This content is an interview with New Hampshire Executive Councilor Karen Leot Hill, discussing her experiences on the council, her background in music, and her perspective on current political challenges in New Hampshire, particularly an impeachment inquiry against her and the state's property tax issues.
Mind Map
Click to expand
Click to explore the full interactive mind map • Zoom, pan, and navigate
Hey everybody, Steve Marshand here.
Thanks for tuning in. We we'll see
people rolling in over the next several
minutes. Hope you enjoyed today's column
and we can probably touch on that a
little bit uh during the course of the
next hour. but really pleased today to
have somebody who's not just I think one
of the most effective
elected officials that we have in the
state of New Hampshire, but she's also a
longtime friend of mine. So, it's a real
pleasure to have executive counselor
Karen Leot Hill here with us today. How
are you, Karen?
>> Oh, I'm great. Thank you, Steve. And
yeah, I was uh remembering when we met,
which I think was back when we were both
mayors. I was mayor of Lebanon. Uh so
this would have been like 2008, I guess.
uh 2009 you were mayor of um of
Portsmith and Jim Boule was mayor of
Conquered and and he was hosting I
forget whether it was monthly or
quarterly meetings um but where the
mayors of the of the 13 cities or
whoever could make it would get
together. I met you then and um uh you
know it's it's really great you know I
we've we've been around for a while and
uh and so anyway it's great to be with
you today and um yeah appreciate you
having me on. Well, it's uh wanted to do
this for a little while and as folks can
probably tell if you're uh those
watching obviously live now, but then uh
the recording we'll have it on YouTube
as well, so those folks will get the
video of this. But you can tell we're
doing this as uh we are in the throws of
the holiday season. Uh Christmas a
couple weeks away, all the great
holidays this time of year. It looks
like you've you got some uh Christmas
garland behind you here.
Yes, I love the holidays. In fact, um I
spent the morning um singing. This week
I am touring uh this weekend next I'm
touring all of the county nursing homes
in my district and doing a little
bringing my piano and um doing some
holiday singalongs with the residents
and it has been so fun. So, I actually
just got back from North Haveril where I
got to um sing with the residents of the
Grafton County Nursing Home um this
morning and uh so I'm a I'm a big fan
and I I think part of the job is
spreading some holiday cheer, right?
>> No question. So, I've heard you sing
great voice and and play some piano. uh
saw an event this spring, I think it was
uh in support of your campaign and uh
and usually folks like having some
entertainment, but usually the candidate
or the office holder is not the source
of the entertainment. So, so tell me um
when did you start getting into music?
Was this something as a child and you've
just continued it for the last several
decades or where's the love of music
come from?
>> Yeah. Well, I'm the oldest of six kids
and money was tight when I was, you
know, money was tight in my family
growing up. And I was really lucky
because my parents like scrimped and um
made it possible for me to have piano
lessons. I wanted them so badly. And so
when I was about 10 years old, I think
um I started having piano lessons and um
I was able to do that then like through
high school. So I had a good six or
seven years of lessons and started
playing in church. Um, you know, it's
probably not a surprise when you come
from a big family like we watched the
sound of music all the time. I think we
really believed that we were the Von
Trap family singers and so there was a
lot of singing and music in my house um
growing up and so I was really lucky to
grow up that way and then to have the
lessons and played in church. Um, so
I've always been a a church musician
over the years and then um over the
years I've also played with different
bands or or kind of on my own. I used to
have a band with Paul Hodess and John
Breler um in fact for a while, Northern
Lights. And uh so it's just been a
really um wonderful part of my life all
these years. And you know, it's nice cuz
it's like it's so different from
politics and government. Um and so it's
um it's nice because it it it just
allows me to express myself in a
different way. and and I I find that the
music um for me is a way that I really
it kind of like recharges my batteries
and and so I really enjoy it.
>> So, what do you listen to when you're
trying to relax? Maybe you're in the
car, whatever. What kind of music do you
listen to? Favorite artist?
>> Oh, that's a really great question. Um
well, I have I have there's a few albums
that I really really love. Like I would
say Joanie Mitchell's Blue album is one
of my top albums of all time. Um I am I
I really like to listen to Grateful
Dead. I'm a Grateful Dead um album
person. Um not so much their live shows,
>> but um
>> and uh and actually like uh I really
have been loving um Chapel Ran. So
Chapel Ran I kind of she's in she's you
know new artist and um she kind of
powered my campaign in 2024. I she was
definitely um I was listening to a lot
and I listen to a lot of Sabrina
Carpenter lately. Her new album I just
I'm a big fan. So I listen to everything
quite honestly.
>> Oh, it's great. The uh my wife Sandy and
I have been married for over 24 years
and I I do think that a lot of times if
you're married long enough, your
interests begin blending. So Sandy has
become about as big a football fan as I
know, which is as far as I'm concerned
really the ultimate gift. What a what a
there's a reason for the season. And
then she has gotten me more into country music.
music.
>> She she's from Missouri, was grew up
around country music and uh and the more
I listen, the more I like it. Whether
it's something old school like some
George Jones, we've been to Eric Eric
Church concerts probably seven, eight
times. I mean, all some good stuff. And
I just feel like with music,
the more I get exposed to stuff I've not
really heard much before, I I typically
end up liking it. And it's just a matter
of what have you had a chance to be
exposed to.
>> Yeah. And I used to be one of those
people, and I know there are a lot of
them who say, you know, if you say,
"What do you listen to?" People say,
"Oh, everything but country." And I used
to be one of those. But, um, I'm also
I'm a radio DJ. That's part of my that's
how I actually pay my bills. Um, and um,
and and I am on a country station and so
I I started listening to country music
because I figured I should know the
music that I'm playing and it turns out
I like country music. So, um, it, you
know, it really is good to be open-minded.
open-minded.
>> Absolutely. So, well, you're finishing
up your first year on the council.
Certainly not your first rodeo in
elected office. You've done city
council. You've been a mayor of Lebanon.
You've been a I think you were a
fourterm uh county treasurer in Grafton
County. So, you've been around the block
on this stuff. But first year on the
executive council, it's a 41 GOP council
and the way that the districts are drawn
up, you know, it's it's kind of
defaulted that way in a lot of the
recent uh election cycles. How would you
describe the experience particularly
given that 4 to one
compared to what you anticipated it
would be like when you walked in the
door the first day?
>> Oh, that's a great question. Well, I
will tell you first of all, I wake up
every single day and I feel so lucky
that I get to do this job. I love it so
much and um I I knew I was going to like
it, but I um I like it even more than I
had anticipated. So, um, that's, you
know, that's the truth. Um, I would say
also I did have a feeling I I knew that
my background as a city counselor would
had prepared me well for this job. Um,
but I didn't realize how well actually
it had prepared me. Um, the executive
council is really a lot like a city
council. It's just for the entire state.
You know, the state is divided into five
districts and there are five, you know,
so we each represent a a fifth of the
state. My district, because it's so
rural, um happens to actually cover
about a third of the land mass, a third
of of New Hampshire um cities and towns.
Um so I represent 81 cities and towns in
Western New Hampshire. It is packed with
all of the Democrats. Um and so that is
why there is you know because of
gerrymandering that's why there is this
4 to one um Republican majority even
though our state you know is really much
more of a purple 5050 pretty evenly
split state um and we even send a
Democratic delegation to Washington DC
um you know because of gerrymandering
that's how the executive council and the
state senate as you know are um are
heavily favored to the Republicans. So
um the the work is very similar. It's I
use the word cars when I talk about the
executive council. C is for contracts.
