Family Information
I was raised in Schenectady, New York in a loving, wonderful family. My brother and I were the first generation in our family to go to college. After graduating from Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., I came to New Hampshire to work as a college debate coach. I continue coaching today, have worked as an attorney, and started farming.
My wife, Linda Taylor, and I have been married for the past 25 years. In 1996, we purchased land in Weare where we built our home and farm. Linda is a teacher of deaf and hard of hearing children and I am a farmer. We have two grown children who attended the Weare public schools from K-12. When they were small, I was a stay-at-home dad. I have coached youth robotics and sports for 18 years. Our son, Ben, is a high school history teacher, and our daughter, Emma, is a senior in college.
Education
BA, Philosophy, Catholic University of America
JD, Law Degree, UNH School of Law, Franklin Pierce Law Center
Member of the NH Bar Association since 1984, inactive status
Profession
Founder and Attorney for the NH Mental Health Law Clinic in the 1980s
Certified organic farmer (self-employed) for 36 years
College debate coach for 44 years
Founder and member of an organic farmer’s cooperative for 20 years
Political Experience
I am a political outsider and have not held public office before.
Invest in public education and support our teachers and students.
• Public dollars should be dedicated to our public schools, rather than voucher programs for private schools.
• We should treat our teachers with the respect they deserve and as allies and trust them to teach important issues to our children.
• Our reliance on local property taxes creates inherent inequities in the funding for our public schools. The State of NH has a duty under our State Constitution to provide an education to all our students. We should live up to this obligation.
Human rights. I support:
• Reproductive rights
• LGBTQ+ rights
• Voting rights, and
• Social justice for all people
Renewable energy and climate change.
• We should adopt a robust policy to increase the production of renewable energy and energy conservation/efficiency in NH. We should also focus on increasing storage capacity for renewable energy.
• Adopting renewable energy now will lower our electric bills and addressing climate change will save funds and resources in the long term.
• It is our duty to future generations to work to solve climate change now. We have the knowledge and the resources to do this. We cannot wait any longer.
Property tax relief, especially for senior citizens.
• There was a budget surplus this past term. Instead of tax cuts for the wealthy, we should provide property tax relief, especially for senior citizens
Make New Hampshire a healthy and welcoming state for young people. We must:
• Raise the minimum wage to levels consistent with the other New England states
• Increase access to affordable childcare and affordable housing
• Provide healthcare for everyone, including mental health care
• Increase funding for the Community College and University System
• Establish a real Family and Medical Leave Act for all workers
