Access & Availability of Healthcare
Maintaining access and availability to healthcare is critical to attracting the tourists and retirees our local economy depends upon. As a physician and hospital trustee, Bill has been very successful in addressing the unique challenges facing our small local hospitals, such as the cost of birthing centers and newborn screening.
Most people ignore public health unless it breaks. COVID almost broke us. Bill served as Brookfield’s health officer for 20 years. He brought forward legislation that established health officers training and data sharing between health officers and the Division of Public Health. But this is just the start of the robust public health network we need, so the next pandemic doesn’t knock us back down.
Inflation
Our current bout of inflation began at the gas pump, not in Washington. Two US refineries closed during the pandemic, and with the decades long drop in demand, industry has zero reason to replace them. When the pandemic ended, demand exceeded supply and gas prices shot up. Our state government should respond by encouraging the shift to alternative fuels.
Housing and Short Term Rentals
Lack of affordable housing is a huge issue in New Hampshire, and particularly in the resort and retirement communities around Wolfeboro and the White Mountains. Conway voters correctly believe converting long term housing to short term rentals makes this worse. We need to leave zoning and regulation of short term rentals under local control.
Integrity of the Ballot Box
The secret ballot is the foundation of democracy. For 12 years Bill ran elections as the Brookfield Town Moderator. Our elections are fair and no one stole New Hampshire’s election. But the recently passed SB418 would require moderators to identify specific ballots and remove them from the ballot box. That doesn’t sound like a secret ballot! Hopefully the courts will reject this proposal.
Gun Safety
We can both preserve Second Amendment rights and enact reasonable gun safety regulations to curb the epidemic of mass shootings plaguing our nation. As someone who understands both sides of this issue, I will encourage actual dialog so we can address the problem without overstepping bounds.
Climate Change
On our farm over the last twenty years, my wife and I have observed changes in the climate. Now inflation caused by rising gas prices is accelerating our shift away from fossil fuels. This creates an opportunity to find common ground in Concord, addressing climate change and inflation together.
Reproductive Rights
New Hampshire is the only New England state that still hasn’t protected a woman’s right to choose, and we need to address that. But Reproductive Rights is much bigger than access to abortion. During Bill’s first term in the NH House his bill, HB1822, made hormonal contraceptives available behind the counter by standing order in NH. Funding for that was included last year as part of his smoking cessation products bill, also passed by the NH House. You can be sure that Bill will continue to advocate for reproductive rights.
Cannabis Legalization
Prohibition didn’t work in the 1930s and it doesn’t work now. New Hampshire is an island of prohibition in New England, and eventually that will change. But there are concerns about the effects of legalization on public health. Thanks to Bill’s legislation about cannabis use during pregnancy, posters and pamphlets with more information are now in alternative treatment centers. This year, he amended the legalization bill the House sent to the Senate to make sure this information would be available to consumers. Bill is supportive of cannabis legalization provided the associated public health concerns are addressed.
Stop Radical Politics
The key issue facing New Hampshire today is whether we allow the radical right NH Liberty Alliance, who has already taken over the NH Republican Party, to control NH Politics. If we let this happen, our opinions on every other issue we care about will not matter. Bill is determined to preserve the NH he moved to 50 years ago and not allow extreme radicals to change the NH we know and love.