The high cost of political hypocrisy
How quickly our local Republicans disposed of their belief in small government and state rights when there were political points to be gained.
On Feb. 5, a critical safeguard for our community was blocked in the New Hampshire House. Roll Call 42 was a motion to allow for a bill requiring mandatory municipal approval before any federal facility could bypass local zoning. Our representatives — Speaker Pro Tempore Jim Kofalt, Diane Kelley, Shane Sirois, and many other “Protectors of Freedom” — voted no.
By blocking this discussion, they used a parliamentary technicality to ensure their constituents would not even get a public hearing. Their vote effectively signals that federal agencies in D.C. have a green light to treat our state as a zoning-free zone.
This is more than a policy disagreement. It is a direct fiscal threat. Once a federal agency takes title to a property, it is constitutionally exempt from local property taxes. This shifts the massive cost of supporting that facility’s police and EMS needs onto every other property owner.
Rep. Jim Kofalt is a former chair of the Wilton-Lyndeborough School Board. He knows better than anyone that our local schools cannot afford this erosion of the tax base.
The House failed us, but State Sen. Tim McGough can still lead. We call on him to sponsor a Senate Bill that restores home rule.
Representatives Kofalt, Kelley, and Sirois may think a procedural vote goes unnoticed, but the taxpayers of Wilton are watching. We expect our leaders to protect New Hampshire’s sovereignty, not surrender it for political convenience. We will remember this “no” for exactly what it is: a denial of local rights for shortsighted political gain.