Busy, Busy, Busy... You have NO idea of the amount of change that takes place when you actually are elected! Blizzards of paperwork, action items, places to go, people to meet... An exciting, interesting, intellectually stimulating learning experience. And all around you, the sounds of silence. Everybody else has already moved on with their lives.

And, the questions I have! What do I do now? How can I effectively manage to actually accomplish things? How do I work this into my schedule? How do I keep the people informed? What resources are available to help me? Being a State Representative in NH isn't something you do for the money. You get a small stipend ($100/year?), mileage reimbursement and free passage thru the toll booths. I ran on a platform of neither asking for nor accepting donations. I was true to that pledge. Now that I'm elected, I want to keep the people informed. How do I keep this blog available? It costs me money for a button on the local media website. Is this still considered political advertising? Should I bother? Does anyone actually read this?

Want to know the biggest concern I had before I was elected? Would I have to wear a "uniform"? I haven't worn a suit since I got married almost 50 years ago. I quit wearing ties in 1974 when the oil embargo hit and the company let us stop wearing ties because the air conditioning was being turned up. They never rescinded the edict and I never put one on again. Now, however, it's clear to me that there is a "uniform"... At least there is if you want to be an effective legisalator. So, if you happen to see me in a suit and tie, you'll know why. The things that I do for you...

Comments to this blog are welcomed, but I believe that you have to first establish a username before you can post them. Then, because I use the blog's preview option, I get an email that the comment was written and I either approve the posting of the comment or delete it. Not censorship, just not interested in having people reading obscene material. And yes, I understand that obscenity is in the eye of the beholder. That would be me, in this case. So, post away if you choose to. It may just take a little while for me to get it out there.

CNN is predicting that Carol Shea-Porter will be the winner in the NH First Congressional District race, beating incumbent Republican Jeb Bradley. You may (or may not) hear about this as a significant historic event. From my (very personal) perspective, it is. I'm in that district. I've watched Carol grow and mature as a candidate for national office over the last six months, becoming convinced that not only was she a good choice, but that she had a chance to win. She was worth helping. Apparently a lot of other people also felt the same way. She managed to win the primary election with little money and little "establishment" support or encouragement. Carol worked hard. Her supporters won it for her with their hard work and gusto. She was given little chance by the pundits to win the general election, running against a well financed incumbent. Again, compared to those campaigns considered "winnable" by the establishment, she received little monetary support or encouragement. They, all of them, underestimated the power of her supporters. Carol worked harder. So did her supporters, more and more of them. Again, they won it for her. Big Time!

So, what's historic about that? Simple... Those of us that live in this district now have a Congresswoman that can go to Washington owing nobody, except us. Not "Big Money". Not the Party Apparatus. Us... The "other 99%". Only time will tell what she can, or will, make of this opportunity, but, for now, enjoy. God Speed, Carol. We'll be watching (and watching out for) you. Keep in touch...

It's just past 9:30 PM on a chilly fall evening. I've just finished a full day of visiting with voters in the four towns that I'm campaigning in. I held signs in Deerfield on a frosty early morning, dropped off a sign in Northwood midmorning, spent the midday hours in Nottingham holding signs with some of Carol Shea Porter's ardent supporters and finished off the day holding signs and greeting friends in Candia. I would suggest that we all owe a debt of gratitude to the many, many dedicated volunteers who care enough about our country to get involved in the political process and make our elections possible. Party affiliation aside, there is a large pool of smart, talented, caring people out there who understand the importance of free and fair elections. They, like I do, want their vote to not only count, but to be counted, honestly, openly and fairly. It's essential that we, as a country, ensure that this happens.

The votes are in, they're being counted, the results will become available. The talking heads will now be ready to tell us what it all meant. Would that they really knew... Thanks to everybody that voted for me, special thanks to those that actively supported me. Whatever the results, with friends like you, I'm proud to be a part of this wonderful country we live in.

Election Time is almost here. The mood on the street is ugly... I've been attending local events to meet people and get "visibility". Why, I don't know, but that's another story. Three "Old Home Day" events and the local Fair. There were 57,000 people on the grounds on a beautiful fall day and a significant number of them went by the booth that our local Democratic group organized and staffed. A really enlightening experience for me. I spent four days, literally dawn to dusk, watching people, chatting with them and getting lectured on the sad state of politics today. I had the opportunity to meet a number of candidates, from Governor on down, both parties. Even got my picture taken with John Lynch, our current (and future, for a long time I think) Governor. For your enjoyment....

