New Hampshire’s motto is “Live Free or Die.” Do you know how it started?” It was from a toast written by New Hampshire’s General John Stark in the Revolutionary War in 1809. General Stark was unable to attend an anniversary reunion of the Battle of Bennington due to poor health. He sent his toast by […]
In April, all twenty-four House committees have been holding “public hearings” and “executive sessions” on Senate bills, while the Senate similarly scrutinizes passed House bills. Some bills have already passed both legislative bodies and been sent to the Governor’s desk for signature or veto, and legislators are already maneuvering to collect votes for overriding or […]
Safety. Privacy protection. Fairness. Beautiful words disguising lies as works of art, and the deceptions passed by our House of Representatives are truly breathtaking in their grandeur. None of these words contain truth. In voting to allow illegal immigrants to obtain state issued driver’s licenses, the Democratic majority made us less safe, undermined citizen’s privacy, […]
I would like to thank our representative, Ken Wells, for continuing the tradition of providing reports on the status of budgets, legislation, and activities of our state legislature in Concord. We are fortunate to have both a representative motivated to make the effort, and a local newspaper that provides a means of reaching the people […]
Things have continued to be very busy in the State House, and I’ve been in the thick of things. Starting on a personal note, I will admit it was a thrill (and a bit scary!) to make my first speech before 400 Representatives, media and gallery guests “from the well”, as the pulpits on the […]
Upon reading the April issue of the Andover Beacon, I was disappointed with the limited information on reporting of “bills” by State Rep Ken Wells (Andover, Danbury, Salisbury) and could not find a report from State Rep David Karrick (Andover, Danbury, Salisbury, Webster, Warner). Obtained information of their voting on bills, and I don’t understand […]
I would like to clarify that the Whitewater Park is not a plastic slide, amusement park. It is whitewater rafting and kayaking on the Winnipesaukee River that rapidly makes its way into downtown Franklin, and we are fortunate to have this resource. While families may be drawn to Franklin for the water park, they will […]
I hope residents at Town Meeting noticed that the town budget passed easily, that the Select Board, Budget Committee, and Town Administrator answered every question easily, and that those two Boards and the Moderator facilitated the progress of the meeting and treated everyone’s questions fairly. It appeared that participants were happy to move along the […]
During the last few weeks, the House has voted on hundreds of bills. There are several dozen bills still to go before the deadlines looming late in March. Some bills were passed or shot down on quick voice votes, and others had hours of speeches and debate. Here are a few highlights, and I apologize […]
Dear Friends, One resident characterized my Moderator work as “worst town meeting ever.” It was my responsibility for the hesitation in blocking shouting, and fumbling the nested amended warrant articles. I’d like the community to understand how I tried to prepare. From the date of town meeting, wherein I was elected, until the March 2019 […]