New Hampshire holds its Democratic primary on Sept. 8. Regardless of your political affiliation, I hope you will consider supporting Andru Volinsky in that contest. His progressive ideas are badly needed in Claremont and across Sullivan county.
These obscene property taxes are a nonpartisan issue. It doesn’t matter which way you tend to vote — red, blue, or somewhere in the middle — your taxes are suffocating. The reason is simple: the city is obligated to provide adequate schooling for its youth, and the state’s education funding formula is unfair and unconstitutional. The state’s education funding formula puts undue emphasis on local property taxes, resulting in enormous inequalities between New Hampshire’s wealthy and poor communities. As a result of this arrangement, not only Claremont, but also neighboring Newport and Charlestown, have some of the highest property tax rates in the state. Until that funding formula changes, nothing else around here will.
Andru Volinsky knows this because he represented Claremont in that landmark state Supreme Court case. For 25 years, he has been fighting for an equitable school funding solution and he is committed to doing so now. It is about time Sullivan County had someone looking out for our interests.
Does Claremont want to have to depend on continued charity from Concord? Of course not. Without a statewide change, property owners in Sullivan County will continue to suffer.
Put another way, most of Sullivan County is drowning under its tax burden, and the rest of the state has known so for over 20 years but just doesn’t care enough to make any real changes. We’ve been hung out to dry. Again, this isn’t a Democrat or Republican problem. New Hampshire has had more than two decades to remedy this situation. In that time, we have had red and blue governors. We have had red and blue legislatures. Yet, Claremont’s situation remains the same.
I dislike injustice wherever I see it. Claremont — and much of Sullivan County — is being given the short end of the stick by the richer communities in the state. We need an advocate in Concord who will commit to fight for bold, systemic change. Andru Volinsky is the only candidate for governor who has made that commitment for over two decades. The difference to you could be hundreds or thousands of dollars.
You can learn more at www.vokinskynh.com. And don’t forget to mark Sept. 8 on your calendar.
Sam Killay
Claremont, NH
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