Ann Carter of Peterborough attended the Unitarian Church’s community spaghetti supper, as she does every week, before heading to the town hall for a candidate forum on Wednesday.
But even after eating pasta with state Rep. Jonah Wheeler and listening to all the candidates’ positions, Carter still doesn’t know who to vote for.
“I’ve got to think about it,” Carter said. “I hate that I have to choose between the three of them because they’re all good.”
On Tuesday, Nov. 3, Peterborough and Sharon voters will decide which two candidates will represent them in the New Hampshire House of Representatives. At the forum, write-in candidate Amanda Allen joined incumbents Peter Leishman and Wheeler to discuss their stances on key issues and answer questions from voters.
Republican candidate Kimberly Thomas did not attend.
On most issues, the candidates echoed each other. They support environmental protections and affordable housing, restoring an interest and dividends tax, implementing a second home property tax, reinstating car inspections and opposing the school tax cap on the ballot.
When asked their top priority, their focus diverged.
When asked about his top issue, Leishman said he would want to shift New Hampshire’s education funding structure toward the state rather than localities.
In July 2025, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled the state’s base adequacy aid of around $4,100 per student unconstitutional and required it to be at least $7,356 per student. The Legislature has not addressed this ruling.
“That would be my first priority, trying to get the property taxes under control by providing state funding for education,” Leishman said.
For Allen, bolstering Medicaid is No. 1. She argued the state has hollowed out the funding for this mandatory service, and while she said she trusts the other representatives will work to fund education, her goal is to protect Medicaid.
It’s “another example of downstreaming these costs and putting it on the shoulders of taxpayers and the people who are actually contributing to the resources of the state,” she said.
Wheeler said the first item on his list is to lower the property tax by working with fellow representatives from both sides of the aisle.
“The priority of the Legislature is addressing the tax system that is pricing people out of this state by serving as a second mortgage,” he said. “The only way to do that is with collaboration between ideologies.”
The election is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Peterborough residents can vote at the Peterborough Community Center, and Sharon residents can vote at the Meeting House.