public school costs, by far the highest percentage

of any state in America. It’s not only school costs that the state has downshifted
to towns. In 2011, the state eliminated its portion of retirement contributions for
teachers, police, and firefighters. This forced school boards and municipalities to
absorb the $125 million pension cost, directly raising local property taxes. At the
county level, the state’s reduced Medicaid reimbursements have required
counties to increase local property taxes to cover the difference. I’m tired of
seeing the state govern for the benefit of special interests. It’s time for the
Democrats to balance the scales.

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15. 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 don’t care about the scheduling of meetings or Roberts’ Rules. It’s all
meaningless if the members of the delegation can’t stand to be in the same room
with each other, much less work together for the betterment of the county’s
residents. What’s needed in that dysfunctional group is more respect for each
other, civility and compromise. Belknap County residents are tired of the petty
bickering and posturing that prevents even the simple functioning of this
delegation. How has it come to this? Is it more important to score points against
your political opponents, or advance your ideology at the expense of Belknap
County residents? We need adults in the room.