So the executive council is responsible
for voting on all state spending. Um A
is for appointments. Um the governor
makes nominations and the executive
council votes on them. So that's all
judges for the state, all commissioners.
um really important positions as well as
hundreds of board members, volunteer
board members on like you know um fish
and game commission and um a lot of
other boards. Um and then R is for roads
because the executive council is
responsible for updating the state's
10-year highway plan every two years. Um
that's a really big deal. Roads,
bridges, we're also responsible for
dams, for the prisons, you know, all the
infrastructure which is the same at the
city at the local level. it's just a lot
more and it's bigger. And then the S,
you know, cars, contracts, appointments,
roads, and services. Um, S is for
services because it is a lot of
constituent services. Whether it's, you
know, individuals or it might be helping
out a city or a town, maybe there was,
you know, flooding and the road got
washed out and they need help connecting
with the Department of Transportation or
a nonprofit that has um that receives
state funding. So there's a lot of
helping people get answers and get
connected with the right folks in state
government and just, you know, helping
make sure that they're getting what they
need from state government. So that is
the kind of work that I've done for the
last 20 years as a city councelor. And
so I I feel like I have a really great
background and framework to understand
the you know what we're working on at
the state level. We literally meet twice
a month just like a city council. The
governor sits at one end of the table
and the five of us sit around the table
and um we're a check and balance on the
governor. New Hampshire has the weakest
governor in the country because the
governor of New Hampshire can do very
little without the um approval of the
executive counsel. And so um she gets to
set the agenda. She gets to decide which
contracts come forward. She gets to
decide on who she's going to nominate.
But she doesn't get to vote. the
executive council. We're the ones that
get to vote, but we have no say in
what's on the agenda. And so, in that
way, there's this um tension, you know,
this check and balance that's that's
built into our constitution. And, you
know, I say New Hampshire is the most
anti-terrannical state because we have,
you know, we have a the separation of
powers like everyone does, the
legislative executive and the judicial,
but we have it. We're extra about it
because even within our um within our
executive branch, we're the only state
that has a biccameal executive branch.
We don't believe in a unitary executive.
We want to have more public oversight,
more opportunity for um issues to get
hashed out and more transparency. And
so, um you know, that's why we have the
executive council. And it's just an
incredible honor to serve. So, yeah.
>> What's what's the interaction like? I
mean, as you said a moment ago, you're
the only first termer, right? Currently
on the council or No, John Steven as well.
well.
>> John Steven. Yeah.
>> John Steven. So, two of you are first
termers, although both of you in your
own ways have been very involved in
state and regional, county, local. I
mean, for many years, you're both
well-known figures in your respective
parties and so forth. Um, but the only
Democrat, what have what's the coalition
building been like? How how is that
matched up to what you might have
anticipated at the beginning of the year?
year?
>> Yeah. So that is the piece that is
definitely a really interesting thing.
So I am the only Democrat. Um and and
sometimes there are issues that come
down along party lines and it's 4 to
one. Um but honestly I will say so first
of all 90% of the time the votes are
actually 5-0. We're unified. We're just
trying to make sure state government is
running smoothly and that, you know,
we're we're looking at the contracts,
making sure the vendors are qualified,
you know, just doing that kind of
oversight. And 90% of the time the votes
are 5-0. Um,
Um,
so of the remainder that are maybe
controversial, I guess you could say, or
where there's some division, um,
sometimes it's four to one, but actually
most often the way it breaks down is
actually boys against girls. So I am the
only Democrat, but I am not the only
woman. There's one other woman, Janet
Stevens, uh, in the Sea Coast area. And
a lot of the times when there are votes
that have, you know, in that 10% that
are some kind of um a difference, the
votes come down 3 to2, boys against
girls. And so it's been interesting to
see the gender dynamics. Um that's
definitely part of it. And the other
interesting piece, you know, you were
talking about coalition building. Um
the you you might think and I think a
lot of people would expect that the
Republicans would always be united, the
four Republican counselors would always
be united and that in fact, you know,
the governor is a Republican and that
the four Republicans and the governor
would be united. But in fact, because of
this sort of constitutional tension
that's built in, um there are a lot of
there are sometimes anyway where the
governor is bringing something forward
because she wants it to pass and yet it
gets stymied by the three men on the
executive council. And yet the three men
on the executive council are not always
going to vote together. There are two
counselors, John Steven and David
Wheeler, who frequently vote together. I
think they probably have a 100% um track
record of voting together. Um but Joe
Kenny, you know, all five of us are
people who are you know, we're the we're
the second highest ranking officials in
the uh in state government. And so I
think we all have a pretty healthy sense
of ourselves and um you know I I get the
impression that you know Joe Kenny or
you know no one wants to be taken for
granted and so you can't count there
that coalition of the three men that
doesn't even always hold true um forever
uh or always I would say and so it's
interesting to see I think a lot of the
times it really breaks down issue by
issue um the you know councelor Kenny
and and I both represent the North
Country. He represents a lot more of the
North Country. He's got all of Kohas
County. Um, but I've got parts of the
North Country, too. And so, I think
there are times that we have some things
in common because of that. We want to
make sure the North Country has a strong
voice and conquered. Um, and then, you
know, there are definitely um issues
that are just, you know, they they break
down issue by issue. And so, I've got a
philosophy I've had my entire life. Um,
I I really I say you should never burn
bridges because you just never know when
you're going to have a chance to connect
with someone and even if you don't agree
with someone all the time, you might
agree with them sometime and you just
never know. And so that's been, you
know, I think there's a we do have a
sense of collegiality among us. There's
only five. So, right,
>> that's a pretty, you know, there's a lot
of interpersonal
um dynamics at work and so um I think we
have good relationships with each other
and I think we try and work together as
much as we can um while also respecting
the fact that there are going to be some
some things that we're never going to
agree on. Um, one thing that we did
agree on, you guys might have heard um
earlier this year that the there was a
little tugofwar between the governor and
the executive council. The governor
wanted to go paperless. Um although that
wasn't that was kind of what she was
saying. That wasn't it was really about
power and control. She wanted to decide
what documents the executive council was
going to receive and decided that all of
a sudden certain documents we didn't
need to receive anymore. And it was
interesting to see how that actually
unified all five of us because one thing
we can be unified about is that we don't
want the governor telling us what to do.
Um, and so, you know, it's um it's
definitely interesting and uh uh I think
there's you I'm definitely using all of
the skills, all of the experience, all
of the background that I've built over
20 years um serving in a nonpartisan
um office in Lebanon anyway. We we don't
run for city council based on party and
so I'm accustomed to working in a
nonpartisan environment. And so I think
that has really um translated well to
the executive council.
>> So the congeniality you describe, you
know, there's a familiarity especially
having such a small group, the five of
you, the six went to governor I suppose
during the meetings. the the
congeniality does not necessarily
translate apparently between the
executive council and some of the GOP
folks uh in the Senate and in this case
particularly it appears in the House.
And so I know one of the things in promoting
promoting
uh this uh this conversation today uh is
you know I've described it as frivolous.
I think that's actually a rather polite
way of describing it, but you know,
trying to a little ceniality, I suppose,
but um there you can take a moment to
describe it. There are it's not it's I
it's not articles of impeachment. It's
an inquiry, which may be a distinction
without a difference. Nobody no elected
official in New Hampshire has ever been
impeached. uh and uh this is the
definition of frivvality, but you've got
a couple of legislators uh GOP
legislators in the House who have
decided that they want to inquire as to
whether or not this is something they
should pursue. Uh it's silliness, but it
gets in the paper and so folks don't
necessarily read the second, third,
fourth, fifth, 10th paragraph and and
then it it becomes a thing. We're
entering 2026.
