News and Views

Several people have asked me who is running and what I know about the candidates. Below are the names and my observations based on what I have heard them say at various School Board, Selectman or Budget Committee meetings. The incumbents are **

I am running for reelection to the Select Board and am asking for your vote and support.
Please let me know if I can put a sign in your yard. It will be up for 10 days.

Tom

Select Board – Elect 2

**Tom Keane – I have served on a number of town committees and am fortunate to have been elected to both the Select Board and School Board. There is no doubt that I am a fiscal conservative who believes in cost effective and efficient government services.

Rick Hiland – Rick is a long time active member of the Town Budget Committee and as such he has extensive experience with both the School Budget and the Town Budget. I have seen Rick at other committee meetings and he is an active member of the Bow Business group. Rick voting record is that of a fiscal conservative. He owns an automotive engineering specialty company located in Bow. I have not seen Rick at either School Board or Selectman meetings.
Colleen Hunter is a former Bow town employee who managed the town’s day care program. To my knowledge she has attended only one Select Board meeting three years ago to defend her position that town should compete with the private sector and operate a child care program. I can not recall seeing her at any meeting of the School Board or Budget Committee.

Jill Desrochers – Jill is an active member of the recycling committee. She is an adjunct faculty member at the Technical Institute (NHTI). She is a lawyer by training. I n three years I do not recall ever seeing her at one Select Board, School Board or Budget Committee meeting.

Leon Kennison decided NOT to run for reelection.

School Board – Elect 2

**Pansy Bloomfield is running for reelection. She has continuously served on the School Board since before there was a Bow High School.

Robert Louf is heavily involved with Bow youth programs and has attended many Select Board and School Board meetings.

Shawn Coe works for the Londonderry School system. His wife has appeared before the School Board in her role as the Dean of Humanities at Bow High School. I have repeatedly questioned the need for a Dean of Humanities especially when student enrollment has dropped so dramatically. It is apparently Mr. Coe’s judgment that he sees no conflict of interest problem with him sitting on the board. On his face book page he explains that the Superintendent and not the School Board determines administrative salaries therefore there is no conflict of interest. Even given Mr. Coe’s perspective, who hires and fires the Superintendent? The School Board.

Warren Fargo decided NOT to run for reelection.

Budget Committee – Elect 2

**Kally Abrams is running for reelection. In her three years on the Board she has voted most often to increase spending or against proposed reduction in spend. This year she voted to support increasing the School Boards Budget by more then a quarter of a million dollars.

Jim Hoffman is retired and has attended many School Board, Selectman, and Budget Committee hearings. He often presents well researched opinions that suggest a commitment to cost effective government. Mr. Hoffman’s previous experience was in private sector manufacturing.

Ginger Fraser is unknown to me. She and Ms. Abrams share yard signs so I would conclude she also supports increasing town and school budgets. To my knowledge I have never seen her at and Budget Committee, School Board or Selectman meetings.

Rick Hiland decided NOT to run for reelection to the Budget Committee but rather to run for the Select Board

Other candidates
Moderator -2 year term
Peter Imse -A member of Bow Rotary, lawyer and longtime Town Moderator. .

Trustee of Trust Funds 3 year term
Robert R. Blanchette Jr. – Unknown to me.

Supervisor of Checklist 6 year term
Susan Stevens – Has worked on the check list for several years.

Library Trustee 5 year term Select one
Norman Williams
Ingrid White