Seth Wheeler running for open Statehouse seat in Meredith

MEREDITH — Seth Wheeler spent more than two decades as the spokesperson for the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative before retiring last year. After urging from locals, he thinks it's time to make a difference politically.

The Democrat and longtime Meredith resident is running for state representative, in District 2, where Rep. Matt Coker (R-Meredith) currently holds one seat, and another is vacant after the resignation of Matt Lunney in December.

Wheeler decided to run when a “husband and wife team” of Democrats made the suggestion, and after some consideration, he thought having a Democrat who is more moderate could be good for the district.

“They asked if I wanted to give it a shot. And it wasn’t like I had a burning desire at the time, but when I did research and learned more about what was going on in the state, I felt good about my decision,” Wheeler said. “Lately, it seems like a mini Washington, in Concord.”

Wheeler said he is certainly not a “conservative guy,” but does want to bring New Hampshire back to small government, low taxes and a place where people can get along.

“A lot of that seems to be falling apart,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler has been in the Lakes Region since he was a reporter for The Citizen in 1992, a job he held for eight years before making the transition to corporate communications. From 2002 to 2025, he was the communications manager for NHEC, where he learned a lot about the energy industry.

“There are some equivalent savings that could be realized if we get enough natural gas into the state to have enough to generate power and provide people with heat during the winter,” he said.

Wheeler is running on three main issues: property tax relief, saving public schools, and restoring respect.

Property tax relief

Wheeler posted on social media he was making a run at a spot in the Statehouse on April 1, but it was no April Fools joke. He admitted it's rare to have a Democrat running with cutting taxes in mind, but different times call for a different plan.

“New Hampshire may have the lowest tax burden of any state, but it doesn’t feel that way when you get a property tax bill that you can’t afford,” Wheeler said.

Over the past decade, the state Legislature has cut tax revenues by about $1.5 billion, which he said benefited the wealthiest residents and largest corporations.

“Now, property taxpayers are being forced to fill that revenue gap by paying more and more of the state’s costs,” Wheeler said.

Wheeler said local property owners currently pay more than 70% of public education costs, with the state only contributing 20%, the lowest in the nation. He said the national average is roughly 50%.

“That’s why we’re fighting with each other at town and school district meetings,” he said. “Property taxpayers can’t take much more, and you’re seeing the effects in so-called property poor areas. We’ve got towns and school districts near us that are forced to choose between cutting sports and extracurriculars or closing schools. That’s crazy.”

Wheeler pointed to Newfound Area School District, which has a tax cap. This is a good idea in principle, he said, but when the state doesn’t provide aid, costs are passed on to property taxpayers.

“Now, they have to close Danbury Elementary School instead of killing extracurriculars,” he said. “That’s not a decision that any town or district should have to make, especially in New Hampshire.”

New Hampshire is the nation’s sixth wealthiest state, and Wheeler said there must be a way to fairly fund public education. The first step, he said, is restoring cuts made to the Business Profits and Dividends and Interest taxes.

“Then, we can get serious about how this state can increase revenue without imposing an income or sales tax,” Wheeler said. “High property taxes aren’t just hurting property owners. They’re also hurting the 30% of people in New Hampshire who rent property. With all the other challenges that renters face with rising energy and food costs, property tax relief would be the quickest way to make life more affordable.”

Saving public schools

Wheeler said after three decades of procrastination, the time is now to fix education funding, and property taxpayers can’t continue to hold the burden.

“There’s a deliberate effort underway, in Concord, to dismantle the public school system by squeezing off funding, subsidizing private school tuitions and dictating what teachers can or can’t teach their students,” Wheeler said.

He said the Granite State has one of the best public school systems in the nation, and wants to hold onto local control, while holding Concord accountable for paying their share.

Restoring respect

Wheeler said New Hampshire once had the perfect combination of low taxes, small government and communities supporting themselves, but this seems to have gone out the window.

“We had an unspoken social contract that went like this: I respect you, you respect me, and together we support our community,” he said. “But now, we have politicians who have broken that contract, by targeting groups and institutions they don’t like.”

Wheeler noted laws have been proposed to censor teaching history, as well as laws removing vaccination requirements for students and those attending daycare.

Wheeler wants to move past identity politics, and restore respect and civility in Concord.

“We have proposed laws that would marginalize members of the LGBTQ+ community, and we have an influx of Free State Libertarians who want to dismantle the entire public school system,” Wheeler said. “We have politicians with extreme positions on issues. It’s nearly impossible to compromise on anything. But in a democracy, if you can’t compromise you can’t govern."

Wheeler thinks he's someone many used to call “moderate,” which he admits isn’t a fashionable place to be these days, as many have gone to the extreme sides of each party. He thinks in New Hampshire, there is still a love of local control, but the funding and revenue issues have “gone out of whack.”

While he skews Democratic, Wheeler thinks party labels can be “poisonous.”

“Sometimes, I think people see a ‘D’ or an ‘R’ and they are either turned off, or they just check the boxes down the voting ballot,” he said. “That isn’t necessarily a healthy thing in this political climate."

Wheeler wants to find likeminded people in Concord, to restore the balance for state support for not just education, but for towns picking up additional pension and insurance costs which used to be covered by the state.

“Cost downshifting by the state is bleeding local property taxpayers dry.”

Wheeler publicly shared his candidacy at the beginning of April, but since late January, has been getting educated on local and state issues. He’s been attending school and town meetings, becoming acquainted with the Belknap County Democrats and needs assessment meetings. He most recently attended the Meredith Selectboard meeting to introduce himself.

“I’ve been learning a lot, but I think a lot more campaigning will be coming this summer,” Wheeler said. “I’m working on getting together materials, signs and door hangers, and I am planning on door-to-door canvassing. I look forward to hearing what the issues are directly from the people.”

Open seats in Belknap County

Meredith has two state representatives. One is Coker, who was elected as a Democrat but switched party affiliation after being reelected in 2024. His term is up in 2026. The other seat is currently open after Lunney's resignation.

Wheeler said he knows another fellow Democrat has plans to run. Wheeler hopes the two can be elected in 2026, to add a pair of Democrats to the Republican-heavy Belknap County Delegation, made up of Belknap's representatives in the Statehouse.

“Meredith has been less red the last two cycles, and we have a pretty strong team,” Wheeler said. “I think people are excited about the Democrats’ chances.”

One other seat on the delegation is vacant, in District 6 representing Gilford, Gilmanton and Ward 2 of Laconia. The seat was held by Delegation Chair Rep. Harry Bean, who died Feb. 14. Rep. Mike Bordes (R-Laconia), who was the vice chair, is acting chair, and recently said the seat will be left vacant until the next election.

For information about Wheeler’s campaign, visit seth4meredith.com.