Meredith District 2 candidates stress protecting Gunstock, access to mental health care, energy costs

MEREDITH — Three candidates are making a bid in this year's Republican primary for the two seats in New Hampshire's District 2.

All three are first-time racers for the state House, but hope to bring their experience as business owners, mothers and active citizens to their seat.

Like many in the Lakes Region, the fiasco at Gunstock Mountain Resort was a primary motivator to Cindy Cretaeu-Miller. Miller actually threw her hat in the ring for a position on the Gunstock Area Commission before shifting her focus to run as a representative.

“The first time I went to a Gunstock Area Commission [meeting], my jaw dropped open because I thought 'this this is not how you oversee a management team that is doing excellent [work],'" Miller said, who cited her own experience in the ski industry. “When your team is doing as good as this management team, making, what, $15, $18 million with $7 million net in the bank, you do not push back, you do not nitpick, you do not insult and badger. You praise them and say, 'What more can we do?'”

Miller stated she would like to see the mountain continue to be run by the county. The mountain has been a political and social flashpoint for the past 12 months amid lawsuits and tension between the management team and the commission.

“We have to get rid of the [Norm] Silbers and [Mike] Sylvias and that whole crazy right wing,” Miller said of two Republican House members involved with the Gunstock storm. “They are a radical right-wing group who call themselves Republicans. That's my opinion. We need more reasonable people. That's what pushed me to [run].”

Miller also cited the funding cuts of various county services as another reason for putting herself in the race.

“They want to take funding from the Belknap County Nursing Home. That's crazy. Our population is getting older and we need to take care of people,” Miller said. “And the sheriff's department, with all the violence in the world, why are we cutting their budget?”

Previously, Miller served on the school board in Walpole for three years, and served on the Alstead planning board as an alternate for six years.

“I have that background in community involvement and just listening to people,” Miller said. “I think it's time for me to get more involved here. I think we need reasonable, caring Republicans, not a right wing. I respect the people that are running as Democrats. I've met a couple of them. I think we're all more in the middle of the spectrum.”

Lisa Smart also called for more political cooperation, and cited a growing attitude of bickering and population increases as a threat to the calm, community-oriented culture of the area.

“We live out in the country, we live a simple life. New Hampshire is a simple life. We have woods. We hunt,” Smart said of the rural lifestyle that she and her husband enjoy on their farm. “We have communities where we love each other, we're friends, we're neighbors, and I see a lot of infighting, a lot of name calling and vitriol that doesn't need to be there, because when it is all said and done, we all really want the same things. It doesn't matter what your political affiliation is.”

Smart shared what specific changes in Meredith prompted her to run. She grew up in a rural area of New York.

“My girlfriends and I used to ride our horses with our dogs and you could ride all day long,” Smart recalled. “We never had to worry about traffic, speeding cars, getting hurt. We'd be out all day. You can't even do that around here anymore. You can trailer your horse up into the woods and ride on some of the dirt roads.”

According to Smart, her hometown has fallen into a similar fate as more people have moved to rural areas, bringing more infrastructure needs and increasing traffic.

“The population in this area has exploded, especially the last two years,” Smart said, sharing her knowledge and experience in local real estate.

“Houses would go on the market and be sold within two days. They're being bought with cash, site unseen, from people out of state,” Smart continued. “The whole problem is, people move in, and they say 'I love this area' and then they bring whatever it is they're trying to get away from with them.”

Smart suggested solutions can be found by working through committees.

“What I understand is you can sit on a committee,” Smart said. “I'd really like to work with health and human services. I have 36 years in the health care field so I have a little bit of knowledge. I did medical imaging.”

Smart cited her position on COVID-19 vaccine mandates as making her a solid fit for the Health and Human Services Committee. “I don't think it should have been forced on people,” Smart said. “I don't think people should have had to lose their jobs because they didn't want to get vaccinated.”

Miller also emphasized medical freedom, especially when it came to women's bodies.

“I would never ever want Roe v. Wade to [turn over] federally. That's crazy. We [women] were slaves. We're becoming slaves again. We need to have women's choice. I'm a woman, I would never have taken that choice, but it's a personal choice,” Miller said, stating that there shouldn't be an abortion ban in the state. “I don't think the government should be involved in your body, or my body. Period.”

Mental health access was a high priority for Smart, who felt people in crisis are lacking vital resources in New Hampshire.

“If you do manage to get a bed and not sit in the ER for three days, when they figure you're answering all the questions right, they just put you back out onto the street,” Smart said. “You have no support. I know there's other states that have halfway houses and there's a support group for you, and you're actively involved with that before you're released so you have that security if you have a crisis. I'd like to help figure out how to do that [in New Hampshire].”

Jeanne Tofts was unable to participate in an interview, but answered several questions via email. Her top three platforms are energy costs, the economy and education.

“Over the past several years, we’ve seen a dramatic shift in how our rights are interpreted, how our schools are being run, how our small businesses are being burdened, how our taxes are being spent, and how our society is being corrupted,” Tofts wrote, calling for increased local control and reduction of regulation and taxes on businesses to encourage economic growth.

“We need to provide businesses with tax relief to promote job and wage growth,” Tofts continued. “In addition, reducing license requirements on lower-skilled jobs would ease the burden on people entering the workforce and provide them with more job opportunities.”

When it came to schools, both Tofts and Miller bucked against a “one size fits all” approach, and highlighted the individuality of children.

“We're not getting resources,” Miller said. “I feel, personally, every child should have an IEP [individualized education program]. This 'No Child Left Behind' thing, it's great in theory. It just doesn't work. It's not practical. Now teachers are teaching to the test, not teaching what needs to be taught.”

Miller added that she felt it was the parents' responsibility to teach children about race, sex and gender in kindergarten through eighth grade, not the school.

“We must equip our future generations with the tools not only to succeed, but to reach their full potential,” wrote Tofts, who home schooled her children. “A one-size-fits-all approach is not the answer — I know this first hand from raising a son who was a child prodigy. And instead of increased spending, we need effective spending — making sure the money works to the advantage of each student.”

On the state's ballooning energy costs, Tofts wrote, “This is having a tremendous impact on NH residents. Our energy is supplied by a regional power grid, where neighboring states affect the source and cost of what we use. We need more local control over how our energy is sourced so that we can do what’s best and most efficient for NH.”

The state primary is Sept. 13 and the general election is Nov. 8.