What's wrong with Grass and Trees? Something a friend asked me the other day when we were discussing a proposed development in town, with the underlying theme that there had to be a better place for the development then here. Newsweek, in their latest edition has an article on the decline in the housing market highlighting how restrictive zoning ordinances raise the costs of housing (raise the value of your property, raise your property taxes). Does anyone out there know of a place that has prevented development with restrictive zoning?

Signs, Signs and more signs... As a candidate, I've resisted the urge to put up signs trumpeting my candidacy. I'm well aware that the political axiom is that "the candidate with the most signs wins". If that's true, and I don't believe it is, then getting elected should be easy. All it takes is money. "Money is the root of all evil", right? It's also said that "A picture is worth a thousand words". Here's 3000 words about not littering the landscape, an anonymous comment (No, I didn't put it up!) on political signs and a somewhat humorous and probably unintended consequence of sign placement that I saw on the internet. Enjoy!

Here's who I run for...
I spent a wonderful day at Nottingham Day Saturday. Here's a picture of some of the young people that I want to represent. Education, health care, the environment. What kind of a world do we want to leave for them?

Hunters, Shooters and Sportsmen... John Harrigan is one of my favorite writers. Here's his latest take on part of the equation.
http://www.unionleader.com/columns.aspx/Opinion?channel=c385ca6f-fb9a-4c7b-9b39-899062752a63

John writes that he doesn't think of hunting as a sport. This creates a real problem for me. By his own words, he's a hunter and I need a special word for him, like sportsman, that allows me to describe him as better than average, in much the same manner that I would call him a gentleman or a scholar. Most of us know the difference between good, bad and evil. We need short, simple words that will allow us to easily communicate our impressions of actions observed. John is one of the good guys. He's a hunter and a sportsman. Live with it, John.

Now, shooters, and worse, far worse, killers, are a different story. John offers explanations, not judgments, about the shooters. I'm a gun owner, I've hunted in the past and would again if it was the difference between eating and not eating. I remember reading about a young boy who was forced by his father to eat an eagle that he'd shot, as a lesson learned. Sportsmen, and hunters, eat what they kill. Shooters? It's like taking your .22 to the dump in the old days to shoot rats. I can offer explanations and rationalize it, I won't pass judgment on it, but it does raise questions in my mind. With killers, those who enjoy killing, judgment is clear. I know it as evil...

This Guy explains it better than I can... http://www.kabc.com/mcintyre/listingsEntry.asp?ID=432586&PT=McIntyre+in+the+Morning

The bottom line is simple. You get what you pay for! Government, for all its faults, beats not having one. Ask the Native Americans. How different would this country be today if they'd had an immigration service and run all of us thru Ellis Island? I've ALWAYS voted the person, not the party. Voting a straight party ticket gets you elected officials like the guy from the Nashua area that got elected to the State Legislature before people found out that he had a website that advocated shooting cops. I wonder how the voters of his district felt when they heard that? And, did I hear he's back again? Running for the State Senate this time? Bet you don't vote in the Primary Elections, do you? Surprise! That's how people get on the November General Election ballot. Know what date they are? "Primary Election: September 12, 2006"... (copied directly from the Secretary of State's website - ever visited it? Fascinating place!)

My name will be on the Rockingham District One (Candia, Deerfield, Northwood, Nottingham) ballots for State Representative in that election. I'd appreciate your vote.

If I had a magic wand.... (With apologies to Doonesbury for copying their image - I don't have a direct link to them).

Here's a link that I found interesting. http://www.bivingsreport.com/2006/321/
Hopefully, it has some relevance to this effort...

For the past several years I‘ve been visiting each of the towns in our district. I met many wonderful people. Some were new acquaintances, some were old friends. I sat down with your local officials. I attended events and meetings. I viewed your homes, businesses, schools, playgrounds, fields, forests, waterways and cemeteries. In my travels, I was impressed by how much was similar in each of the four towns. Thoughtful people, growing families, small town rural atmosphere and a concern about the effects of growth on our communities. All four towns are concerned about the increases in property taxes and have active efforts to protect land with conservation easements. We need to continue and expand these efforts if we want to protect and preserve our communities. We need more help from both the state and the federal levels. If I’m elected, I’ll provide the leadership to help improve our efforts.

