Let's focus on a simple question...
What do we need, and how are we going to pay for it?
Every time the state cuts a tax or fee, something still has to pay for schools, roads, and local services. In New Hampshire, that something lands on your property tax bill.
I've spent close to 40 years in municipal finance. Every state, city, town, school district, and water authority is its own economic proving ground, each testing its own budget pressures, revenue tools, and trade-offs, and each with lessons to offer.
That's the practical experience I bring to this role, and it's taught me that good policy needs a real plan behind it, including what it costs, what's the timeline, and what we do if it doesn't go as expected. Slogans don't balance a budget.
Here's what that means in practice
Treat public education as an investment, not an expense.
Stop cutting taxes without a real plan to replace the money.
Stop cutting taxes without a real plan to replace the money.
There's a reason property taxpayers keep stepping up to fill the gap the state leaves behind. We know from experience that public education is the most essential investment we can make to grow our economy and protect our democracy.
Stop cutting taxes without a real plan to replace the money.
Stop cutting taxes without a real plan to replace the money.
Stop cutting taxes without a real plan to replace the money.
It's not prudent to simply bet on growth and hope it pays off. The state is already leaning on reserves, fee increases and a one-time tax amnesty windfall to balance its books. That's not a foundation for cutting revenue further.
Support the small businesses already here.
Stop cutting taxes without a real plan to replace the money.
If the state requires it, the state pays for it.
They're vital to our state's economy and need a deeper talent pool. Even though New Hampshire already ranks last in the nation for state investment in higher education, the legislature keeps cutting its funding. We're starving the very pipeline our businesses need to compete. We should be investing in education, job training, and community colleges. Businesses must be forward-looking. Our legislature should be too.
If the state requires it, the state pays for it.
Any "growth strategy" needs real numbers and a backup plan.
If the state requires it, the state pays for it.
When the state mandates without funding, towns are left to cover the gap. In New Hampshire, that's through property taxes
Invest in essential public infrastructure.
Any "growth strategy" needs real numbers and a backup plan.
Any "growth strategy" needs real numbers and a backup plan.
Deferred maintenance, including climate adaptation, just sends our tax bill to the next generation. Infrastructure funding needs the same long-term planning as everything else in our budget. It's time to stop billing our kids for what we use today.
Any "growth strategy" needs real numbers and a backup plan.
Any "growth strategy" needs real numbers and a backup plan.
Any "growth strategy" needs real numbers and a backup plan.
Let's judge simplistic growth plans the way any serious business would.
A wish list full of vague claims and no funding plan wouldn't survive a real boardroom, and it doesn't deserve your vote either.
Transparency and Accountability
"Where is my money going?"
Taxpayers deserve to see how state funding decisions and policy changes, from education aid to revenue sharing, connect to what they pay for locally. I'll work to draw that line clearly, so residents aren't left guessing why their local budget looks the way it does.
As a member of the Francestown Budget Advisory Committee, I've seen firsthand how hard our Select Board works to balance services with fiscal discipline, and how our town staff and volunteer committees welcome public input beyond Town Meeting. Without interfering in their work, I will serve as a collaborative partner across Deering and Francestown, helping communicate how state policies affect our towns' budgets and creating more opportunities for taxpayers to ask questions and weigh in.
.jpeg/:/cr=t:6.96%25,l:0%25,w:100%25,h:80.81%25/rs=w:1209,h:549,cg:true)
Thank you so much to everyone who wrote in my name in on the party primary ballots. With deep appreciation for your trust, I'm choosing to continue my campaign as an Independent.