Londonderry voters will have their chance to cast their ballots on a number of national, state, and county positions on Tuesday, Nov. 8 and one of the positions being voted on will be for the two-year term of State Representative.
There are five incumbents republicans running this year as well as two new-comers.
There are also seven democrat candidates looking for a chance to represent Londonderry at the state hoase.
The 14 candiates were asked: “How will you represent the residents of Londonderry in Concord and in Town?”
Below are their responses:
Republicans:
Tom Dolan
Thank you for taking the time to read this and learning about the upcoming election in November. As a current State Representative from Londonderry, I humbly ask for your continued support and vote.
I am currently serving as the Chair for the “Municipal and County Government” committee as appointed by the Speaker. As Chair, I stopped the insidious democrat initiative to interfere in local Planning Boards. They wanted to mandate that all new homes must use electric heat while prohibiting the installation of oil or gas heat.
The Committee worked closely with the House majority to lower takes even further than last year. The Rooms and Meals tax was lowered last Spring. As tourism continues to be a major source of state income, we must assure travelers to come to NH to enjoy our many resources. Interest and dividend taxes are to be eliminated.
I have been working on a parents’ Bill of Rights to give parents insight into the policies and practices in our local school districts. Specifically, we must assure parents that schools are to educate, not indoctrinate. Most teachers agree.
Ron Dunn
As I am out doork-nocking, residents are telling me they are concerned about paying their oil and electric bills this winter. Inflation and rising property taxes have hit our community hard causing economic instability. As a tax paying citizen, I know the importance of keeping the property tax low. Many in our community are struggling and having a large property tax bill only adds to the pain. We must reduce spending to reduce the tax burden. I don’t want to see people that have owned a home in Londonderry a majority of their life have to sell due to the rising property taxes and evaluations. 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 in our community. 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 regular 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 am fiscally conservative and will always look out for the taxpayers of this town.
David Lundgren
It is an honor to serve the people of our community as a State Representative. I hope you will again trust me to represent you. I will continue to listen to your concerns and represent them to the best of my abilities. I am a long time resident of Londonderry and the business owner/operator of Lundgren Chiropractic. I am a member of the NH Chiropractic Board of Examiners, past Rotary member and Paul Harris Fellow. I am married and have three grown children David, Sara, and Hanna who all share my love for this community.
I have been serving on the State and Federal Veterans Affairs Committee. Thus, I work with various local and area veterans’ assistance and charity organizations such as Verterans Count and Liberty House. At every opportunity I share and learn from others within and without our State on how to reduce the Opioid epidemic through prevention, treatment, and recovery, e.g. being part of meetings with the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC. I hear and share your concerns regarding energy prices, the economy/inflation, food prices, public education, government over regulations, and taxes. I will work with my peers to ensure the NH legislature puts inflation shields in place to protect our industries and our population, to keep taxes as low as possible, have our public schools teach the fundamentals and build upon them, e.g. teaching civics that encourages children to care about their country and to safe guard its founding principles for the betterment of all who live in this great nation.
I have been in business for 46 years. I know the government environment that allows businesses to succeed. I will stand firm to the convictions of my constituents and am committed to working with them to sustain the NH Advantage.
Wayne D. MacDonald
During my first term in the NH House, I made it a point to return every telephone call and most of my e-mails. Some e-mails went to the junk folder and were discovered long after the fact, a problem which I have sought to correct. In each case and with each constituent who contacted me, I made every effort to bring their concern to Concord with me and act accordingly. Each contact from someone was important and received equal consideration. If I was aware of any area of disagreement with the constituent and problem or challenge with the bill or the issue at the time, I also conveyed that to them. I made every effort to be as helpful and informative as I could be.
I also made an effort to attend town council meetings and school board meetings, as my schedule permitted. Although I am not a member of either body, I did want to go from time to time and see if there was something with which the State could be helpful.