I've been a resident of Candia for over 45 years and an active participant in civic affairs all of that time. I’m a fiscal conservative, a political moderate, experienced, caring, competent and committed. I’m passionate about small children and puppy dogs, personal freedom and civic responsibility. I’m a husband, father, grandfather. pro-choice gunowner veteran. I’ve held public office in Candia, both elective and appointive. I’m currently the Candia School District Treasurer, a member of the Candia Conservation Commission and the bookkeeper for the Trustees of Trust Funds. Educated and trained as an engineer, I’m a farmer by avocation, a student and educator by choice, and a workaholic of necessity. I recently retired after 42 years in the defense industry. I’m still working hard and keeping busy, although I enjoy not having a daily commute. I work with and support many local volunteer groups and organizations including the Scouts, PTO, local youth athletic teams, libraries, schools, conservation advocates and business associations. If I’m elected, I’ll use the talents God gave me and the experience I’ve gained over the past 70 years to try to be one of the best representatives you’ve ever had.

Writing to a Blog, I find, presents several challenges. First, there's the technical challenge of using a new and unfamiliar computer program, for that's really what blogger.com is. A sophisticated collection of different programming tools, hopefully making it possible for us to easily (and I use that word advisedly) communicate with other people thru the internet. What do you have to do to get the tool to do what you want it to do? How does this word processor work? Is there a "spell-checker" here? How do I get data from another program into this one? What happens when I try something here? These challenges are easier to handle if you are already computer-literate, because you can use the experience gained over the years to identify the intent of the tool and the identity provides expectations of functionality. The rest is gaining familiarity and becoming comfortable with the new tools.

The second challenge is the one familiar to anyone who writes with a specific intent to inform or to influence, as opposed to the mindless babble of party chatter. What is it that I want to say? What's the best way to say it? The blank page stares back at you, waiting expectantly.

As an example, I want to provide some information about the "How" of running for state-wide office. I want to scan in the paperwork that I had to file to get on the ballot. There is the technical side of getting that done. Then there's the challenge of the words that I wrap around that page. Why did I write what I wrote on the application? How is that different from the information that other candidates wrote on their applications? Where can I find that information and how do I "link" you to it?

The bottom line of all this, of course, is to get somebody to read this. Writing, reviewing, revising and editing takes a lot of time. Time that has to come from some other competing need. I want to get elected because I believe that I can do great things for the good people in my district. Tonight I managed, I hope, to get the icon that I need to buy space on an online newspaper to actually let people that can vote for me know that I'm running. Another small step on the journey. Till tomorrow, Good Night and have a great day tomorrow!

Greetings...
I'm running for State Representative in NH. You may have reached this point thru a link that I paid for in an on-line newspaper, in which case, please consider any material that I write or post as "paid political advertising".

Having gotten that additional "legal disclaimer" out of the way, I would like to ask those of you that live in Candia, Deerfield, Northwood or Nottingham, New Hampshire to vote for me in the September Primary Election and again in the November General Election. I'm a Registered Democrat and a moderate politician in a conservative Republican district. I'm not soliciting or accepting contributions. I'm committed to honoring the spending limits for the campaign and I've vowed not to litter the landscape with signs. "Not a prayer", you say? Statistically, I'd agree. To get elected, you've got to either have name recognition and credibility or be on the "correct" side of the ballot. Politics (and elections) are, however, a crapshoot. And, having done all the "legal" things to get my name on the ballot(s), you have to admit that I've got a better chance than you do, right?

Okay, three goals here:

1. Convince you to vote for me (if you're lucky enough to be eligible to vote for me) or to get you to get your eligible friends, family, whoever, to vote for me.

2. Provide you with some insight into exactly what it takes to run for political office at the state level.

3. Get some information about the effectiveness and value of spending my valuable time here. See if anybody really reads these things. Perhaps, get some valuable feedback from those that I might represent in the legislature.

And, One (at least) byproduct: all the literate people out there can give me advice and guidance on my writing and spelling skills.

So, it's late, I'm tired, I'll post this and off to bed. One small step on another journey.