Hillsborough District 33 includes Peterborough and Sharon.
Voters will choose between four candidates for two seats. The incumbent Democrats, Peter Leishman and Jonah Orion Wheeler, face challenges from Republican Kimberly Thomas and a Democratic write-in candidate, Amanda Allen. Thomas did not respond to the Ledger-Transcript’s survey.
Amanda Allen (write-in candidate)
Party affiliation: Democrat
What town/city do you live in? Peterborough
Political experience: None formal — board member of Monadnock Area Transitional Shelter, chairperson of Peterborough’s inclusive community committee, member of affordable housing committee.
Professional experience: 13+ years of experience in nonprofit leadership and community health. I currently work as the Director of Provider Engagement for the Foundation for Healthy Communities. My work sits at the intersection of healthcare and economic development as I am focused on making NH a worldwide clinical hub for regenerative medicine.
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and possession? Yes
What is the No. 1 action the Legislature should take to address the housing shortage? Provide funding to devlopers for new infrastructure and housing development.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement? NH should not assist at all.
Do you support the Education Freedom Accounts program? No
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all? It should not restrict abortion at all.
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why? I would repeal RSA 194-F, NH’s Education Freedom Account program. I believe public education dollars should be invested in strong, well-funded public schools that serve every child in our communities. At a time when families and municipalities are struggling with rising costs, our state should focus its education resources on strengthening the public schools that are accountable to taxpayers and available to every student.
NH consistently struggles with funding its government and services. What is one way you would raise state revenue, and what is one area you would cut expenses? Be specific. I would increase state revenue by reversing some of the business tax reductions enacted over the past decade, while protecting small businesses through appropriate filing thresholds. On the expense side, I would eliminate the Education Freedom Account program and redirect those state education dollars toward our public schools. NH needs a sustainable revenue structure that adequately funds the services residents depend on without continually shifting costs onto local property taxpayers.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? The state should take greater responsibility for funding an adequate public education rather than continuing to push that burden onto municipalities and local property taxpayers. A child’s educational opportunity shouldn’t depend on the property wealth of the community where they live. I would prioritize increased and more equitable state funding for public schools, particularly special education and communities with limited property-tax capacity, while reducing the pressure on local taxpayers.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? Access to affordable health care, particularly in our rural communities. NH cannot have thriving communities or a strong workforce when families struggle to find primary care, behavioral health services or specialty care close to home. The state should protect Medicaid access, strengthen our rural and community-based health care infrastructure, grow the health care workforce and make it easier for people to receive care before their needs become more serious and more expensive. No one in my community should feel the need to turn to go fund me as a way to access life saving care.
Find more information at the candidate’s website: allenforpeterborough.com
Peter Leishman
Party affiliation: Democrat
What town/city do you live in? Peterborough
Political experience: NH State Representative – 13 terms serving on the House Finance Committee and Joint Legislative Fiscal Committee.
Professional experience: Owner operator of the Milford-Bennington Railroad since 1992.
Community service experience: Peterborough Lions Club (17 years). Past member of the Peterborough Zoning Board of Adjustment (6 years). Past Board Member of the Peterborough Players (6 years).
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and possession? Yes
What is the No. 1 action the Legislature should take to address the housing shortage? Provide funding to developers for new infrastructure and housing development.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement? NH should not assist at all.
Do you support the Education Freedom Accounts program? No
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all? It should not restrict abortion at all.
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why? I believe we should repeal the law that governs Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs) as it exists today. This year alone it is estimated that more than $64 million will be allocated to EFAs. Those funds, in my opinion, should be directed to supporting our public schools first.
NH consistently struggles with funding its government and services. What is one way you would raise state revenue, and what is one area you would cut expenses? Be specific. I would support bringing back the interest and dividends tax. The last full year of the I&D collection was $184.6 million. Losing the I&D revenue alone has significantly impacted the state’s ability to fund critical services. I don’t believe NH has a spending problem. Due to lower liquor sales, reduction of business taxes and the elimination of the I&D tax, we now have a revenue problem.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? The state should provide additional funding for local schools. However, the lack of funds due to the reduction of business taxes, the elimination of of the I&D tax, and EFAs has greatly reduced the state’s ability to provide much needed local school funding.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? High property taxes. Encouraging greater participation by residents at the local level to reduce property taxes should be paramount. Peterborough has one of the highest municipal tax rates in NH. I often hear from residents expressing concerns about their local tax bill. However, when asked, many taxpayers were not aware of a town meeting or budget hearing being held that impacted their tax bill.
This candidate invites people to contact him at prleishman@aol.com.
Jonah Orion Wheeler
Party affiliation: Democrat
What town/city do you live in? Peterborough
Political experience: Four years in the State House
Professional experience: House Environment and Agriculture, Criminal Justice and Public Safety, many sub and study committees.
Community service experience: Zoning board of adjustments. Nonprofit education work.
Policy Positions
Should NH legalize recreational marijuana use and possession? Yes
What is the No. 1 action the Legislature should take to address the housing shortage? It’s a little bit of a combination, but targeted investments is where money is best spent.
How involved should NH government and law enforcement be in immigration enforcement? NH should assist with lawful immigration enforcement consistent with the rights outlined in our constitution.
Do you support the Education Freedom Accounts program? No
To what extent should NH restrict abortion, if at all? I believe in a woman’s right to make these decisions.
What is one law currently on the books in NH that you would repeal, and why? I would repeal the laws that allow for partisan redistricting of the legislature.
NH consistently struggles with funding its government and services. What is one way you would raise state revenue, and what is one area you would cut expenses? Be specific. We should restructure the Statewide Education Property Tax, look into reimplementation of the interests and dividends tax with carveouts for retirees and others, etc.
As people across the state struggle with their local school tax bills, what role should the state play in funding education? There should be an equal statewide tax rate that is distributed back to the towns and cities based on the reality of what is happening on the ground.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you believe is the biggest issue facing the state today? The state’s biggest issue is that there are people who seek to lead it, who have no interest in leading anything other than their friends and their pocket books. We need true leadership that will educate our children with a system sensibly funded, protect our environment from polluters, and keep this state functional for another 250 years.
Find more information at the candidate’s website: jonahwheeler.com
