After serving 12 years in the New Hampshire House of Representatives representing Stratham, I have decided to run for state Senate in District 24, which includes Rye, Greenland, Stratham, Exeter, Hampton, North Hampton, and Hampton Falls.
When I met with Senate President Jeb Bradley several months ago about running, he said that I would be a great senator and I would hit the ground running since I know my way around the State House and all of state government. In my six terms at the State House, I was known for my 12 years on the Ways and Means Committee, where I quickly became the vice chair, working closely with the perennial Chair Norm Major.
Throughout my years at the University of Buffalo, where I received both a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in industrial engineering/operations research, most of my class work and projects were problem-solving. As a principal/owner of a hospital operations consulting firm for 43 years in which I personally consulted in 37 states and D.C. in over 400 hospitals, I was always formulating solutions to my clients’ problems. It is these problem-solving skills that I brought to the House and will to the Senate.
I was assigned to 13 commissions and joint committees with the Senate and was elected chair to nine of them, covering a wide range of topics, all requiring problems to be solved. On all of these assignments, I worked closely with many senators from both parties. In Ways and Means, I was asked to chair many sub-committees where we would fix bills the committee felt were worthy of fixing.
Philosophically, I always start with keeping New Hampshire a business-friendly state. The why is simple: business-friendly equals the creation of high-paying productive jobs for our citizens. Our business taxes are our largest source of tax revenue, which provides us with the revenue needed to support our government functions and help those who need a hand-up.
In my tenure, on Ways and Means, we lowered the business tax rate, which has led to a record high level of business tax revenues because of the growth in the number of businesses who moved to New Hampshire or expanded here. When on an airplane the announcement is always, “place the oxygen mask over your face first, before your child.” The message is if you pass out, your child will not have a chance. The analogy is if we do not create a business-friendly environment, all of the programs that help our citizens in need will be curtailed due to decreased tax revenue. The is the only way to prevent personal income, sales, capital gains, or inheritance taxes, all of which I have fought against successfully in Ways and Means and on the House floor.
I am also a proponent of an efficient, effective and nimble government, which we certainly have, but we can always do better. Unlike other states fraught with fraud, corruption, and cronyism, we have an environment and culture that prevents this type of abuse. We do not need to open the spigot of revenues brought on by broad-based taxes that will lead to bloat and inefficiency in government.
I also will always side with having a strong family structure, an ethos of individual responsibility, and a strong work ethic among our citizens; a strong educational system with high academic standards that recognizes one type of education environment does not fit all; an energy policy that is sensitive to the ratepayers; a voting system that prevents any chance of fraud; and a judicial system that is just without forsaking the victim. These are just some of my guiding principles.
My major goal is to keep New Hampshire, New Hampshire — the best state to raise a family and open a business. We are unique among states with the way our government is structured and raises revenues, leading to the overall lowest tax and fee rate (all taxes including property taxes) of any state, except Alaska because of the oil tax revenue shared with individuals. We should not emulate other states, but other states should emulate us. We are already, as a state compared to other states, ranked near the top in the health of our citizens, education of our children, quality of our environment, low crime rates, and as mentioned low taxes. We are always ranked number one in quality of life and always have the fewest number of citizens living below the federal poverty level. Once we lose our uniqueness, we will never get it back.
So, as a senator, I will fight every day to protect what makes New Hampshire the best place to live. I grew up in New York, and lived in Massachusetts, Maine, and New Jersey before moving to New Hampshire, as well as consulted in 32 other states and D.C. I know first-hand what we have in New Hampshire and need to preserve. Please take a look at states like Massachusetts, New York, California, Illinois, and New Jersey to see what I mean.
I would appreciate your vote on Nov. 5. To learn more about me, please go to my website: patabramifornh.com
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