I have been in public service for a long time. Prior to being elected to the legislature in 2020 and my professional retirement in 2019, I worked for the NH Department of Health and Human Services for twenty-three years. During that time, I developed a reputation as being very thorough and being a good listener. I listened to clients, colleagues, attorneys, law enforcement officials and defendants. I have done the same as a legislator and will continue to work with everyone I need to in state government as I bring the needs and concerns of Londonderry citizens to our state capitol.
I would deeply appreciate your vote on Nov. 8.
Sherman Packard
I served 32 years total as a state representative and 12 years as the Chair of the Transportation Committee. During my time as a state representative, I served in the following leadership capacities of Republican Leader, Speaker Pro Tempore, Deputy Speaker, and currently Speaker of the House.
Education: As a legislator, it is a privilege to serve my constituents. Part of what I enjoy as a representative is working on leadership development and keeping up with what is happening in legislatures across the nation. As the leader of the NH House, I take every opportunity to learn and am continuously participating in a variety of workshops, education programs, and courses to better myself as an elected official and to gain valuable insight into becoming an effective leader and legislator.
Why are you seeking a term as Londonderry state representative?
During my 32-year tenure as a state legislator, I have been able to effect positive change by passing legislation that is beneficial to the state of NH. We lowered business taxes, protected the unborn, and created the most fiscally conservative budget in recent history. I have worked hard to protect individual freedoms and stood up against federal overreach such as vaccine mandates. As Speaker of the House, I have been successful in returning over $300 million to cities and towns – including Londonderry – for roads, bridges, clean water projects, and property tax relief.
What is a key issue at the state level you hope to focus on, if elected, that could support Londonderry and its residents?
My main focus this term, if elected, is delivering a balanced budget that helps grow our economy, protects the NH Advantage, and puts more money back into the pockets of hardworking families in the form of property tax relief.
Representative Sherman Packard is the Speaker of the NH House and serves Rockingham District 5.
Kristine Perez
I am running because I am concerned about our future. I will focus on anything that helps Londonderry navigate through this challenging economic situation. Fuel, food, and gas prices are affecting everyone. I believe, seniors and middle-class working families are being hit the hardest. Families putting gas in their cars to go to work, food on the table for their children and then paying these outrageous utility bills are struggling. Seniors who have worked all their lives to be secure in their retirement and find themselves having to work to pay their bills. These individuals and families are offered no assistance. We need to work harder to lower prices on these items as well as the ever-rising tax burden in our Town. Town and School officials need to continue to listen and know that we are hurting. The State Representatives have worked hard but much more needs to be done.
I want Parents to have the first and last say in what is right for their children and I will support the Parental Rights Bill that was recently put forward. Children are our future. I will never forget that.
Another very important concern of mine is voter integrity. We need to tighten our voting laws so that legal voters feel secure in the fact that their vote counts.
I have always felt that the residents of Londonderry needed more of a say in the Bills that were offered by our Representatives. I want to offer open meetings where their concerns can be expressed and their ideas of what might help can be voiced. I also, want to make sure that residents are informed regularly on what is happening at the State level that has a direct effect on this Town.
I want to be part of the solution!
Doug Thomas
My principles have guided me during my four terms as state representative and I believe my voting record has sided very favorably with the majority of the voters in town. I’m proud to have served Londonderry by voting against statewide income and sales taxes, government overreach, gun-grab bills, and more. I’ve proudly supported school choice, parental rights in schools, home school improvements, protecting the 2nd Amendment, PFAS water bills, election integrity reform, reducing business taxes, no-mask mandates, banning terminations after the 24th week, ways to mitigate energy costs as
Vice-Chair of the Science, Technology and Energy Committee, and much more. In these ways, I believe I’ve represented the voters in Concord to ensure that I do not vote for legislation contrary to the needs of our residents.
Town government is different from state government. Just as town council members are elected to represent and govern town related issues, state representatives are elected to represent the district at the state level. I attend most Town Councils to learn what is important to Londonderry in order to assess bills coming before the state and at times have addressed the council. I’ve recently suggested to the Town Manager that perhaps a periodic agenda item be placed on Town Council for State Representatives to report on Concord legislation.
