Taxing real estate to run our schools isn't working for many

To The Daily Sun,

Greetings to my fellow townspeople. As you know, it is time to get out and vote for your choices of individuals who will represent our interests in our towns, state and the country. I am running for the STATE LEGISLATURE to represent your interests for the Town of Belmont.

I am a Democrat who grew up poor in New York. However, I had the opportunity of getting a good education in the public school system, earning an engineering degree, representing our country first in the US Army and then overseas as an engineering advisor for the State Department. For the last 49 years my family and I have made our home in the great town of Belmont.

My first priority for running is to work with the legislators on both sides of the aisle to resolve our inequities in education throughout the state.

Last march I went to the annual Shaker Regional School District Meeting and spoke to the public about the 23 million dollar budget and how the residents who are on a fixed income will be able to afford a future budget of 30 million, which is inevitable at the rate that our needs are increasing.

I am a supporter of education because it is the key to the success of our young citizens who will be facing a very competitive future. However, there are average blue collar workers who will not have the means of supporting school and town budgets as they climb into the multi-millions of dollars that are paid by our real estate taxes, and many people could lose their homes that they have built and lived in all their lives.

Some towns have excellent schools and can afford to pay their teaching staff well, on the other hand there are schools that are not as good and cannot handle these enormous millions of dollars school budgets. Every student should have the same educational opportunities in New Hampshire but that is not happening. What I am saying is that taxing real estate to run our school system is not working for a lot of our towns.

Another priority of mine is to look at how our state can attain as much self sufficiency as possible in feeding ourselves. I am interested in working on creating legislation that will allow our current farmers the ability to earn a living in agriculture, pass on their knowledge to the young, and encourage the interest and opportunities to add to and expand our farms.

As a legislative candidate I aim to start the debate on the tax system we are presently working under. It will not be an easy task knowing that people do not like change. But this debate, if entered into with input from all concerned, and with a fair and open-minded attitude, can be accomplished.

I am also concerned about our environment. We should be promoting alternative energy sources to make our best efforts to eliminate the use of fossil fuels. As an engineer, I have discovered how the state can save millions of gallons of fuel oil and I will certainly promote that knowledge as your Belmont representative in the Legislature.

This is only the tip of the iceberg, there are multiple issues that we are facing in preserving what we love in New Hampshire, and continuing to adjust our best ideas to make our state an even better place for our citizens.

Don’t forget to vote on Tuesday November 6 and, if you like my ideas, please vote to give me the chance to carry them to Concord to represent you to the best of my ability.

George Condodemetraky

Belmont