A Loss for NH
In Tuesday's election, Manchester's voters replaced one of the better state legislators they had ever had....and I'm not just saying that because she's my mom. J. Gail Barry served 5 terms in a statehouse that pays 125.00 per YEAR for their legislative services. Unlike so many politicians, she actually READ the legislation she was asked to vote on, debated the legislation, asked the important questions, and was one of the most fiscally responsible people ever to serve. She is a Republican, but in the original sense, the one that demands government stay out of affairs it has no business in, leaving freedom and responsibility to the citizens, where it belongs.
Mom took pride in serving her constituency. Her home phone number, email, and physical address were published all over the web so they could call her anytime (and they did). She took a lot of grief for being a pro-choice Republican, but that was totally consistent with her underlying belief in government staying out of the private affairs of women, as well as men. She defended the rights of children, worked for accessible health care for all, and worked to ensure that NH remained one of the only states without a state sales tax or income tax.
When NH voted out the Republicans, the Democrats took 30 of 36 seats in Manchester. It's too bad one of them wasn't reserved for Gail Barry. Only time will tell what comes next for NH.