By Chris Paul
With the State Primary Election less than two weeks away, on Tuesday Sept. 13, the newspaper asked candidates for Republican State Representative of Rockingham District 16 to give a brief statement of why they would be the most deserving of resident’s vote.
There are 10 candidates running for seven seats in Concord on the republican ballot and we gathered the following statements from those candidates.
This year, because of recent redistricting, voters will also be asked to choose between two candidates running for one District 35 seat.
Each candidate was asked to answer: Why you are the best candidate to vote for in the primary?
Note: There won’t be a contested primary on the Democrat Ballot, therefore we did not ask for their response to the question at this time.
Candidates are in alphabetical order, not in the order in which they will appear on the ballot. Candidates Kathleen Kilroy and Julius Soti did not submit a response.
Ron Dunn
Hello, my name is Ron Dunn and I am running as a State Representative here in Londonderry. You should come out to vote for me because I am hardworking, dedicated and passionate about helping people. I am a person who will try to bring people together and am willing to work with anyone to get the best results for the taxpayers here in Londonderry. You will always know where I stand on the issues.
I am currently on the HB737 PFAS Commission. This is a group of appointed legislators and community activists who investigate and analyze the impacts of PFAS. I have been dealing with the PFAS in the water here in Londonderry since 2017 and have been on bottled water since 2019. I am fighting for you, the taxpayer, to make the polluters pay and not the taxpayer. Every individual in Londonderry deserves to have clean water in their home.
I will not change my vote to gain favor with any group or individuals. I will take this very seriously. I will not miss any votes and will attend sub committee meetings. I will also hold quarterly meetings with the voters here in Londonderry so they can let me know what their pressing issues are and I can update them on what is happening in Concord. I will always try to save the taxpayers money.
I received an “A” from the NRA and am a Lifetime Member. I have been endorsed by Cornerstone, Liberty Must Win and the Granite State Tax Payers. I humbly ask for your vote on September 13th
Tom Dolan – Incumbent
I want to take this opportunity to thank the community for recently selecting me as the 2021 Londonderry Citizen of the Year. I was honored to be part of our Old Home Day’s parade a few weeks ago. This parade has become such a wonderful tradition for our town and encourages bringing our citizens together for a fun community event. I have always loved this community and am proud to say I have dedicated many hours of public service and continue to be a firm believer of paying it forward.
While serving on the town council since 2001, I was urged by citizens in 2018 to run for a seat as a State Representative in Concord where my insights as a town official were thought by many to be beneficial to work in the state legislature. I am proud of the many accomplishments thus far in the 2 terms I have served in Concord especially this year as the 2021 Chairman of the Municipal and County Government Sub-Committee.
I have voted for responsible management of the state budget such as building up the “rainy day fund” to $257M, decreasing the statewide property taxes by $100M, and authorizing an audit of the Windham State Representative race (SB43) thereby verifying voter checklists for greater election security. I voted to enhance our clean water for the environment as we have empowered the state to enforce the remediation of PFAS cleanup and have provided several thousand dollars to individual Londonderry residents to protect their water supply.
I am proud of my contributions as your present state legislator is one I hope you will vote for me for another term as your state representative as I work with our very capable Speaker of the House Londonderry’s Sherman Packard.
Laura El-Azem
New Hampshire is a truly wonderful place to live, work and raise up a family. Our spirit is unique in the Northeast: we value freedom and personal responsibility, and we can be a little stubborn in all the right ways about defending our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That goes double for many of us who came to the Granite State from places where they don’t quite see things the same way.
This past legislative session, far too many bills promoting freedom and fiscal responsibility came too close to call, and despite majority support, too many commonsense proposals failed for lack of a few Republican votes. The fact is, New Hampshire’s Live Free or Die spirit is under constant assault. A stronger, more committed Republican majority is essential to hold the line. With your help, we can do that and more: cut taxes and overregulation, control spending, ensure parental prerogatives, preserve Constitutionally protected rights, and defend our citizens from federal government overreach.
Londonderry has seven dedicated State Representatives, plus one “floater” with Windham. If you elect me to serve you, you can count on me to show up and cast my vote in a consistent, principled manner that comports with the US and NH Constitutions, the Republican Party Platform, and the best interests of Londonderry citizens. Specifically, I support fiscal prudence, freedom of conscience, parents’ rights, school choice and human dignity. I will vote against every proposed income tax, any diminishment of free speech, and the erosion of our right to keep and bear arms.
