Voter’s Guide to the 2023 Republican State Rep Primary
Jim Guzofski versus Jessica Sternberg
Vying to fill the state legislature seat vacated by Ben Bartlett are two Republican candidates, Jessica Sternberg and Jim Guzofski, facing off against each other in a primary election on Tuesday, August 1. The winner will be up against Hal Rafter, who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
Jim Guzofski
Jessica Sternberg
The two candidates gave near-identical answers to each other on their Citizens Count questionnaire. The few differences are as follows:
Should the state do more to encourage municipalities to remove zoning barriers to housing development?
Guzofski - against
Sternberg - for
Should the state permanently increase how much tax revenue it shares with towns and cities every year, beyond public school funding?
Guzofski - for
Sternberg - undecided
Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by allowing home-growing and private use without sales?
Guzofski - against
Sternberg - undecided
Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by licensing growers and private retail locations?
Guzofski - against
Sternberg - undecided
Do you support giving voters who register without ID on Election Day a ballot that only counts if they return identifying documents to the state before a deadline?
Guzofski - against
Sternberg - "Same-day voter registration without a valid form of identification should be prohibited."
State Rep Questions
To supplement the Citizens Count questions, I asked the candidates two questions.
The state pays Nottingham about $4k per year in lieu of property taxes on Pawtuckaway State Park. This figure is calculated on the basis of tax values for undeveloped land. However, significant portions of the park are developed. There’s a large campground, a boat rental facility, a small store, and a large public beach. These facilities earn the state substantial user fees. Meanwhile, Nottingham residents have to pay for fire, ambulance, and search and rescue services. They also have to pay for some of the police services and much of the cost of dealing with invasive species. Meanwhile, Nottingham residents have no influence over how well boaters are policed on the lake. Do you feel that this is fair? If not, what legislation or other efforts would you pursue to address the situation?
Guzofski - My short answer is – No, I do not feel this is fair. I will admit that I am not well versed on this situation. I would like to hear from those concerned residences and what they feel some possible solutions could be. From a practical point of view, I would involve emergency services and the selectboard. I would seek their input and what they feel would be a course of action. Once I received all this input, I would take a plan of action to the appropriate state departments in order to help bring a solution to this issue.
Sternberg - I do not believe that this is a fair situation for the town. With a large portion of the park developed, the town should receive state funds based on the property values of both undeveloped and developed portions of the park. These funds could potentially offset the cost of having to use town emergency services in the park at the expense of taxpayers. I firmly believe that the state should be covering the cost of dealing with invasive species, not the town of Nottingham.
Under state law there’s no provision for removing selectmen from office. Unlike Budget Committee members (RSA 32:15 VI), they cannot even be removed for non-attendance. Do you approve of state law on this matter as it now stands, or would you act to have the law changed? If so, what changes would you pursue?
Guzofski - Yes. I support the state law as it stands. The RSA to remove a Budget Committee member states: “A member-at-large shall cease to hold office immediately upon missing 4 consecutive scheduled or announced meetings of which that member received reasonable notice, without being excused by the chair.” We have opportunity each year to remove or select our town officials at our town elections which reflect the will of the people. I believe in allowing our elections to remove those who we feel are not serving our community well.
Sternberg - All elected town officials should be held to the same standard that Budget Committee members are held to. We elect our Selectmen expecting they will show up to do their job, not just in the case of non-attendance.
