Paul Harper: Laconia deserves to know truth about candidate Paul Rossi

To The Daily Sun,

Candidate Paul Rossi has received support from both the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance and the Citizens Alliance of New Hampshire, two groups that are closely linked to a political agenda that has grown more powerful in New Hampshire politics: the Free State movement.

Those endorsements are not accidental. They show voters something about the movement and the policy goals that Paul Rossi stands for. Voters should know if Paul Rossi plans to put the interests of Laconia residents first or if Paul Rossi will push the ideas of groups that see New Hampshire as a laboratory for their theories.

Equally important, voters deserve to hear about Paul Rossi’s ties to the city he wants to represent. Public records show that even local election observers cannot tell how long Paul Rossi has lived in Laconia because Paul Rossi’s campaign materials do not give that information.

Why is that? How long has Paul Rossi lived in Laconia? How long has Paul Rossi lived in New Hampshire? What brought Paul Rossi here? Did Paul Rossi move to New Hampshire because of the Free State movement or for another reason?

These are questions. They should be clearly answered before Election Day.

People who have spent years volunteering, paying taxes, raising families, running businesses and investing in our community should not have to guess about a candidate’s history in the city he wishes to represent.

Laconia deserves the truth. Laconia deserves representatives with proven ties to the community. Laconia deserves answers from candidates who ask for the public’s trust.

Until those answers come voters should view Paul Rossi’s candidacy, with a dose of skepticism. I assume he is a Free Stater until we get the facts.

Paul Harper

Laconia