I will serve you faithfully, because I am deeply grateful for the opportunities New Hampshire has afforded me and my family to live in peace and prosperity, in beautiful natural surroundings, in freedom. Thank you for considering me.
Please visit www. Laura4Londonderry.com
Dave Lundgren – Incumbent
At this time, as a state representative, I am on the state and federal Veterans Affairs Committee. I am dedicated to helping those that have served. One topic that is top of mind is opioid abuse. Sadly, this is on the rise and our veterans and active military have a high incidence of abuse. I drafted HB247 which is currently in the study committee and is an opioid reduction act. It is essentially alternative care for chronic pain. This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to create a voluntary non-opioid directive form which may be used for non-opioid treatment options for pain. This bill also establishes insurance coverage for such treatment options. The committee will meet this summer to hopefully bring this bill to vote in the next session. I am proud to work with both republicans and democrats for the betterment of our great state and for our neighbors. I have always worked across the aisle to garner support from my democratic constituents. As a result, I have received cooperation from the other side. If I have your support, hopefully we can pass this bill.
It is my intention to run for another term as your representative for the town of Londonderry and I would like to take this opportunity to ask for your vote. If you trust me again with your vote, I will be the representative who continues to listen to you and continues to work to solve the challenges that we face because YOUR voice matters. I will continue working to restore New Hampshire to the way life should be. Again, I firmly believe that the people of New Hampshire are worth fighting for.
Kristine Perez
An easy answer as to why I am the best candidate to choose as a Londonderry State Representative is to just state my qualities that the people of this town have come to know. I pride myself on my honesty, my transparency, and my true commitment to all the people of Londonderry. My honesty comes easily as I believe that the truth is the only way to communicate. I research issues thoroughly before I speak and attempt to obtain every detail. I must admit that, at times, the real truth can only be found beneath the layers of mud placed on it by those that want it hidden. I have no personal agenda other than to serve and represent the residents of this great town. My first, but not only priorities, currently for Londonderry and the State are energy (electricity), pure water, and parental rights. I have also signed and submitted the “State Taxpayers Protection Pledge” to vote against “any and all efforts to increase taxes” as well as the Taxpayers Pledge with the “Coalition of NH Taxpayers” stating that I will “oppose all efforts to impose a sales, income, or broad-based tax”. I will fight for the Second Amendment having started the “Londonderry Second Amendment Preservation Coalition” in 2021. We worked with “Protect NH” providing education and action on Bills being put forward in the State concerning our rights.
I have been called a strong conservation and a Patriot. I love this State and this Country. I will follow the NH Constitution. I have studied it for multiple years and just recently attended another class on its legal interpretation.
Please consider and vote for me on September 13, 2022, so that I might proudly and enthusiastically serve my community.
Respectfully, Kristine Perez (Candidate for NH State Representative District 16)
Moira Ryan
My name is Moira Ryan and I am running for state representative I am fighting for people to live their best lives.
We need to: encourage more healthcare specialists to come to NH and open small business practices. We have severe waitlists due to onerous regulations. Small businesses pay taxes removing tax burden from homeowners. We must keep taxes low so people survive inflation.
We must improve education. Education affects so much: the quality and availability of the workforce, retirement, and prosperity of our children and theirs. Globalization has negatively impacted the workforce as jobs moved overseas. Education is a means of giving people flexibility. At present, almost 20% of graduating classes consist of people with no meaningful employment skills. This is unsustainable, stopping them from participating fully in society. I have championed three bills which were signed by the governor. I rallied for para training (now available through NHTI/321). I continue to work on attaining the best educational opportunities for children, including school choice.
Parents have huge role. The #1 indicator of school success is parent involvement. Parent involvement does NOT mean fundraising/volunteering. It means being transparent. Telling the public what is happening in schools with curriculum and what money is being spent on. It means guaranteeing public comment. It means conducting adequate background checks and ensuring children are safe. It means being accountable to the people.
I have been part of the SAC education committee and am a chair for dispute resolution. I have run organizations like Order of Omega and Phi Mu. I have worked for Fortune 500 Companies.
I am a veteran and I advocate for my fellow veterans. I want the best for my children and yours.
Vote for Moira Ryan September 13.
Sherman Packard – Incumbent
I am proud of the hard work done by the NH legislature in Concord, and as House Speaker, I am equally proud of the Republican accomplishments that have carried our state through the pandemic and left us in a better financial position than pre-COVID.
