Three of the four candidates vying for two District 25 House of Representatives seats in Hillsborough County laid out their political beliefs during a candidates night in Temple on Thursday evening.

At the event, Republican Craig Moore and Democrats Lisa Beaudoin and Laura Lynch introduced themselves, fielded questions from the audience, and met one-on-one with residents. Republican Paul Somero did not attend.

Moore described himself as a husband, father, and blue collar working man.

Beaudoin said she is a mother and a small-business owner. Lynch said she was a mother, a grandmother and a neighbor.

Each said they were running, not to push a party platform, but to be the voice of their district.

A question from an audience regarding the effect of high property taxes on the state’s elderly population sent candidates into a discussion about how to offset costs for those on a fixed income.

Beaudoin said the issue boils down to tax equity.

“Right now our tax system is just simply not fair and we need to come together and we need to figure that out,” she said.

She said the state is not paying its fair share, which is causing a downshifting of costs onto towns.

Beaudoin said some states have tax caps in place for the elderly, and said one of those models could possibly used in the Granite State.

Lynch said potentially implementing an income or sales tax could relieve the high property tax costs on the elderly population.

Moore said many people move south because of the tax burden.

“That is one of my concerns as a citizen of New Hampshire; how can we make it more affordable for people to live here?” he said.

Moore said asking for the state to shell out more money is problematic because, in the end, those revenue sources come from taxpayers. He said he didn’t have a solution to the problem, but has recognized it as an issue.

Incumbents Jim Parison and James Coffey, both Republicans, are not running for re-election.

“We were particularly interested in providing a non-partisan, comfortable and open forum, in which voters had the opportunity to hear, not just from the Democratic candidates, but from the Republican candidates, as well,” said Tom Hawkins, a member of Temple Democrats. The Temple Democrats hosted the event as a way to educate residents about the four candidates that are running to represent them in the State House.

Abby Kessler can be reached at 924-7172, ext. 234 or akessler@ledgertranscript.com.