Founded by the Free State Project in 2003, the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance (NHLA) refers to itself as a non-partisan alliance who supports libertarian candidates running for local and state office. Additionally, they support a civil society, other libertarian organizations and causes along with working towards increasing individual freedoms in NH.
To achieve that last goal, they track legislative bills during regular sessions and evaluate them based on their effects on accountability, affordability, civil liberties, constitutionality, fiscal impact, personal responsibility, property rights, regulation, and taxation. Then a weekly handout called The Gold Standard is given to members of the Senate and House of Representatives before their vote. This gives them an awareness as to whether a particular bill is anti- or pro-liberty.
To better understand what the “Gold Standard” is, this link shows which bills came before the Senate on March 7th. For example: “SB316 - establishing a penalty for a person who transports fentanyl class drugs into NH with the intent to distribute.” This is viewed as an anti-liberty piece of legislation because “This bill adds a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years for individuals transporting fentanyl into NH with an intent to distribute and adds a new clause allowing for asset forfeiture of vehicles that were involved.”
Another example is “SB525 - relative to administration of the education freedom accounts program.” Also viewed as anti-liberty because “This bill would create perverse incentives for families to limit their income to prevent their child from being forced back into a specific government school after having acclimated to a learning environment that better suits their needs.”
An annual "Liberty Rating" is published with individual grades for each representative and senator based on pro- or anti-liberty roll call votes. The NHLA designates an impact score of each bill (or vote) by considering the degree to which the bill (or vote) will impact liberty (positively or negatively). According to the above 2023 rating publication a majority of Democrats scored a “CT,” known as “Constitutional Threat.” They are considered unfaithful to their oath of upholding the NH Constitution and principles of liberty.
Whoops . . .
The following are members of the NH Liberty Alliance:
Allenstown – Matthew Pitaro
Alstead – Rich Nalevanko
Alton – Paul Terry (Co-founder & director of Camp Constitution, far-right Christian camp.)
Antrim – Jim Creighton
Atkinson – Arlene Quaratiello, Peter Torosia
Auburn – Jess Edwards (FSP, also), Jason Osborne (House Majority leader
Barrington – Len Turcotte
Bath – David Binford
Bedford – Russan Chester (and Constitution Party of NH), Linda Gould, John Graham, Dan Hynes, Niki Kelsey, Kristin Noble (and Moms for Liberty)
Belmont - Jason Gerhard (last Sept. proposed a bill to “sunset all NH laws”, feels people can sell their own organs, see link) Nikki McCarter, Travis O’Hara, Michael Sylvia, Douglas Trottier
Bow – John Martin
Brentwood – Melissa Litchfield
Brookfield – Bill Nelson
Brookline – Diane Pauer (and Americans for Prosperity, AFP)
Campton – Mark Alliegro
Center Barnstead – Barbara Comtois
Center Harbor – Tom Ploszaj
Charlestown – Steve Smith, Walter Spilsbury
Chester – Oliver Ford
Chichester – Cyril Aures
Claremont – Jonathan Stone
Concord – Kristin Jackson, Scott Smith
Danvill – Scott Wallace
Deerfield – Terry Roy, James Spillane, Kevin Verville
Derry – Laura El-Azam, Phyllis Katsakiores, Erica Layon, David Love, Lorraine Lindenberg
Dunbarton – J.R. Hoell
Durham – Jennifer Olszewski, Mark Racic
Epping – Cody Belanger, Michael Vose, John Klose
Epsom – Carol & Dan McGuire
Farmington – James Horgan, Joseph Pitre
Franklin – Dave Testerman
Freedom – Michael Costable, Mark McConkey
Fremont – Dennis Acton, Emily Phillips, Josh Yokela