For the last 16 terms, I’ve had the honor of representing Londonderry. I am a retired small business owner, a member of the Masonic Fraternity and of the Londonderry Lions Club. I am deeply committed to my community and believe everyone has the right to individual freedom and to live according to his or her own standards without government interference. As your legislator, I have taken that philosophy with me to Concord. It has dictated the way I conduct myself in everything that I have done as your elected representative.
I am asking to be re-elected as your state representative to continue the good work House Republicans have delivered this year. Under my leadership as House Speaker, Republicans produced a fiscally responsible and balanced budget, cutting spending by $172.5 million over the prior state portion which resulted in a 3% cut from budget to budget. Today, NH enjoys an historically low unemployment rate, steady job growth and a boom in small business ventures. I worked hard to help establish Education Freedom Accounts, I spoke out against federal overreach and was able to deliver over $300 million to cities and towns – including Londonderry – for roads, bridges and property tax relief.
I am determined to keep my promise of putting Londonderry first, and keep the state of NH moving in the right direction. I am grateful for your vote! Re-elect me, Sherm Packard, as your state representative on Tuesday, September 13th.
Wayne D. MacDonald – Incumbent
I want to begin this message by thanking you for the opportunity to serve you and all of our fellow citizens in the State House for these past two years. The Republican-led legislature has accomplished a great deal, from cutting and eliminating taxes to protecting individual rights. We have passed choice in education and sent 100 million dollars back to the cities and towns for property tax relief. This is just a part of our record. Much more was done and needs to be done in addition to it and I want to be a part of that.
Public service is very important to me. Prior to being elected as one of your state representatives in 2020, I worked at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services for twenty-three years, investigating and prosecuting welfare fraud. I retired as the senior investigator for the Department in 2019, having resolved 2,339 cases. Hundreds of those cases were resolved as successful prosecutions, resulting in convictions in either circuit or superior court. The cases which were resolved through criminal and civil actions resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars being returned to the state coffers.
Even though I was only in my first term in the legislature this past term and served as a freshman, my experience in state government and politics in general (managing campaigns and serving in multiple Republican Party leadership roles), enabled me to serve as the Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Election Law. I supported many efforts to make our elections more secure.
My various experiences have enabled me to learn a great deal about how to get things done and who to work with in the process. As you consider the seven choices you have in this primary, I think that I have made the case I am one of the best ones. I respectfully ask for your vote.
Doug Thomas – Incumbent
Being a state representative allowed me the freedom and the ability to pay back to my community to keep NH and Londonderry the great place they are. I’ve been a NH resident since I was 9 years old and fully understand what it means to be fiscally conservative, have less government overreach, and promote liberty as the best way towards the pursuit of happiness. I’ve seen our freedoms eroded by politicians who believe Government is the solution. It’s not. More government is the problem. Now, more than ever, we need a strong, conservative voice with a record to back it up.
I have that record. I’m proud to have served Londonderry by voting against statewide income and sales taxes, government overreach, gun-grab bills, third trimester terminations, and more. I’ve proudly supported school choice, parental rights in schools, home school improvements, PFAS water bills, election integrity reform, reducing business taxes, no-mask mandates, and much more.
I have been endorsed by the NH Liberty Alliance, the NRA with an “A” rating, received the Conservative Excellence Award by CPAC and ACUF with a 97% score, received the Legislative Gold Award from the Granite State Taxpayers, Cornerstone Action score 100%, and have a 95% House Republican Alliance score.
Experience does matter. We passed important legislation that has kept New Hampshire on the right track. But to build on our successes, we need to do more to strengthen our progress, especially in education, election integrity, energy policies, assistance for our elderly and fixed income residents, and more. That is why I am running again and believe I’m best qualified to be part of the Londonderry delegation. With your support, we will continue to make the changes to keep NH going in that direction. I ask for your vote in the primary on September 13.
District 35 candidate
Roger W Fillio
I am the best candidate to represent you, largely because of my long, varied work and learning history. I have worked in the school system. I completed 35 years Army service, Training coordination, Instruction and Plan Development.
Being able to react and make decisions to keep moving forward and finish the plan/job was a skill I learned early and still use today.
I have worked in the retail industry at many levels. I started as a store manager in small company and early on I became Construction Manager. From that single store we grew to 50 large stores in major malls. It is now called the GAP.
The ability to see a problem, analyze it, and move forward with solution to get positive results.
My pledge to You is:
I will attend all days the House Representatives are sessions and attend all assigned committees possible. As Representative of the people, I will listen to and keep them informed.