Incumbent Republican state Rep. Margaret Drye of Plainfield will face Democrat Larry Schissel of Newport in Sullivan County House District 7 in the Nov. 3 election.
District 7 also includes Charlestown, Cornish and Unity.
Drye, 68, was first elected in 2022.
“My campaign is about going back and serving my district in the same determined manner that I have been,” Drye said in a phone interview with the Valley News.
Drye said voters seem most concerned about property taxes.
“Something we are looking at in the Legislature is trying to decrease regulations and make it easier for people to do business and keep the economy going well,” Drye said, adding that state revenues are running $75 million ahead of projections as a result of cuts to business taxes.
Drye said she supports putting the school tax cap on the ballot and giving voters the chance to decide.
“People have been asking for relief, and this is a possibility to get some relief,” Drye said. “It is a response to what people have been asking for: Help us with property tax relief.”
Drye said that as a member of the House Education Policy Committee, she wants to look carefully at schools’ highest costs, which are administrative and special education.
“I want to see how we can consolidate, cut costs and change things so they do not take such a large chunk of the budgets,” Drye said.
Education Freedom Accounts are doing what they were intended to do, and that is have the education dollars follow the child, Drye said, noting that the $57 million in the accounts is a “sliver” of the $4.5 billion spent annually on education. She said the money educated 12,500 students, and “that is a great return on investment.”
When asked whether the state is sending enough money to school districts, Drye said the $2.69 billion sent in fiscal year 2025 was the most ever.
“Enrollment keeps going down, but schools and administration are not adjusting,” Drye said. “If enrollment drops, you have got to change something.”
The concept of open enrollment that would allow students to attend any public school in the state has not been aired enough, Drye said, adding that she was pleased that last year’s bill was killed.
“It brought up a lot of questions. It needs a thorough discussion, not a rush job,” she said.
The Legislature can play a role in creating more housing, Drye said, but it must be careful and try not to do “one big thing” because not everything will work across the state’s landscape of urban and rural areas.
“We need to balance the needs of citizens with local control,” Drye said.
She said they have been “chipping” away at the problem. Allowing accessory dwelling units and housing in commercial or mixed-use areas are two examples of the state helping to create more housing, she said.
Drye said she is “not afraid” of large-scale data centers but agrees with the cautious approach.
Drye said her experience over the last four years has taught her how to move a bill through the House and work with the Senate. In the last term, her name was on 19 bills signed by the governor, including one giving access to PTSD help for first responders.
Larry Schissel, 72, is making his first run for public office. A retired doctor, Schissel currently chairs the Newport Conservation Commission.
Schissel said he was motivated to run in part after watching Newport resident Kathy Hubert “fight the fight for fair school funding” for years and a realization that towns also suffer from a decrease in revenue sharing from the state.
Schissel said that in speaking with voters, it’s clear they want legislators to address ever-increasing property taxes to make life more affordable.
Schissel opposes the school tax cap, calling it a “gimmick” that is not necessary.
“I hope people vote no on the tax cap. We can vote every March and tell the school board what we think of the budget,” Schissel said in a phone interview, adding that if spending is capped, there are no provisions for emergency expenses, such as broken water pipes.
On finding more state revenue to increase the per-pupil adequacy grant, Schissel said there are some ideas he would like to explore but needs more information on.
“I would be open to restoring the dividends and interest tax at some level but only after I know who it will affect,” Schissel said. “Is it really the ‘1-percenters’ or are interest and dividends a significant part of the retirement of the average middle-class New Hampshire citizen?”
Schissel also said before searching for new revenue for education, the state should consider making the statewide education property tax “what it was originally meant to be: A way the state could try to equalize the disparity in revenue between the property-rich and property-poor towns.”
Before reinstating the interest and dividends tax, re-examining the rates of the Business Profits and Business Enterprise taxes would be Schissel’s first step, and perhaps returning them to previous levels before they were reduced by Republicans.
“Most small businesses are not caught up in the net of [those] taxes. It seems the revenue is paid by pretty sizable multi-state corporations,” he said.
Schissel also thinks the Legislature should revisit the private school voucher program and reinstate an income cap to perhaps “claw back some revenues” for the public schools.
“I am not absolutely opposed to vouchers, but it was instituted to offset the cost of lower-income families to get out of the public schools,” said Schissel, adding a family making $200,000 a year and sending their child to a private school should not need a voucher.
Open enrollment for public schools is not something Schissel opposes “philosophically,” but from a practical standpoint he does not support the idea, as it would likely cost districts such as Newport both students and money.
“More sensible for my community is that the state supports equitable and adequate education funding so that families would not have to consider leaving the district,” Schissel said.
The state’s housing shortage and possible solutions are a bit of a “mixed bag,” Schissel said.
“I can see it both ways,” he said.
He noted that some communities are not stepping up with affordable housing projects, while Newport has approved a few projects that are not always for Newport residents.
“We are not always taking care of our own. People come from all around,” Schissel said.
Legislation requiring towns to ease zoning, such as minimum lot size, might increase housing but could also increase demand for local services, such as first responders, Schissel said.
“Municipal revenue sharing isn’t there, but Concord wants to tell them what to do. The state is not supporting towns for increased services,” he said.
Though he has not made up his mind completely on what New Hampshire should allow for large-scale data centers, Schissel worries they could be “foisted” on towns without the resources to fight them, such as Newport and Claremont.
“I am not pro or con on data centers, but I am pro on towns being able to control their own destiny,” Schissel said.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached a pogclmt@gmail.com.
