New Hampshire State Representative
Strafford County District 1: Milton/Middleton
Vote for Two Democratic Candidates
Why am I running for state rep from Milton/Middleton?
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| Candace Cole-McCrea |
This is the most important question.
Why am I running?
Why am I running?
I have a wonderful neighbor who is a great man and good
friend. At any time, day or night,
24/7 if I am in need, he will come over and fix whatever so I and my son are
safe. You see, I use a wheelchair. This neighbor comes to help at all hours, smiling, never charging
me for more than cost of materials, if that. I live in a safer world because of him.
This neighbor is an outspoken Tea Party member. I am a Democrat. We both have sons about the same age
with similar disabilities. We both
are struggling to help our sons
move into adult lives of meaning and value in a social world that is not
so accepting of differences. We
both worry about our sons futures
after we are no longer able to care for them.
In so many ways, my neighbor and I are so much alike. I strongly believe in helping everyoneI can, whether they can pay me or not…so does he. We both want fairness for our sons in the social world. We both love New Hampshire and want the best for her future and for her citizens. We both share similar frustrations in the current crises in our state, country and world. We both want to live out our lives safely in our own homes.
My neighbor is a major reason why I am running for state
rep. I am heartbroken at the way our system has coached us all,
all neighbors, to hate and tear each other apart for thinking differently. I despair when I hear how people
elected to represent their constituencies, sometimes, actually work to manifest their own personal agendas without
even listening to what their communities want or need… as if they, the elected,
know what is best for everyone…”my way or else” has become the doctrine of
public life.
I thought
elected persons were supposed to:
1.
Represent
the people who elected them to the
best of their ability…isn’t that why we call them “representatives”?
2.
Be public servants…serve the citizenship and their communities
and not dictate policy in an authoritarian way.
I think I have something to offer. I have spent a lifetime learning how to find unity in
differences. I have years of
training in conflict resolution to find best possible solutions that
incorporate the wisdom of each person who comes to the table. I seek to truly respect
diversity, even of opinion, and not demand obedience to my will. I am not perfect, but I can learn from
others. I am a listener.
I would like to be given an opportunity to help the
legislature and citizens step beyond the anger at extreme views to work
for the goals we all share: safety and support for our families,
good neighbors, good health, home and job security, vital communities,
and an
environmentally strong and prosperous future for New Hampshire.
And more than
this, I would like to be given the opportunity to listen to each one of you…to
achieve this goal, I commit to having regular public meetings, open to anyone,
in libraries or other community gathering places, well publicized. I will want to hear you.
Thank you for “listening” to me. If I am elected, I will spend far more of my time listening
to you, than asking you to listen to me.
Larry Brown
Larry Brown
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| Larry Brown |
Susann and I live in an old cape just north of the Farm
Museum about five minutes from the Middleton Town Line. We have lived there since 1995. She was born in Concord. My father’s family farmed N.H. before
it was a state – my great grandfather ran the poor farm down in Milford. My grandfather was a Roosevelt Reform
Republican. Born in the shadow of
the Civil War he was still working at 80 and out on strike for fair wages and
worker’s rights.
The NH we have today is yesterday’s gift – given by the people
who came before us who worked for a common good – in common hope. For 15 years I have worked to pay for
my fair share of that gift, to pay back what came to me and to “pay it forward”
to people I will never meet.
I’ve served on over a dozen Town and County elected boards,
committees, volunteer groups and projects and I’ve served three terms as your
State Rep in a bi-partisan legislature committed to civil government and the
services of government that make NH Democracy work.
There is no democracy without a fair tax system. I’m the Budget Chair in Milton. We respect taxes. We set a tight budget. We expect full service from our town
employees and full value for our local tax dollars.
We didn’t get that respect from Concord this session. We didn’t get full service and we
didn’t get full value. What we got
was trickle down taxes. Concord
threw away close to 20 million dollars in cigarette taxes and about another 100
million in highway funding.
How did Concord expect to get that money back? From your local property tax. Check for State aid with your school
district. Ask your road agent
about block grant funds for road repair. It’s time to get the Legislature out of the bedroom
and back to work on the budget. We
need to fund safe highways and bridges for business and tourism and our daily
use. We need to fund public
education, “Kindergarten through UNH”, to build the skilled workforce we need
to bring more employers to our state.
I believe I have a solid bi-partisan reputation for
competence, courtesy, and community service. If you agree, please vote to send me back to Concord as your
State Rep from Strafford’s #1 District Milton/ Middleton.