Tell us, councelor Leo Hill, about this frivolity
frivolity
and what are the steps ahead and
especially for Democrats who are
watching who are concerned about it,
they're the ones paying attention. Um,
what should they be kind of girded up to
do in the weeks and maybe next couple of
months uh on this topic?
>> Oh yeah, that's great. Thank you for the
question. I mean, there's a whole, you
know, but her emails, right? There's this
this
>> uh this um this theme here. So, you
know, I do I definitely have a big
target on my back. It it started from
the minute I won the primary actually
back in 24 in September of 24. Um, you
know, they were after me. Someone filed
a a campaign finance uh grievance
against me. That was recently resolved.
Um the the latest thing though is that
um uh the representative Joe Sweeney has
filed um a house resolution um for
regarding and looking uh it's a house
resol resolution directing the house to
investigate whether there is cause to
impeach me based on emails that I sent
regarding a uh voter voter suppression
in New Hampshire. So, let me talk about
the technical um components real quick
because I think not a lot of people know
what this, you know, what is going on
here. But basically, um you might recall
that back in the spring, well, and I
would say just consistently, Republicans
are trying to pass voter suppression
laws in New Hampshire and across the
country, this is part of a a national
movement to make it harder for certain
people to vote. Um because when you're
not winning based on your ideas, you
want to try and rig the system. And so
this is part of the Republican national
agenda is to, you know, um to make it
harder for people to vote so that they
can hold on to their power. Well, in New
Hampshire back in, I think it was SB87
passed back in the spring. This is
something that would make it harder for
people to vote by absentee ballot and
the governor signed it into law. Well, I
got a call from a constituent of mine
who's very concerned about this law, and
he asked me if I would speak to a lawyer
who works in voting rights, and I said,
"Of course." This is a typical kind of
constituent service. Um, so I took the
call with this attorney, a young woman
named Tina, and we chatted about her
concerns about the law. We um we thought
that it might affect people who are
mobility challenged or who are um
elderly. Those would be the kind of
people most likely to be affected. And I
said, why don't I introduce you to some
folks in New Hampshire who are working
in this area and who might have more
information about how people would be
affected by this law. And so I sent an
email, I introduced her by email to um
to the folks who run Meals on Wheels,
for example.
um to um the head of the disability
rights commission for New Hampshire, to
the head of the um developmental
disabilities commission, to um Olivia
Zinc at uh Open Democracy, and to Lisa
Bodwin who also um does advocacy for um
people with disabilities, and um I sent
those emails from my nh.gov gov um email
account. Um just saying if you have any
information, we're concerned about this
law. Um want to learn more about the
impacts on New Hampshire voters. If you
have any information, please let this
please let Tina know. And the
Republicans um are now that is what they
are bringing me forward for. They are
their claim is that um because this
there could potentially be a lawsuit
challenging the constitutionality of
this law which would be a lawsuit
against the state of New Hampshire.
Their claim is that I breached a
fiduciary duty to the state to um by potentially
potentially
uh being involved in a lawsuit against
the state. Now um that is not there. No
there is nothing that I did that is
illegal. I've consulted with many great
attorneys uh including um Paul Tumi who
is uh legendary in election law in New
Hampshire and anyway there's nothing
that and I was a city counselor for 20
years so I know what typical constituent
services is and look it's always anyone
has the ability to go to court if they
feel that they're being wronged by their
government whether it's their town hall
or whether it's their state you know the
state legislature you always have the
ability to go to court to seek justice
And I'm always able I didn't in this
case, but even if I did say go to court
and start a lawsuit, that would even be
legal. I didn't do anything wrong. But
of course, you know, the truth is, you
know, so that's the that's the sort of
technical part of it. Uh and so they're
going to be bringing up this um bill.
Will this HR house resolution will be
coming up in January? It'll be
introduced in January either on the 7th
or the 8th. I think it's scheduled to be
introduced on the 7th. It'll go through
the house. There'll be a committee
hearing. Um, then if the House passes
it, it will go to the Senate for a
trial. That will be like the real trial.
Uh, and then if the Senate finds me
guilty, then I could be removed from
office and potentially barred from ever
running for office again in New
Hampshire. So, um, even though the facts
do not, you know, create a legal
problem, the politics is what creates
the problem. And so that's that's the
real issue. You know, being a Democrat
is an impeachable offense. And this is
really the the Trumpian kind of
clickbait political theater um you know,
spectacle that's happening. you know,
Joe Sweeney and uh some of the other
elected Republicans in the legislature
are have really adopted this kind of um
this kind of political theater and are
bringing, you know, the the Trump style
politics to New Hampshire. And it's it's
really sad because
what they're doing, you know, I think
this is part of a of a distraction
campaign because they're just so
unserious. They're they're doing all
kinds of silly things, but it's really
to distract from all of their failures.
They are completely failing to make life
better for the people of New Hampshire.
And I think that's really the real
political issue here is, you know, the
um the
they want to silence me. You know, I'm
the only Democrat in the executive
branch. They want to silence me. But
it's more than that. I think they really
want to silence all of us. They want to
silence all Democrats and and that's
what we're really up against here.
>> Well, I think culturally what we see at
the national level, you alluded to this
a moment ago, where President Trump and
his administration have sued or
threatened to sue, for example, law
firms, national level law firms, uh, who
he perceives as pushing in the wrong
direction or pushing too hard. And that threat,
threat,
the real menace of it isn't simply the
lawsuits itself. it is that anybody
thinking about saying much less doing
something are are feeling they may want
to think twice before they advocate for
or against an idea which is about as
unamerican as it gets because we're not
talking about anybody in your case at
the national case who are coloring
outside the lines of the law or even of
what traditionally over the last quarter
millennium we've said is generally of a
free and open country. Uh, and this is a
real attack at that feeling that you
should be able to say your peace and
advocate for the things you believe in
without the risk of kind of things that
now they're threatening uh to do to you.
And it does distract from, you know, a
question that I think I think Democrats
26 really need to be asking in New
Hampshire and and in to some extent
nationally, but in New Hampshire, look,
property taxes are hanging over us as
one of the biggest issues. They're among
the highest in the country. We have a
housing crisis that is not getting
better, it's getting worse. We have a
collapse in our student population being
and then we have uh a lot of threats to
your local public schools.
uh if you don't make very much money,
your access to decent health coverage is
severely compromised now compared to not
that long ago. And so the question, if
if any of these issues matter to you,
are your property taxes better off now
than they were 10 years ago when
Republicans uh largely took the trifecta
for the most part of state government?
Are are is the housing situation better
than it was eight or 10 years ago? is
access to health insurance and quality
health care without breaking your back
financially. Is that better than it was
eight or 10 years ago? And you know, are
you are you feeling safer about the
future of your local public school than
you were eight or 10 years ago? In all
of these, the answer is since
Republicans took the wheel in 2016, not
so much. It's worse. And so there's two
ways you can handle it. One is you could
try to make it better or you could try
to change the subject. and and right and
I think you what we're talking about
here is one of the most um overt
examples of trying to change the subject
and so I think especially after the
holidays at least for some period of
time this will likely be top tier issue
in the New Hampshire political
environment once it's introduced. So
talk a little bit, you alluded to it,
but talk a little bit about the timeline
and and then what should people be
watching for? How can folks watching
whether today or on the podcast later?
How can they get engaged uh to be able
to keep track of it and then to you know
advocate on the side of of of uh being
able to speak for peace whether you're
an elected official or not?
>> Yeah. So um so the the bill will be
introduced in the the first day of the
legislative session is January 7th. This
house resolution will be introduced then
and it will then get assigned. It's in
fact it's already you can look it up if
you go on to the general court website
you can look up um if you put in keyword
impeachment you'll see I'm actually not
the only one that they're bringing
forward for impeachment. Uh, I I I
haven't looked at the other ones, but I
I noticed I'm not the only one, but um
it has been assigned to House Judiciary.
