LTE: I Write to Support Lovett

To the editor:

I write tonight to support Charlene Lovett for the New Hampshire Senate for District 8. Charlene understands that the way property is taxed and schools are funded is a deeply flawed system.

We have been poorly represented these past 6 years by Ruth Ward who shows neither the insight, nor I suspect the concern for the tax burden that local funding puts on us residents in Newport. Ruth lives in the low tax community of Stoddard and enjoys a school tax that is 1/3 that of Newport. The status quo is just fine with Ruth. Furthermore her legislative achievement is the education voucher program which has thus far cost the state nearly 3 times the original estimate of around $5 million. I suspect Senator Ward ultimately wants privatization of our public schools.

I will be voting for Charlene Lovett on November 8. She will work to legislate for fair funding for our schools. She will also work to fundamentally change how communities are taxed. If you live in a “property poor” high tax town, if your school system struggles to properly fund its mission to educate your kids then you should vote for Charlene too. And by the way, if your state representatives have not fought on your behalf to lower your school tax burden then maybe it’s time for them to be replaced. There is a whole slate of good candidates who want to lower your taxes and fairly fund your schools.

Larry Schissel

Newport, NH