Haverhill
Two incumbent representatives intend to step down from posts representing Upper Valley districts this year, setting up primary fights to find replacements.
And one incumbent and longtime Republican activist from Orford is facing a challenger after a conservative advocacy group gave her failing grades this year.
Orford-Area Race
In the Grafton 3 House district, state Rep. Vicki Schwaegler, R-Orford, is being challenged by Ben Hight, of Warren, for a floterial seat representing Orford, Piermont, Bath, Benton, Easton, Landaff and Warren.
Schwaegler, a regional vice chairwoman of the state Republican Party who works as an estimator for a drywall and painting company, said much of her time before the election is being devoted to lobbying for legislation that seeks to help the state’s biomass industry.
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed a bill earlier this year that would have mandated the state’s utility companies to purchase energy from New Hampshire biomass plants. Advocates for the legislation, including Schwaegler and Orford tree farmer Tom Thomson, argue the payments are needed to keep the plants and forestry industry stable. But Sununu and opponents say the mandate would amount to a subsidy that could prove too costly for energy ratepayers.
Aside from the vote next week to override Sununu’s veto, Schwaegler said she’s also continued to advocate for school choice legislation and plans to focus on bills that attempt to ease the opioid epidemic.
Hight, an Army veteran and former truck driver, said he initially was recruited to run when it was unclear if Schwaegler would seek another term. He decided to stay in the race after seeing several scorecards questioning her conservative credentials.
Schwaegler received an F grade this year from the conservative political advocacy group Americans for Prosperity, largely because of energy votes seeking to curtail climate change and support the biomass industry, as well as a vote to retain New Hampshire’s Medicaid expansion. Schwaegler contends that she votes with her party the majority of the time, but will break to support initiatives that will better the lives of constituents and Granite Staters.
If elected, Hight said, he would support school choice bills, and hopes to find a way to reduce education costs. He also would oppose gun control measures and work to expand job opportunities in the North Country. Both traditional infrastructure and internet should be expanded in the state’s rural communities to attract employers and new businesses, he said.
The winner will face off against former Rep. Susan Ford, of Easton, in November.
Binford Stepping Down
After a single term in the House, state Rep. David Binford, R-Bath, is not seeking re-election to the Grafton 15 district, which covers the towns of Haverhill, Orford, Piermont, Bath, Benton, Easton, Landaff and Warren.
Seeking to replace him are Rebecca Bailey, a Piermont resident who owns a social media management company, and Tom Friel, a Haverhill Selectboard member.
Bailey, who was born in Lyme, said she’s been involved in local politics for years, but sought to further that involvement by jumping into the Grafton 15 race.
Aside from a position on the Piermont Planning Board member, Bailey recently was campaign manager for Vermont Republican Keith Stern’s unsuccessful gubernatorial run against incumbent Phil Scott.
“I just enjoy the ins and outs and feel very strongly about the Constitution and it being upheld,” she said on Wednesday.
Bailey said she too would work to improve infrastructure in northern Grafton County to attract business. The small-business owner said she pays about $200 a month for a stable internet connection.
“This is a world where you have to have that infrastructure,” she said, adding it also can be difficult to find a cellphone signal in the area.
Bailey also supports school choice legislation and said she would oppose gun control efforts at the Statehouse.
Friel is a former math instructor at Plymouth State College and longtime town official. Messages left for Friel on Wednesday and Thursday were not returned.
Friel last ran for the House in 2008 as a Democrat, when he told the Valley News that he hoped to halt declining educational standards and improve education funding issues.
“Let’s kick ideas around and see what we can come up with,” he told the newspaper in 2008. “I’ll cross party lines. My main interest is this area and these people.”
The winner will face Democrat Denny Ruprecht, of Landaff, in the general election.
Vacancy in Grafton
State Rep. Bob Hull, R-Grafton, is stepping down from his seat representing Grafton 9 after serving for the past two terms in the House. The two-seat district encompasses the towns of Grafton, Alexandria, Bristol, Ashland and Bridgewater.
Incumbent Rep. Vincent Paul Migliore, R-Bridgewater, is hoping to garner a second term in the district, and will face off against former circuit court judge and state Sen. Ned Gordon, as well as Bristol innkeeper Heidi Milbrand.
Migliore, who left Intel to run his own company about 15 years ago, retired shortly before winning a special election to the Grafton 9 district last year. He beat out four Republicans to win the party’s primary to succeed former Rep. Jeff Shackett, R-Bridgewater, who resigned to devote more time to work-related travel.
Migliore said he also is focused on overriding Sununu’s energy vetoes, saying the legislation would help all of New Hampshire, not just Grafton County and the North Country.
Migliore said he hopes to continue promoting legislation that will allow communities to enact rights-based ordinances, which would enable towns to set health and safety regulations not currently granted by state law. Migliore, who sits on the Newfound Area School Board, also touted economic development initiatives and his constituent work while in the House.
Milbrand, who owns the Pleasant View Bed and Breakfast in Bristol, initially considered running for a seat in the state Senate, after disagreeing with state Sen. Bob Giuda, R-Warren, over hospitality legislation, she said on Wednesday.
The New Hampshire House effectively killed a bill in February that sought to make “room re-marketers,” such as Airbnb, Homeaway and Travelocity, subject to the state’s meals and rooms tax. Airbnb already collects the tax as part of its software program, but hotel operators and innkeepers, including Milbrand, argue that many people who use such web-based booking sites aren’t paying their fair share.
Milbrand later spoke with Republican leadership, who encouraged a run for the House before considering higher office, she said.
In addition to regulating rental properties, Milbrand said she plans to advocate for so-called right-to-work legislation and strengthen the punishment for animal cruelty in the Legislature.
Milbrand has a past criminal conviction, having pleaded guilty in September 2009 to a felony count of theft by unauthorized taking of more than $1,000 from the Newfound Region Chamber of Commerce. Milbrand was a member of the chamber’s board of directors, and served as its executive director in 2008.
She was ordered to complete one year of probation, which was terminated four months later, and pay restitution of $4,625, according to court documents. Milbrand had no criminal history prior to the 2009 conviction, court records said. Asked for comment about the matter on Thursday, Milbrand said she wasn’t able to immediately respond due to a family emergency.
Gordon recently retired from the position of presiding judge of Franklin Circuit Court, a job he was appointed to by former Gov. John Lynch in 2005. As a judge, he led the state’s Model Court Project, which sought to develop best practices for child abuse and neglect cases.
Before becoming a judge, Gordon served four terms in the state Senate, representing a district that stretches from the Lakes Region to northern Upper Valley communities. A moderate Republican, he helped create the state’s alcohol fund, which sets aside proceeds from alcohol sales for treatment programs, and sought bipartisan solutions to education funding issues. He also was chairman of the Legislative Ethics Committee, and is a town and school district moderator.
“My primary focus would be to do constituent service — to do the best I can to represent my district and the towns in my district to make sure the state government is responsive to their needs,” he said on Wednesday.
Gordon said he also hopes to continue working to better the juvenile justice system, as well as the Granite State’s education system.
The two Republican winners will face Democrats Catherine Mulholland, of Grafton, and Tejasinha Sivalingam, of Ashland, in the November election. Libertarians John and Rosalie Babiarz, both of Grafton, also are running for the two seats.
The state primary election will be held on Tuesday, while the general election is set for Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com.