So, at some point, House Judiciary will
hold a hearing. Every single bill in New
Hampshire receives a hearing, and that
is a chance for the public to come in
and testify. So, you can certainly look
out for me. I'll be doing a press
conference and I'm going to invite
people to join me on January 7th to do a
press conference um at the state house
to make a big make some big noise about
this. Um and then when we know when that
hearing is scheduled that's going to be
really important. I definitely think
this is a chance for people to come out
and say wait a minute you know an attack
on Karen is an attack on all of us. like
you cannot silence all of us. This is,
you know, this is the most undemocratic
thing. If people don't like how I'm
doing my job, well, that's why in New
Hampshire, we have two-year election
cycles. The voters have the chance to
replace me in November. That's the way
it works. I didn't do anything
impeachable. I'm just happened to be a
Democrat and the highest ranking
Democrat in state government. And so
that's why I'm this big target. but
they're coming for all of us. They would
much prefer that none of us um are
speaking up and and that is there is
this chilling effect. And so I
definitely think um I'm I'm going to be
inviting hopefully a lot of people to
join me um whether for the press
conference um but especially at the
public hearing because I think it's
important that we have people on the
record saying this is enough. We need to
actually get work done for the people of
New Hampshire and stop with this silly
unserious political spectacle that's
going on. I mean, you know, like you
said, you know, you you can either solve
problems or you can distract from the
fact that you're not solving problems.
And you know, you might remember um you
know, another one of these gimmicks was
Governor Aayot, right? The day after
Zoron Mumdani won this election for
mayor of New York City, she had um box
trucks in New York City trolling Mayor
Mumdani and uh you know talking about
how afraid of socialism come to New
Hampshire, the live free or die state.
And it was just it was so um silly and
unserious. And this is the thing we have
serious problems. you know, a lot of
people just got their property tax bills
and um you know, I just got mine and
nobody's property taxes in New Hampshire
went down. Okay? And if you've been
paying property taxes in New Hampshire,
you know, over the last 10 years, more
than that, but the I mean, the
Republicans have been the Republicans
have been in control, nearly unanimous
control of our entire state government
for almost the entire history of our
state, 250 years. Okay? And somehow they
have blamed Democrats for the fact that
we have high property taxes. That is
outrageous. And I think that's why like
I am doing my job. I am serious about
doing my job. And over this past year, I
went around and I gave presentations
about how I'm seeing project 2025 and
the free state project un un you know uh
unfolding at the state level. And in
January, I'm going back out on the road
and I'm going to be doing presentations
about why our property taxes in New
Hampshire are so high and what we can do
about it because I think it's time for
Democrats to go on offense on property
taxes. I was a city councelor for 20
years and I saw firsthand that when the
state cuts the budget, when the state
fails to address its obligations, it's
local property taxpayers who pay the
price. And that is something that we
need to have an honest conversation
about. We need to hold Republicans
accountable. You know, here they are
impeaching me, sending box trucks and
billboards to New York City as if that's
some kind of economic strategy to
recruit businesses to New Hampshire. We
need to lower the cost of housing. We
need to make sure everyone has access to
health care. We need to lower property
taxes. We need to actually make sure
that all the 160,000 kids in New
Hampshire and our public schools are
getting a good education so that they so
that our our businesses can have the
workforce that they need. These are the
serious problems that are facing our
state. And the Republicans are basically
doing everything they can to try and
distract from the fact that they're not
solving them. So, yes, we have to deal
with this impeachment. But, you know,
I'm I I can tell you that I have not let
it stop me or slow me down. Um, and I
will not. So, in January, I will go I
will, you know, make a big noise. I will
hopefully be joined by a lot of people.
Um, and we can make the point that this
is not, we don't need Trump style
politics in New Hampshire. Um, what we
need is to get down to work. So, those
are the things to look out for though
would be January 7th when the new
legislature is in session. um to uh and
and to keep an eye out for when that
public hearing will happen with the
House Judiciary Committee. And I've got
a um I've got a newsletter that I send
out about twice a month and I'll be
keeping people posted there. I'm also on
social media, so you can find me on
Facebook, on Instagram, and I'm trying
to get back on to um Twitter, although
it kind of pains me. Um but uh but find
me there because I will be keeping
people posted and definitely um going
through the local um Democratic
committees and the county committees to
um to let people know whether it's
letters to the editor or coming to hold
signs or offering public testimony
before the House Judiciary Committee.
There's I'm going to need a lot of help
because you know this is
there's a lot of resource the
Republicans are using this to raise
money. We've already I've been forwarded
emails where you know they literally put
together an impeachcaren.com website.
website.
So they're using this to raise money and
they are definitely going to be coming
at me with a lot of resources. I'm
raising funds myself to fight this
political battle. Um and I hope it
doesn't come to a legal battle in the in
the Senate, but I will I may have to
raise legal defense funds as well um if
it gets to that point. But I'm hoping
that we can have a good show of public
uh public strength and say, you know,
enough is enough. Let's focus on the
serious business um in New Hampshire.
>> Well, uh and you alluded to this, that
you are preparing in 26, we were talking
before the program about uh a a tour.
One of the things about being the only
statewide uh the only executive
counselor is it means and I've seen I've
seen you do this. I've seen others over
the years. it in a way it means that you
end up uh being the voice for Democrats
who are not represented in the other for
our population when they're looking for
information when they want to learn more
about what the council is about what
kind of issues you're dealing with the
the real world some of the things we
talked about earlier the coalitions and
so forth so
you also to take a message or
conversation on the road and and this
year you did a fair amount of that
related to what is the Free State
movement, what's the project like, what
are its ramifications? They've clearly
been very influential, but now tweaking
that topic to why the heck are your
property taxes so high? Uh there's a
Take it for another second there. What
are some of the practical reasons if
somebody's in a district with uh
particularly Republican House or
Republican state senate members? What
are some of the practical questions that
you would like somebody to ask at the
grocery store or if they ever hold a
town hall to kind of be like, "Listen,
my property taxes are higher than last
year. They're higher than the year
before that. They're going up. What
should they be demanding their
legislators be doing that would have the
most impact direct or indirect to
helping start, you know, turning the
tide on these property taxes?
>> Yeah. Well, you know, as you know from
being a local official and as I know
from being a local official, you know,
tax bills come from your city or your
town, right? That's who that's who and
that's who you have to write your check
to or your mortgage company writes the
check to. Um, and so everyone looks to
their select board or the city council
or their school board. You know, they
blame those people. That's where the
blame goes for high property taxes. But
it's really
not the fault of school boards or city
councils or select boards why New
Hampshire's property taxes are so high.
And this is this is the piece that I
feel is really important for people to
understand is that what happens in
conquered directly affects our property
taxes. And I'll give you just, you know,
a couple of examples that I that I think
are not um are not well understood. You
know, we talk about education a lot and
and I know you had Dave Luno on legend
in uh New Hampshire education. um you
know and and the state is is covering
you know of our of our tax bills you
know if about 60% of those is typically
um public for for public schools um less
than 10% is coming from the state to
help with that. So so already you know
if the state would address adequate
funding of public schools that would
that would have a huge effect
potentially on providing property tax
relief to people. But let's talk about
the other 40% of the bill. You know, the
um which is mostly about 5% of that is
county, but most of that is your, you
know, is your municipal uh municipal um
uh issues like roads and bridges or
water and waste water, you know, like
when you flush your toilet, you know,
that's uh some people have septic, some
people live um in a in a city where they
have water and sewer. So, um, all of
these things are handled at the local
level. And over the years though, the
state has actually been making it
harder. And this is a concept called
downshifting, which is not like great,
you know, people don't it's it's not a
word people people know, but you do
understand that if someone doesn't pay
their bill and they leave it to you to
pay that you're going to end up paying
more. And that's basically what has
happened for the last for decades now at
the state level. And here are two good examples.
examples.
