A Gated Community

For as long as I have lived in Merrimack (since 1995), it has been a gated community.  Back then, you needed quarters or tokens to get out of town and then return back. The only thing that has changed is now the state gets to take our money quicker because we have transponders on our windshields. As a town we have been an island, the only town in New Hampshire with toll booths on every exit.  It's our own scarlet letter and unfair tax.

Year after year we have tried to get the tolls removed, as our state representatives have put up gallant battles. Over 10 toll removal  bills have been filed in the House but in the end we always came up short. Unfortunately, zero bills have been initiated in the Senate. Since the ramp tolls were installed we have never had a Senator who lives in Merrimack and understands firsthand the daily injustice perpetrated on Merrimack citizens. Our Senators have always lived in another town, and smaller ones at that.  With few exceptions, our state representative neighbors have been quiet as mice and our neighboring Senators have been missing in action. Whether they were from Milford, Nashua or Manchester they have turned a deaf ear and refused to give any support or leadership to right a very obvious wrong. During Peter Bragdon’s 10 years in the House and Senate he has never voted for or sponsored legislation that would give Merrimack residents toll relief.

So there you have it, a handful of Merrimack Representatives   going up against a Legislature with no support in the Senate. So how do we fix it? Well for starters, we get some help in the Senate from a Merrimack citizen (Dan Dwyer comes to mind) who understands the issue and can take some of the load off of our weary warriors in the House. The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. We must change the game plan to change the results. My first act as Senator will be to write a bill to remove the tolls and have it voted on in the Senate first, which has never been done before. I will also work with our new Republican governor and with our House delegation to validate Merrimack’s side of the issue – 28,000 people can't all be wrong. There is no magic bullet, but for once we will have both the Senate and House working together and submitting legislation on the issue to a Republican governor. It will take sweat, endurance and tenacity, all of which I will bring to Concord with me.

Removing the tolls won’t be easy and it won't happen overnight, but it will happen. We are one of the largest towns in the state and because of that we should have considerable clout, but we must not be afraid to use it. We deserve more respect than what we are getting and part of that is because we don’t have a Merrimack resident in the Senate, which doesn’t make sense, because we are always the largest town in our Senate District. Unfortunately, we always  choose to be represented by Senate candidates from smaller towns.

I will work tirelessly to make sure District 11 is respected and taken care of. When I’m not attending a Senate session or committee meeting you won’t find me in Concord with the lobbyists, you will find me right in District 11 asking what I can do for my constituents  and then doing my best to get it done. Make no mistake, this goes for Merrimack, Milford, Amherst and Wilton. I will be having office hours in all four towns and when there is a concern in any of our towns I will be leading the charge for fairness for District 11 What has happened to Merrimack is a travesty and I will make sure Amherst, Milford and Wilton never receive their own injustices.

There are issues affecting the state as a whole and issues affecting District 11 specifically. I will be in Concord to represent District 11 on all issues and to ensure that “Live Free or Die” is a way of life and not just an empty phrase. I will also fight for a lean balanced budget, and will oppose any and all attempts at implementing an income or sales tax. I will also support the repeal of NH Cap and Trade (R.G.G.I.), the passage of “Right to Work” and legislation that would allow small business owners to buy health insurance across state lines.

On Sept. 11, please vote for Dan Dwyer for District 11 State Senate.