For four terms I have provided my email address and phone number for anyone wanting to contact me with a specific concern and have met with those who requested. This door will continue to be available. If I do not know the answer, I will find out or provide information for the agency or committee member best able to answer it.
Democrats
Anne Fenn
To seriously represent the variety of viewpoints in our town, I believe it is crucial that Londonderry residents are consistently informed of the issues being debated in Concord and that you have a number of ways to share your opinions and ideas on these issues. Through out my career in public service, (US Congress and the Environmental Protection Agency) my tasks have included seeking citizen participation on nuclear waste disposal to interviewing people living near federal Superfund sites. All of these experiences have strengthened my belief in ensuring active citizen involvement in our government at all levels.
Surprisingly, there seems to be a lack of real two-way communication opportunities in Londonderry for residents to hear from and speak to their elected State Representatives. If elected, I would like to improve and open communication. I want to hear from you, on your thoughts of how to best communicate. Should your State Representatives use town social media, write a monthly article for the local newspapers, create a community advisory committee, use our local cable show to reach out? Which methods would work best for you, to learn about Concord happenings and provide your input?
I will attend town council, school board meetings, read town social media websites and local and state newspapers. However, in order to directly learn your opinions and specific ideas on both Londonderry and State wide issues, I would also like to suggest establishing public “Listening Sessions” on a quarterly basis. These sessions would be held in a public location, include a State House informational update and could be either issue specific or cover a selection of topics. If we need additional sessions, we could always arrange these too. I would like to hear your ideas and suggestions either in person or email (Fenn4NH.com) Thank you for your time!
Jim Green
As Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe, I said “use your intelligence guided by experience”. While my intelligence is normal, I think I have experience that would help me represent Londonderry. First, I am a senior citizen (78) and have been on the board of “Sugarplum Condo. since 2008 (president for 8 years). I am also a member of the Senior Resource Committee (4 years). We have been very active in working with the Town to find ways to improve things for seniors. We want people to safely stay In their homes and be as healthy and active as they can.
Second, I am a grandfather, and I want my grandchildren to have an education that prepares them for an increasingly dynamic and complex future. I believe our public schools are the foundation that allows everyone to reach their maximum potential. Therefore, I support innovative public education but do not support diverting taxpayer funds to private and religious schools.
I have 40 years of Federal Civil Service experience the last 20 of which were as the Resources and Management Systems Chief at the Coast Guard Research and Devlopment Center. This involved allocating the right mix of money and staff for our portfolio of approximately 150 projects. We partnered with other agencies whenever possible to make the most of our funding and developed multiyear contracts with companies with superior technical abilities. I think my experience in getting the most for each dollar will be useful in Concord.
Finally, I was the Civilian Personnel Director Coast Guard Academy, and a personnel specialist at the VA, and Navy Offices. I have a lot of experience in getting people to work together to solve problems. In the end, I think that is the role of anyone seeking to represent Londonderry.
Edward Combes
I will represent Londonderry in Concord, by pushing for funding for Full Day Kindergarten with funding on the State Level. I will also fight for more resources for Solar projects and for improvements to people’s homes that improve energy usage to help save people money upfront and on their future electric bills. I will also fight for more infrastructure funding for the NHDOT for the state roads and highways in Londonderry and across the state as I know many roads need repairs, and we still have many bridges Red Listed across the state. I will also fight for infrastructure funding for water pipeline projects to bring more clean drinking water to our town. I will also fight to make sure the state picks back up part of the funding to the retirement system for teachers, police, and firefighters across the state, the prior legislature decided to $0 fund this and downshifted the costs to towns across the state, which raises taxes for Londonderry Citizens. I am a Proud Supporter of Public Education, and will fight for more funding for Londonderry and all schools across the state. If I am elected, I will act as I did as Town Councilor, and listen to all concerns and facts on a matter and take them into account when voting. I will listen and help people anyway that I can and direct them to the right solution. I look forward to your vote on Nov. 8.
Note: The Londonderry Times reached out to the candidates through the chair of the Londonderry Democrat Committee for a response, but Gregory Waener, Michela Hites, Alex Killey and Tammy Siekmann chose not to reply to the question.