One is um one is with the rooms and
meals tax. So you know when you go out
to a restaurant, there's an extra 9%
that we pay. So in New Hampshire, we
don't have a sales tax, but we do have a
rooms and meals tax. That's 9% that gets
added onto your bill um uh in a
restaurant or if you buy prepared food
um somewhere. Well, back when that tax
was put in place about 40 years ago, so
in the 80s, the the deal was struck
between the state and the municipalities
>> that 40% of those funds that are
collected would be returned to the
cities and towns because after all,
we're the ones that have to have the
police departments and the fire
departments and we have to deal with the
roads. And so all of these things that
people, you know, restaurant patrons are
are benefiting from are paid for by
cities and towns. And so that was the
deal. That was what the legislature
agreed to back in the 80s. And they
said, "Okay, we will give 40% of the
revenue collected from rooms and meals
to cities and towns. The state will keep
60%." Well, it will come as no surprise
whatsoever that the state has never made
good on that. In fact, cities and towns
have had to fight tooth and nail, the
highest ratio it ever got was 8020.
Okay? So, of the 40% we were going to
get, cities and towns have only gotten
up to 20%. Now, when you add that up
over 40 years, that's hundreds of
millions of dollars
that have not come to cities and towns.
It's hundreds of millions of dollars
that local property taxpayers have had
to pick up. And that's just one. I'll
give you one more because I could go on
and on and on, but this next one is
actually billions of dollars. I'm
talking about the New Hampshire
retirement system. So, New Hampshire is
a small state and when the state was
trying to address retirement costs, it
decided to create its own state
retirement system. Now, of course, the
way that these retirement programs work
is the bigger the pool, the the better
it is for everyone. You can keep the
costs low. You have more money to
invest. So you want to have a big as big
a pool as possible. So the state
invited cities and towns to say, "Hey,
you've got public employees as well. If
you join our state retirement system,"
okay? Oh, and school districts. Okay.
And school districts, right?
>> Cities, towns, school districts. If you
join the state retirement system, we
will pay 35% of the cost. Okay? We will
pay 35% of the cost of retirement.
Well, it will also come as no surprise
that the state very quickly said, "Oh,
actually, we're going to lower that, and
we're going to lower that. We're going
to lower that." Over the years, they
lowered it until in 2010, the state's
contribution to cities and towns and
school districts was zero. Zero. Now,
this over decades, now that's been 15
years. They did like two years ago, they
gave like a a one-time, you know, um
helpful, you know, they gave I forget 7%
or something to cities and towns, but it
was a one-time thing. So then the
Republicans took credit for all this
property tax relief, but they did not
take credit for the billions of dollars
that local property taxpayers have had
to pick up over the last several decades
since the state retirement system was
created. And that is absolutely because
of the decisions that largely Republican
majorities in conquered have made. And
so our property taxes, those are just
two examples. There's more. There's been
less funding for roads and bridges, less
funding for water and sewer programs.
Less funding over the years. Over time,
less funding coming from the state from
the state means higher property taxes at
the local level. And yet the Republicans
are very good at the blame game and they
have gotten all of us to say, "Oh, go
talk to your select board. You think
your taxes are too talk to your select
board. Talk to your school board."
Meanwhile, the select board and the
school board have no control over what
the Republicans in conquered are doing
to increase property taxes at the local
level. And so that's why I am really
passionate, as you can tell, about
getting this message out there because I
know the facts. I've seen it firsthand.
And I think this is something that I can
help people understand better so that we
can get out of this cycle and hold
Republicans accountable.
Well, yes. I believe yesterday on Thursday,
Thursday,
Representative Joe Sweeney, I believe
Representative Joe Alexander from
Gofftown, maybe a few others were down
in Massachusetts for a press conference
they did with a couple of conservative
uh national conservative groups and and
some of their state chapters toastically
thank Morah Healey for driving
businesses into the arms of New
Hampshire. Unfortunately for them, about
two hours after they did that, Annheiser
Bush announced that they were going to
be closing their, I believe, more than
half a century old presence in Marramac,
which will be very significant to the
community down there. The optics of that
press conference with that terrible news
could not have come at a worse time.
They went through a long chart of
advantages where the taxes are generally
lower or non-existent in New Hampshire
relative to Massachusetts. And and look
on some of those uh totally get it are
advantages, competitive advantages in
some of them, but I noticed it is
conspicuous the absence on a chart that
has literally 12 to 15 different sorts
of taxes where they're doing the side by
side and they missed the biggest one for
the for the overwhelming majority of the
people of New Hampshire, the property
taxes. they don't put that one on the
chart, that one would not look so good
on that chart. Uh, and it's somehow, and
I think this is a real challenge for
Democrats in New Hampshire. It's a it's
very New Hampshire ccentric
uh, quirk that over the course of more
than half a century, somehow taxes apply
for everything except for the big one,
the property tax. And so when they have
a bill in the legislature this year to
further reduce the business enterprise
tax uh from 0.55% I believe to to half a
percent and I I believe that would uh
generate a loss of between 20 and $30
million a year of revenue at a time when
we're already running short early in
this bianual budget cycle projections.
We're already probably going to be
looking for some some money in the till
from now. And this would knock it back
another 25 million bucks.
>> Well, yeah. And we're going to have to
pay for uh we're going to have to pay
for the EFAs, the school vouchers that
are completely blowing through any kind
of budget projections. Yeah.
>> Totally. Like way past something that
was originally supposed to be a few
million bucks a year. It's going to be
over 50 million for the current school
year. and they're looking to eliminate
the cap, the annual growth cap, which
would mean sky's the limit and could be
closer to 100 million bucks a year
within a few years. And so they position
it as when we eliminate the interest and
dividends tax, when we cut the business
enterprise tax, that is that is revenue
that is no longer needed and is not
having to be made up for in in any other
area. And of course what ends up
happening as you say well a moment ago
lion and share of that ends up getting
kicked down to local property taxes and
it is not DEI for the reason for local
spending and it's not fraud waste and
abuse and it's not proflegate spenders.
I always find it interesting that even
in the reddest towns in New Hampshire,
you know, Representative Ross Barry from
where is one of the leaders of this sort
of discussion, one of the young guns in
the House for the GOP and he lives in
where which is one of the most
conservative and Republican performing
and very Trump performing towns in the
entire state. And yet even in the town
of where they have their property taxes
are going up.
>> They don't have a choice either. These
are conservative
uh electoral bases in these red towns
that are realizing that the choice is
not tighten your belt a little bit or
not. It is going to have teachers next
year, not are you going to do trash
pickup next year or not? Police and
fire. Guess that's not really optional.
And this is and they realize that this
also has impacts on their local property
values. If people perceive the local
school district as not going well, that
nothing will drag down the future value
increases of your home faster than if
the reputation of the local school
district is in the trash can. This is
all related. So even in the towns of
these people, their own taxpayers are
telling them
the the problem doesn't go away. simply
gets kicked down the road to us whether
it's Portsouth where or anywhere in
between and I think Democrats and I'm so
glad you're doing this tour because I
think folks particularly those in
relatively highprofile positions in
state government like you have a unique ability
ability
time to reposition the conversation and
put the spotlight
exactly in this sort of a way. So, uh,
it sounds like that's something that,
uh, we'll be seeing you hitting the road
at some point. Probably early in in the
new year. Fair to say.
