O P I N I O N
The Soapbox
Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn.
Next week all New Hampshire residents will head to the polls to determine who will lead our state forward at every level of government. While it’s easy to focus on the “big” races, we must take the time to understand the impact of our state and local races. These elected officials arguably have more impact on our day-to-day lives than our federal delegation, yet we tend not to spend nearly as much time or effort learning about these candidates.
There are many important issues the State legislature will be asked to address in the next few years, primary among them are education, affordable housing, and health care.
To do this, we need fresh perspectives and legislators who can foster productive and civil dialogue and who act in the best interest not only of their constituents, but for all of New Hampshire’s citizens. For this reason, I will vote for June Trisciani for State Senate.
June is a fourth-generation Queen City resident with experience as a public school teacher and a successful small business owner. June currently serves as a Manchester Alderwoman-at-Large, but she has been active on city committees and in numerous community service endeavors for many years. I’m voting for June because I know she will bring a fresh, innovative perspective to Concord, along with forward-thinking solutions.
Moreover, I am voting for June because her opponent’s positions in this race are out of touch with the majority of New Hampshire citizens. Keith Murphy would be yet another extreme and dangerous vote in the State Senate. His position on women’s health is clear: no abortion, even in the case of rape or incest. I implore you to understand what that means. In his worldview, allowing a 12-year-old to carry her rapist’s baby to term is okay, even if that rapist is her father, uncle, or brother. If my bluntness makes you uncomfortable, imagine being that child, or that child’s guardian, faced with this situation. New Hampshire has always been a state where sensible legislation around abortion prevailed until this most recent legislative session when the most restrictive anti-abortion law was ever passed. June will stand against those extreme voices.
Today, many young families and older adults cannot afford to live in our state. With record occupancy rates and skyrocketing rents, we will not be able to remain competitive to attract younger workers. Further, the high cost of housing is causing more of our neighbors to become homeless – and it is not just in our cities: Talk to people in small communities and you will hear the same story. June has been laser-focused on this issue and will bring new ideas and advocacy to Concord.
We must elect people who deeply understand and respect public education, as June does. I have been horrified in recent years to see the way our public schools and teachers are being treated and portrayed by Concord. We currently have a Commissioner of Education whose school voucher program will cause great harm to local budgets and increase our property taxes, and legislators who are far too worried that young people might be taught about important subjects that make some people uncomfortable or that they might confide something to a teacher that they are not comfortable talking about at home – all the while voting against feeding our kids at school. The last thing we need is another vote against school lunches and for school vouchers. June will always put teachers, kids, and families first.
Since 2020, New Hampshire citizens have been subject to nothing but divisive and abusive rhetoric from our Legislature. It’s time for that to end. On November 8, I will cast my vote for June Trisciani to be our next State Senator. She represents the best of New Hampshire.
Beg to differ? Agree to disagree? Your thoughtful prose are welcome on topics of general interest. Send submissions for consideration to publisher@manchesterinklink.com
