While New Hampshire has many significant issues that need to be resolved, the North Country has some issues that are unique to the North Country

1) The North Country needs strong Public Schools & Fair Education Funding

• We need to restore the state’s constitutional obligation to fund public education fairly, as affirmed by NH courts. The state does not provide adequate funding for all of the school districts in the North Country, because republicans have diverted needed funding to pay for vouchers for private and religious schools.
• We need to oppose statewide spending caps and unfunded mandates that hit rural districts like Stratford, Groveton, Lancaster, and Dalton the hardest. Spending caps mean that funding for urgent needs, like critical building maintenance for schools, municipal facilities, and infrastructure, can not be raised when they may be needed most.

2) Lower Property Taxes & Strong Local Infrastructure

• We need to reverse decades of state cost‑shifting that pushed expenses onto towns and homeowners. This cost-shifting is a major reason behinds the increases in property taxes.
• We must restore state support for roads, bridges, emergency services, and municipal facilities so our towns aren’t forced to “do more with less.”

3) Affordable Housing That Fits Our Communities

• The state should remove state‑imposed zoning mandates that override local decision‑making. Local governments do know more about their towns than the state, and are the best at determining what is needed – Local Control.
• Support limits on short‑term rentals in residential neighborhoods to keep housing available for families, workers, and seniors.
• Encourage workforce housing options that help employers hire and keep staff. Too often, our employers (often hospitals and medical facilities), can find people, but they have no place to house them for either short or long duration employment.

4) Rural Healthcare & EMS Stability

• The state must ensure fair reimbursement rates for rural hospitals and clinics so facilities in the North Country can stay open. Without adequate reimbursements for Medicare and Medicaid, our community medical facilities will be forced to shut down.
• Support policies that strengthen EMS, mental‑health services, and senior care—because no one should have to leave Coös County to get the care they need.

5) Responsible State Revenues & Fiscal Stability

• Restore historic revenue levels so the state can meet its constitutional obligations without pushing costs onto towns. Funding at all levels of government was adequate in the past, and it can be again by going back to those historic levels of revenue sources needed to support the vital functions of government – at all levels.
• Protect New Hampshire from insolvency by funding essential services responsibly and transparently.

Lee Ann believes that all of this can be done without the need to impose an income tax or sales taxes.