To the Editor,
Governor Sununu always makes a bill deal about “no new taxes.” But wait, what’s this we see hidden in the budget?
Per a Union Leader article today:
“In some legislative horse-trading, House members agreed to include a new statewide Housing Appeals Board in the budget, in return for Senate agreement on a $400,000 project to combat invasive aquatic species like milfoil in the state’s waterways.”
Are Sens. Giuda, Carson, Bradley and Rep. Hinch working toward a welfare state?
But then we read:
“House Republican Leader Dick Hinch, R-Merrimack, said his caucus stands ready to support Sununu in a budget veto, as Democrats do not have the necessary two-thirds majority to override on their own.”
So the Governor can still veto the budget so that it can be re-negotiated out. However, we saw that he supported this “housing appeals board” to override local town votes in 2018 with a press release he sent on a similar bill, SB 557. He cited helping businesses and “millennials”. We have sent him a petition against high density with 1,095 signatures and a strong letter warning that it’s a NEW tax, and not the state’s business to take those dollars to pander to special interests like businesses, developers, and millennials.
Tell the Governor that a 3-person state-level housing appeals board would:
- be comprised of unelected, unaccountable individuals representing special interests
- allow developers to override local zoning laws voted in by the people at their town meetings, thus nullifying local control
- encourage “high density” construction in inappropriate places and places where it is not wanted or needed
- give tax incentives along with HUD grants to benefit the developers, while those savings are never passed on to the renters
- increase the demand for services (fire, police, ambulance) without an equal tax contribution, thus placing more of the tax burden on the current single-family homeowners
- turn NH towns into cities when they do not want to be cities
Everyone needs to flood the Governor’s office with email and phone calls to direct him to VETO any budget that still contains SB 306. Remind him that this is a TAX to be redistributed to favor businesses, millennials, and developers — all special interests — and borne on the backs of those who own single-family homes.
His number is 271-2121
His email is governorsununu@nh.gov
Jane Aitken
Bedford, NH
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