NH election 2022: 4 vie for 3 House seats to represent Dover Ward 4, Lee, Madbury
Four candidates are running four three New Hampshire House seats in Strafford County District 11 representing Dover Ward 4, Lee and Madbury, a reconfigured district.
Democrats have two incumbents, Rep. Janet Wall (Madbury) and Thomas Southworth (Dover) on the ballot, along with Hoy Robert Menear (Lee). There is one Republican challenger: Wayne Lehman (Lee).
Below are responses to a questionnaire sent to all candidates.
Wayne Lehman
Hometown: Lee
The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and placed the power to regulate abortion with the states. What should state lawmakers do regarding abortion laws?
At this time, NH has a new statue in place covering this hot topic. We should give this new statute time and then modify it or not based on actual facts, not political hype.
The state's residents and businesses face many economic challenges, including high prices for electricity and fuel, a labor shortage, a lack of affordable housing and rising prices due to inflation. How would you address these challenges?
We need to make it more attractive for job growth by lowering the cost to do business here. We also must provide more abundant power sources for our citizens. At the state and local level, we need to have better control over spending vs. resources. Unfortunately, the root causes of our overall inflation problem is due to national poor decision making.
What else do you want voters to know about you or your policy positions before the election on Nov. 8?
There are plentiful examples of problems with school districts and administrations shutting parents out of deciding what and how they indoctrinate our children, including in matters of a sexual nature, how our history is viewed, and how to function in society. We need to insure parental rights by codifying them in law.
Thomas Southworth
Hometown: Dover
The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade and placed the power to regulate abortion with the states. What should state lawmakers do regarding abortion laws?
I strongly support a woman's right to make her own health care decisions. Unfortunately, abortion restrictions were put into the back of the state budget without hearings or public input. This decision was supposedly made to guarantee support prior to the budget vote. The new law does not make exception for rape or incest and criminalizes doctors. This was certainly the wrong way to make major changes to NH law and yet the governor and Republican leadership went along with it. I will vote to repeal this law and will support legislation that protects women's rights
The state's residents and businesses face many economic challenges, including high prices for electricity and fuel, a labor shortage, a lack of affordable housing and rising prices due to inflation. How would you address these challenges?
There is a huge discrepancy between "property rich" and "property poor" communities in New Hampshire and the gap is getting wider. The state budget is a key contributor to our economic problems. There's a reluctance to address issues until it's too late or more expensive (school funding, energy alternatives, affordable housing, the opioid crisis, mental health). There have been numerous bills to address these challenges, but most of them have been voted down by the current legislature. The reliance on property taxes with limited state aid is not a workable model for a successful future for our citizens. Meanwhile, taxes on high earning businesses and residents continue to be reduced. If New Hampshire had a solid base, it would be easier for communities to adapt to the ups and downs of our ever-changing world.
What else do you want voters to know about you or your policy positions before the election on Nov. 8?
I would immediately repeal the expansive school voucher program that is not supported by most voters. This dramatic change was also slipped into the back of the budget despite significant public opposition. It's not reasonable to give millions of dollars primarily to religious schools while continuing to fund public education at one of the lowest levels in the country. It's unbelievable that parents of children with special needs must sign away their special education rights in order to qualify for school vouchers. I would continue to vote against "Right to Work" bills designed to reduce workers' power, wages, and benefits. I would support legislation on common sense gun safety, fair redistricting, increasing voter access, renewable energy initiatives, and protections for all citizens including LGBT members. NH should continue to pay a share of the employer cost to the retirement system. At the local level I will continue to focus on bills that have a positive impact on Dover.
Editor's note: Seacoast Media Group made a good-faith effort to distribute our candidate questionnaire to all candidates. We will add any missing candidate questionnaires when they are received. If any candidates have questions or need information on how to be included, please email news@seacoastonline.com or news@fosters.com with "candidate questionnaire" in the subject line.
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: NH election 2022: 4 vie for 3 Dover Ward 4, Lee, Madbury House seats