>> Yeah, definitely. Yeah, the first few
months I want to be, uh, I I'm I'm on
the road a lot. Um, usually about a
thousand miles a week I'm doing. And,
um, and and I I like to get around. That
was it was really great to to get around
the state last year and and um, and and
talk to folks. I mean, I have
information to share, but I al I'm I'm
always learning as well of what's on
people's minds. You know, property taxes
to to one of your points earlier,
property taxes are also the biggest tax
facing small business in New Hampshire.
Okay. So, you know, the the the
Republicans love to take credit for, you
know, cutting taxes and, you know,
they're certainly not cutting property
taxes. They are cutting business profits
tax, business enterprise tax which
disproportionately affect big business
and outofstate business. Okay, that is
um that's who they're benefiting. Okay,
that's who is benefiting from the
Republican tax cutting schemes. Now, it
sounds good because, you know, tax, you
know, everyone kind of agrees that all
taxes are bad, so we want to cut taxes.
But, you know, does the business profits
tax or the business enterprise tax
affect the average New Hampshire
resident? No, it does not. Um, and so
cutting them also does not help the
average New Hampshire resident. And in
fact, what the Republicans have been
doing, what the elected Republicans, you
know, in in conquered have been working
on is cutting taxes for big business and
the ultra wealthy through, you know, BPT
and BET. Um, another factor that's at
play right now is, you know, so where
does New Hampshire get its revenue? We
don't have a sales tax. We don't have an
income tax. We have, um, so we've got
those business taxes, which the
Republicans are cutting. We also have
sin taxes. Okay? So, we've got gambling.
So, there's some tax, there's some money
that comes in through gambling. And we
have alcohol. Okay? Alcohol. Now,
alcohol used to be a much larger source
of revenue. Re people are drinking less.
You know what? They're doing more
edibles. New Hampshire has not legalized
marijuana. Okay? So, we're not getting
any revenue there. And people are
drinking less. In fact, our liquor
revenues are down 25%.
So, and and that is not expected to
improve significantly. Okay? Like that's
that's a trend that's going to persist.
And so we are looking the Republicans
right now and and and I you know I have
to say Dave Luno is so good. He calls
them elected Republicans and and it's
really good because in New Hampshire a
lot of us know kind of traditional
Republicans. You know I you it's like a
different generation um a different
mentality. The Republicans of today are
not the Republicans of yesterday in New
Hampshire. They are not the sort of moderate
moderate
Republicans that used to be the
Republican party in New Hampshire. It is
um the Republican party in New Hampshire
right now is completely dominated by um
an anti-government
philosophy. So this free state project
um even though they've only had about
7,000 people move to New Hampshire in
the last 20 years, they are disproportionately
disproportionately
in power in conquered. And so of the,
you know, there's about 222 Republicans
in the state house right now. Of those
222 Republicans, about 150 of them are
either free stators or voting almost
unanimously with a free state agenda,
which is an anti-government agenda. And
so this whole thing about, you know,
taking the taking the income cap off of
the voucher program, you know, the point is
is
to destroy public schools. That's the
whole point. The whole point is to
dismantle public schools. And the whole
point of reducing revenue at the state
level, of reducing business taxes, um
the whole point of that, of reducing the
interest in dividends tax, which also
disproportionately affected very wealthy
individuals, the whole point of reducing
those taxes is also to dismantle state
government. And that's that's really the
the philosophy that we're up against
right now. Um, it used to be that
Republicans and Democrats had
differences of opinion about how much
government, you know, less government,
more government, you know, now it's
actually should we have government at
all. That's the Republican philosophy of
today is government is bad. Like Grover
Norquist said, he said, I'm not
anti-government. I just want to shrink
it to the size that it could fit that I
could drag it into the bathroom and
drown it in the bathtub.
Okay, sounds pretty anti-government. And
that's the philosophy that's in play
right now. And we see it across the
board. And I think though in New
Hampshire, we understand like everyone
drives on roads.
Everyone deserves all kids deserve to go
to a public school. Like a certain
amount of government is necessary. We
want to have clean water. We want to
know that we can turn the faucet on and
trust the water. Um we and and when bad
things happen like there's PAS
that that government should be there to
protect people who are getting exploited
by big business and ultra wealthy
interests and that there is a role for
government. And so that's why you know
like I
my mother died when I was really young.
I was six years old. She died of cancer
and I had two younger siblings and my
father had just started a roofing
business and was a small, you know, a
struggling small business owner and our
family got by with the help of social security.
security.
It made a big difference for my family,
you know, and when I when I went to when
I was in college and um I was I was a
young single college student. Uh, my
daughter was born 10 weeks early and she
was in the neonatal intensive care unit
for five weeks and I was only able to go
back to school and finish my studies
thanks to Medicaid that covered her healthcare.
healthcare.
So, I know firsthand the power of
government to improve people's lives. I
believe in government and I believe
government is simply how we join
together all of us to solve problems
that we can't solve on our own like
building roads and bridges or public
schools or making sure that if people
are going through you know
really difficult circumstances and they
might need help buying groceries that
that there is help for them. And um you
know that's why I've served uh for 20
years as a city councelor. It's why I'm really
really
just feel so um privileged to get to now
serve at the state level. And that's the
philosophy that I bring and that's the
philosophy that I think we need to
defend and um bring to the people. And
it's time to put the Republicans on
offense. um or it's time to it's to p
it's time to put the Republicans on
defense because they're just out here
dismantling government and not solving
problems. They are not lowering the cost
of housing. They are not lowering our
property taxes. They are not making sure
that all kids have access to education
and they're not making sure that
everyone who needs to go to the doctor
has access. And so, you know, that's
what I'm working on.
>> Well, it's a full plate. we uh as we
approach the 1 hour mark, there were a
few comments and questions. Maybe we can
take it in sort of a rapid fire. Um one
of them well two of them here. Uh one
was kind of a broader question about the
role of Bitcoin in state government. It
looks like uh there's a uh there's going
to be a bond issued for about hund00
million valued at about 100 million
where Bitcoin will serve as the collateral.
collateral.
Um what do you think of that?
