I poured this the other night after the results of my race were official. It’s in honor of my long-departed friend Deale B. Salisbury, who was a state legislator for Ellsworth in the Maine State House in the early 1990s. This one’s for you, Deale. You served your town in many functions for your entire life, and I know you’d be proud.
I won the election, and now I’ll be going to the State House in Concord as the representative for the ten towns in the Grafton-18 district. Thank you to everyone who spread the word, contributed to the campaign, knocked on doors, or wished me well—it’s very motivating and humbling to know how many people supported my candidacy with their time, money, and efforts. I pledge to make good use of my time in Concord to improve things for everyone in Grafton-18 and the state as a whole.
Yesterday, I took a leisurely drive through the district to pick up my remaining yard signs from the public spots where we placed them. (They have to be collected within a few days of the election or the campaign can get fined.) Today, I finally have a chance to take a breather, fill out some paperwork for the state house, and get back to work with the two novels that need to be finished.
Here’s a question for you (whether you live in NH or not): what would you want to see out of your local legislator when it comes to being accessible and accountable to the public? I am trying to figure out how to make it easy for constituents to get in touch with me, and I’d welcome your input.
And now it’s time to roll up the sleeves, both in my writing office (right now) and in the legislature (come December 3rd.)
I’m an NC resident, not NH. However, you should look at our AG (and former rep before his district was gerrymandered) Jeff Jackson. He has a regular newsletter, substack, and shorts which are cross posted to all the major platforms. He talks about wins, losses and in general how things work. It’s super interesting and highly informative! I highly recommend taking a page from his book.
Maybe have a surgery, four different locations once a month, two hours in a coffee shop/ book shop Saturday mornings. Same four locations every month, not bad sitting in a coffee shop and working..
I live in NH. The main thing I want gone is the ridiculous school vouchers program. My money should not going to private schools. I also want to see marijuana legalized, everyone is spending money in the three surrounding states that could be used here.
As for all legislators, I would like to know the reason behind why you might have voted for or against something. I get that you can’t do that for every thing you vote on, but I’d like to see the thought processes for some votes.
And I can’t wait for your next book!
Congrats!!!! What an interesting new job! Keep the books coming! Marla
Godspeed!
Please do not forget the insatiable needs of your readers, eve the foreign ones like me
Congrats.
Wow, in New Hampshire that is really a labor of love. The same salary since 1889. Here in Pennsylvania, they are right behind NY and CA for top pay.
Congrats on the win!
Congratulations! I hope it’s both enjoyable and interesting work.
We’ve recently moved states and haven’t had a chance or a reason to meet the legislative reps in our new district. Formerly though, we attended round table meetings in coffee shops with our state senator and reps, met their assistants, and were encouraged to call with any issues or questions. One rep sent out weekly emails during the legislative session that were super helpful.
cool, well done!
Congratulations sir.
Dear Mr. Kloos,
Congratulations on your election.
As for being accessible and accountable I would recommend to establish a dedicated email address where constituents can send a message with their concerns, etc. Those messages would need to be answered in a manner other than boilerplate automated responses.
Regular mail addressed to the office would have to be answered in the same manner.
In addition, I would schedule a regular time at the local office where you are available for Q&A with your constituents.
Overall I would make it important to hear any and all opinions, etc. and thoughtfully respond to them.
I hope that this is of help.
Best regards,
Congratulations, Sir!
So, to paraphrase a favorite quote from “The Candidate” a Robert Redford movie from long ago:
“Alright, you won. What are you going to do now?”
I don’t know for sure about NH, but I’ve worked for all 3 branches of government in Maine, and one thing I know for sure here is that if you want to have a lasting impact you have to govern from the center, and solutions have to have at least some bi-partisan support.
Good luck!
David Kennedy
jdkennedy1424@gmail.com
Congratulations! The community gains a great deal from having you elected as its representative. And as a reader, I’m rooting for the chance to read your next book as soon as possible. :)T.