>> Yeah, I actually just spoke with um with
James Key Wallace who is the head of our
business finance authority. So um really
important for everyone to know that um
this is actually through a program. It
it's called um a conduit bond and it's
actually there's no state money
involved. It's just that in the state of
New Hampshire, if a business um wants to
access bonds um they have to go through the business finance authority and so
the business finance authority and so technically that will come to the
technically that will come to the executive council. We'll hold a hearing
executive council. We'll hold a hearing and vote on it. Um but there are no
and vote on it. Um but there are no taxpayer dollars at stake. This is not
taxpayer dollars at stake. This is not something um there's no risk. There's
something um there's no risk. There's not there's no taxpayer dollars at stake
not there's no taxpayer dollars at stake and there's also no risk. this the state
and there's also no risk. this the state of New Hampshire or taxpayers are not
of New Hampshire or taxpayers are not taking on any risk related to this. You
taking on any risk related to this. You know, I think we we'll see if it
know, I think we we'll see if it happens. It's going through due
happens. It's going through due diligence and I guess if it if it goes
diligence and I guess if it if it goes through due diligence um then it will it
through due diligence um then it will it will come to us and we'll have a
will come to us and we'll have a hearing. And um you know I I guess I
hearing. And um you know I I guess I don't have too many strong feelings
don't have too many strong feelings about how businesses want to handle
about how businesses want to handle their financing. you know, I if they
their financing. you know, I if they think it's appropriate to do if if a
think it's appropriate to do if if a lender wants to take Bitcoin as
lender wants to take Bitcoin as collateral and a business wants to offer
collateral and a business wants to offer it, I I'm not sure that I've that I
it, I I'm not sure that I've that I necessarily want to get in the way of
necessarily want to get in the way of that. Uh um you know, certainly that's
that. Uh um you know, certainly that's why my questions for business finance,
why my questions for business finance, you know, I I made sure that there's no
you know, I I made sure that there's no state money at stake because I don't
state money at stake because I don't think the taxpayers should be at all
think the taxpayers should be at all involved in this. Um but I think really
involved in this. Um but I think really what it what it is is actually part of
what it what it is is actually part of this free state
this free state um agenda which is to make New
um agenda which is to make New Hampshire, you know, the most free. And
Hampshire, you know, the most free. And so they they passed a bill last year
so they they passed a bill last year that had to do with Bitcoin. Um you
that had to do with Bitcoin. Um you know, the the state treasurer. So So now
know, the the state treasurer. So So now technically
technically the state is allowed to invest in
the state is allowed to invest in Bitcoin. Now the state treasurer has not
Bitcoin. Now the state treasurer has not elected to do so yet. It was much more
elected to do so yet. It was much more of a photo op, you know, part of this
of a photo op, you know, part of this political gimmicks and this political
political gimmicks and this political theater. So, the governor and I forget
theater. So, the governor and I forget who it was, the two state
who it was, the two state representatives or whatever that were
representatives or whatever that were involved, but I think it was really so
involved, but I think it was really so that they could go out and say, "Look,
that they could go out and say, "Look, New Hampshire, we're we're Bitcoin
New Hampshire, we're we're Bitcoin friendly, you know, so all of you other
friendly, you know, so all of you other Bitcoin enthusiasts, come to New
Bitcoin enthusiasts, come to New Hampshire. You're welcome here." And I
Hampshire. You're welcome here." And I think that this um this bond if it if it
think that this um this bond if it if it happens is also part of that political
happens is also part of that political theater as well.
theater as well. >> Uh and so we'll keep an eye on that. A
>> Uh and so we'll keep an eye on that. A couple questions related to the Anheiser
couple questions related to the Anheiser Bush news of yesterday. Uh a reminder
Bush news of yesterday. Uh a reminder that there's a smaller location in
that there's a smaller location in Portsouth that will also that is
Portsouth that will also that is affected by a much broader Anheiser Bush
affected by a much broader Anheiser Bush set of moves that are occurring. And it
set of moves that are occurring. And it sounds like Governor Aayod made an
sounds like Governor Aayod made an initial remark saying that there would
initial remark saying that there would be um vigorous efforts uh from the
be um vigorous efforts uh from the executive branch to try to help those
executive branch to try to help those that are going to be displaced because
that are going to be displaced because of that. It's obviously very early. Do
of that. It's obviously very early. Do you anticipate in a situation like that,
you anticipate in a situation like that, is that something where the executive
is that something where the executive council at a minimum will be informed or
council at a minimum will be informed or will there be decisions placed in front
will there be decisions placed in front of you as a bypack that you might have
of you as a bypack that you might have to discuss related to how to help when
to discuss related to how to help when you have what could be a pretty big
you have what could be a pretty big layoff uh happening uh sometime in 2026.
layoff uh happening uh sometime in 2026. >> Yeah. And how sad to get this news like
>> Yeah. And how sad to get this news like right during the holidays. I mean, it's
right during the holidays. I mean, it's like it's it's really distressing. So we
like it's it's really distressing. So we have a department um is our department
have a department um is our department of employment security. They're the ones
of employment security. They're the ones that are responsible for um for
that are responsible for um for distributing unemployment funds which
distributing unemployment funds which are actually federal dollars but we um
are actually federal dollars but we um we are responsible for distributing them
we are responsible for distributing them at the state level. And so um and then
at the state level. And so um and then also we do have a practice and I
also we do have a practice and I wouldn't be surprised in this case if um
wouldn't be surprised in this case if um oftentimes if there's a large employer
oftentimes if there's a large employer that has an event like this, the
that has an event like this, the Department of Employment Security will
Department of Employment Security will often um go and actually bring together
often um go and actually bring together kind of put together um uh like a rapid
kind of put together um uh like a rapid response team that would have people
response team that would have people from business and economic affairs um
from business and economic affairs um maybe health and human services, you
maybe health and human services, you know, because people might become
know, because people might become eligible to apply for like um food
eligible to apply for like um food stamps. s or you know other kinds of
stamps. s or you know other kinds of assistance maybe maybe they're going to
assistance maybe maybe they're going to lose health insurance and they need to
lose health insurance and they need to figure out how to get on to um Medicaid
figure out how to get on to um Medicaid or something and so a lot of times
or something and so a lot of times they'll put together a rapid response
they'll put together a rapid response team and actually go onsite to that
team and actually go onsite to that business so that they can so to make it
business so that they can so to make it nice and easy for employees who are
nice and easy for employees who are going to be affected to get immediate
going to be affected to get immediate access to resources. So um I suspect
access to resources. So um I suspect that's what Governor AOT was talking
that's what Governor AOT was talking about um in terms of the state deploying
about um in terms of the state deploying resources immediately. Um I would I
resources immediately. Um I would I would expect that probably one or more
would expect that probably one or more of executive counselors will want to
of executive counselors will want to talk about this and um more at our
talk about this and um more at our meeting next week. So um so we'll see um
meeting next week. So um so we'll see um if there's a if there is an agenda item
if there's a if there is an agenda item from the Department of Employment
from the Department of Employment Security that will give us an avenue a
Security that will give us an avenue a vehicle where we can ask the
vehicle where we can ask the commissioner to um to talk about this.
commissioner to um to talk about this. And of course we can email a
And of course we can email a commissioner or call a commissioner and
commissioner or call a commissioner and get more information. Um, but that's
get more information. Um, but that's what that's what the state can do and
what that's what the state can do and has done in the past. You know, we had
has done in the past. You know, we had um J C Penney and I remember when I was
um J C Penney and I remember when I was I think I was mayor, J C Penney
I think I was mayor, J C Penney unexpectedly um filed bankruptcy and so
unexpectedly um filed bankruptcy and so the state did put together a rapid
the state did put together a rapid response team came up to help. I think
response team came up to help. I think it was about 150 employees who were um
it was about 150 employees who were um affected and just tried to make the
affected and just tried to make the transition as as smooth as possible for
transition as as smooth as possible for people and help them start looking for
people and help them start looking for other employment. you know, employment
other employment. you know, employment security, it's kind of a funny name. Um,
security, it's kind of a funny name. Um, I think in a way it might be better
I think in a way it might be better referred to or thought of as the
referred to or thought of as the Department of Career Services because
Department of Career Services because they actually have a lot of resources,
they actually have a lot of resources, not just for unemployed people who need
not just for unemployed people who need some some cash assistance, but also for
some some cash assistance, but also for people who might want to transition to a
people who might want to transition to a different industry or a different field.
different industry or a different field. um they really do a lot to help workers
um they really do a lot to help workers connect with um with with employers and
connect with um with with employers and they work with employers to make those
they work with employers to make those um opportunities available. So big
um opportunities available. So big they're a big resource, the Department
they're a big resource, the Department of Employment Security.
of Employment Security. >> Well, that's all good information. We'll
>> Well, that's all good information. We'll obviously keep our eyes open and we're
obviously keep our eyes open and we're thinking of those uh working there
thinking of those uh working there particularly as you say during this
particularly as you say during this holiday season. Uh we're going to close
holiday season. Uh we're going to close up. So, always ask folks uh on the way
up. So, always ask folks uh on the way out the door, anything you want to plug,
out the door, anything you want to plug, whether it's your website, obviously
whether it's your website, obviously 2026 is coming up. Uh shall we presume
2026 is coming up. Uh shall we presume that you intend to run again for the
that you intend to run again for the executive council in 2026?
executive council in 2026? >> Yes, 100%.
>> Yes, 100%. 100%. I very I love this job. I would
100%. I very I love this job. I would love to keep doing it for a long time.
love to keep doing it for a long time. And so, um in order to do that, I need
And so, um in order to do that, I need to get through this impeachment. And so
to get through this impeachment. And so I would ask for everyone to um to keep
I would ask for everyone to um to keep your ears open for this. And if you are
your ears open for this. And if you are willing to help me, whether it's writing
willing to help me, whether it's writing a letter to the editor, whether it's
a letter to the editor, whether it's coming in person to um to support me at
coming in person to um to support me at the press conference or to um sign up to
the press conference or to um sign up to testify on when the when this resolution
testify on when the when this resolution comes up to the jud the House Judiciary
comes up to the jud the House Judiciary Committee, maybe sometime in January. Um
Committee, maybe sometime in January. Um I really need all the help that I can
I really need all the help that I can get. I am kind of a a onewoman
get. I am kind of a a onewoman operation. I do have some part-time um
operation. I do have some part-time um staff help, which is great, but um I
staff help, which is great, but um I need to raise resources. So, if you
need to raise resources. So, if you can't come in person, um I will happily
can't come in person, um I will happily accept contributions because uh we do
accept contributions because uh we do have to be able to match what the
have to be able to match what the Republican resources are that are going
Republican resources are that are going to be unloaded against me um over the
to be unloaded against me um over the next couple of months. So, I definitely
next couple of months. So, I definitely would love to be reelected in November,
would love to be reelected in November, but before I can do that, I've got to
but before I can do that, I've got to get through January. And so, um, please
get through January. And so, um, please follow me on social media. I do have a
follow me on social media. I do have a website, karen leohoill.com, and you can
website, karen leohoill.com, and you can easily sign up there for, um, my
easily sign up there for, um, my newsletter and you can also, um, make a
newsletter and you can also, um, make a contribution if you are so inclined.
contribution if you are so inclined. It's really such a great pleasure and an
It's really such a great pleasure and an honor to serve the people of New
honor to serve the people of New Hampshire and and to a point you made
Hampshire and and to a point you made earlier. You know, I know I represent
earlier. You know, I know I represent the 81 cities and towns of district 2 on
the 81 cities and towns of district 2 on the executive council, but I also know
the executive council, but I also know that I am a voice for people across the
that I am a voice for people across the state who otherwise would not have a
state who otherwise would not have a voice at that table. And so, um, I take
voice at that table. And so, um, I take both of those jobs really seriously and,
both of those jobs really seriously and, uh, plan to continue to do so. They
uh, plan to continue to do so. They can't keep me down.
can't keep me down. >> There you go. Well, it's it's going to
>> There you go. Well, it's it's going to be an exciting year in 2026. I think
be an exciting year in 2026. I think generally a very good year for
generally a very good year for Democrats, but not without a lot of push
Democrats, but not without a lot of push back from a GOP at the state and
back from a GOP at the state and national level that obviously would like
national level that obviously would like to continue to hold the trifectas that
to continue to hold the trifectas that they currently have both in Washington
they currently have both in Washington and here at home in conquered. Um Karen,
and here at home in conquered. Um Karen, thank you so much for joining us today.
thank you so much for joining us today. Always appreciate it. I really enjoy
Always appreciate it. I really enjoy spending time with you. And again, folks
spending time with you. And again, folks can find you at karenlehill.com.
can find you at karenlehill.com. Correct. That's the website.
Correct. That's the website. >> That's right.
>> That's right. >> Good. Good. You can never say that
>> Good. Good. You can never say that enough. Uh thank you, Karen. And uh and
enough. Uh thank you, Karen. And uh and thank you all for listening or watching
thank you all for listening or watching today. Uh you can find the recording of
today. Uh you can find the recording of this sometime in the near future. Uh and
this sometime in the near future. Uh and if you're watching this on on a podcast
if you're watching this on on a podcast or YouTube, you already figured it out.
or YouTube, you already figured it out. Uh at Spotify or Apple Podcast, it's the
Uh at Spotify or Apple Podcast, it's the Steve Marshian podcast. Also got a
Steve Marshian podcast. Also got a YouTube channel. If you get to that
YouTube channel. If you get to that YouTube channel, please subscribe. And
YouTube channel, please subscribe. And that way, whenever we have new content,
that way, whenever we have new content, such as when this goes up, you'll be
such as when this goes up, you'll be able to get a notification immediately.
able to get a notification immediately. You won't have to find out from somebody
You won't have to find out from somebody else. And my Substack, which is where
else. And my Substack, which is where you are hearing this today. It's
you are hearing this today. It's steve.com.
steve.com. If you're not a subscriber already,
If you're not a subscriber already, please consider doing so. Uh have been
please consider doing so. Uh have been doing this for almost a year now. And uh
doing this for almost a year now. And uh you can be a free subscriber or paid
you can be a free subscriber or paid subscriber. Paid subscribers get a lot
subscriber. Paid subscribers get a lot of fun benefits. They're going to have
of fun benefits. They're going to have some programming, live and online
some programming, live and online programming in 2026, as well as full
programming in 2026, as well as full access to the archive, which is now up
access to the archive, which is now up to about 120 pieces for 2025.
to about 120 pieces for 2025. It'll all stay up there. A lot of data
It'll all stay up there. A lot of data and analysis and writing that if you
and analysis and writing that if you enjoy conversations like this, if you
enjoy conversations like this, if you love politics, if you love New Hampshire
love politics, if you love New Hampshire politics, you'll probably enjoy that,
politics, you'll probably enjoy that, too. So, thanks again for watching and
too. So, thanks again for watching and listening. We'll do it again next week.
listening. We'll do it again next week. We got some great shows set up for the
We got some great shows set up for the later part of next week. We'll let you
later part of next week. We'll let you know about those shortly. So good to
know about those shortly. So good to have you Karen and Steve again. Thank
have you Karen and Steve again. Thank you for the tremendous service that you
you for the tremendous service that you provide to the people of New Hampshire.
provide to the people of New Hampshire. What you are doing, the the data that
What you are doing, the the data that you have an analyzed, the the work that
you have an analyzed, the the work that you're doing on messaging, the the just,
you're doing on messaging, the the just, you know, you have invested so much in
you know, you have invested so much in in our state and you know, I I just
in our state and you know, I I just really respect and admire the work that
really respect and admire the work that you're doing and am very thankful for
you're doing and am very thankful for it.
it. >> Well, right back at you. That's very
>> Well, right back at you. That's very kind. This is the best state in the
kind. This is the best state in the country, so we're going to try to make
country, so we're going to try to make it even better. That's cool. Anyway, we
it even better. That's cool. Anyway, we don't see you guys before. Happy
don't see you guys before. Happy holidays to you all. We'll hopefully see
holidays to you all. We'll hopefully see you here again very soon. Have a great
you here again very soon. Have a great day, everybody.
day, everybody. >> Bye, everyone.
Click on any text or timestamp to jump to that moment in the video
Share:
Most transcripts ready in under 5 seconds
One-Click Copy125+ LanguagesSearch ContentJump to Timestamps
Paste YouTube URL
Enter any YouTube video link to get the full transcript
Transcript Extraction Form
Most transcripts ready in under 5 seconds
Get Our Chrome Extension
Get transcripts instantly without leaving YouTube. Install our Chrome extension for one-click access to any video's transcript directly on the watch page.