Gilford – Glenn Aldrich, Harry Bean, Richard Beaudoin, Norman Silber
Goffstown – Joe Alexander, John Burt, Barbara Griffin, Michael Gunski, Lisa Mazur, Fred Plett, Claire Rouillard
Grafton – Lex Berezhny, Tim Condon
Hampstead – Dennis Green, Tracy Emerick
Hampton Falls – Forrest Osterman, Susan Porcelli
Haverhill – Rick Ladd
Henniker – Jay Noone
Hollis – Susan Homola
Hooksett – Ernie Bencivenga, Stephen Boyd, Yuri Polozov, Michael Yakubovich
Hopkinton - Darlene Gildersleeve, Jed Tocci
Hudson – Bob Greene, Stephen Kennedy, Alicia & Tony LekasLynne Ober, Andrew Prout, Andrew Renzullo, Kimberly Rice, Eric Schleien, Jordan Ulery, Robert Wherry
Jaffrey – Matthew Santonastaso
Kearsarge – Karen Umberger
Keene – Aria DiMezzo, John Schmitt
Kensington – John Valvanis
Kingston – David Welch, Kenneth Weyler
Laconia – Erica Golter, Gregg Hough, Dawn Johnson, Richard Littlefield
Lancaster – Kevin Craig, Troy Merner (busted for not living in Lancaster)
Litchfield – Ralph Boehm, Richard Lascelles
Littleton – Calvin Beaulier, David Rochefort, Matthew Simon
Londonderry – Al Baldasaro, Tom Dolan, Ron Dunn, Wayne MacDonald, Kristine Perez, Douglas Thomas
Loudon – Jose Cambrils, Michael Moffett, Howard Pearl, Alvin See
Lyndeborough – Lisa Post
Manchester – Ross Berry, Tyler Chase, Larry Gagne, Dan & Tammy Garthwaite, Carla Gericke, Gerald Griffin, Richard Hagala, Joseph LaChance, Dick Marston, Stephen Mathieu, Mark McLean, Brittany LeClear-Ping, Mark Warden, Matthew Whitlock, Rachel Goldsmith (and Moms for Liberty, Hillsborough County)
Mason – John Lewicke
Meredith- Jonathan Mackie, Lisa Smart, Jeanne Tofts
Merrimack - Melissa Blasek, Melissa Creem (NHLA chairperson), Mary Mayville, Tim McGough, Jeanine Notter
Milford – Bill King, Vanessa Sheehan, Colton, Skorupan
Milton - Glenn Bailey, Peter Hayward, Michael Granger, Claudine Burnham
Nashua – Elizabeth Ferreira, Doris Hohensee, Corey MacLean, Dan Moriarty, Brett Powell, Kevin Scully
New Boston – Keith Ammon, William Foster
New Ipswich – Shane Sirois, Paul Somero
Newmarket – Jeanne Cooper
Newton – Charles Melvin, James Summers
North Hampton – Kirsten Larson-Schultz
Northfield – Gregory Hill
Northwood – Paul Tudor
Nottingham – Alan Bershtein, Jacob Brouillard
Orange – Donald McFarlane
Ossipee – Jonathan Smith
Pelham – Tom Mannion, Hershel Nunez, Denise Smith, Jeffrey Tenczar
Pembroke – Brian Seaworth, Nick White
Peterborough – Rachel Maidment
Pike – Matthew Coulon
Pittsfield – Clayton Wood
Raymond – Dustin Dodge, Mike Drago, Kevin Pratt
Rindge – John Hunt, James Qualey
Rochester – Susan DeLemus, Fenton Groen, Thomas Kazynski, Mac Kittredge, Clifford Newton, Brandon Phinney, Kelley Potenza, David Walker
Rumney – Gail Sanborn
Salem – Daryl Abbas, Fred Doucette, Betty Gay, John Janigian, Joe Sweeney, John Sytek
Salisbury – Louise Andrus
Sanbornton – Timothy Lang
Sanbornville - Lino Avellani
Sandown - Tony Piemonte, Chris True
Seabrook – Tim Baxter, Tina Harley, Aboul Kahn
Somersworth – Nick Strafford (and FSP)
South Acworth – Judy Aron
South Hampton – JD Bernardy
Strafford – Michael Harrington, Kurt Wuelper
Stratham – Patrick Abrami
Sunapee – Don Bettencourt
Temple – Diane Kelley
Tilton – Juliet Harvey-Bolia
Tuftonboro – Glenn Cordelli
Twin Mountain – John Greer
Unity – John Callum
Wakefield – John Belcher
Warner – Margaret Kennedy
Weare – Travis Corcoran (and FSP), Leah Cushman, Keith Erf
Wentworth – Beth Folsom, Jeffrey Greeson
Westmoreland – Malia Boaz
Whitefield – Seth King
Wilton – Jim Kofalt
Winchester – Zachary Nutting, Jennifer Rhoades, Max Santonastaso
Windham – Katelyn Kuttab, Robert Lynn (currently looking to make voting harder in NH), Charles McMahon, Daniel Popovici-Muller, Julius Soti
Wolfboro – Katy Peternel
Wolfboro Falls – Larry Borland
While there was only one person listed as a member of the Flat Earth Society, the following is from their website: “The Flat Earth Society mans the guns against oppression of thought and the Globularist lies of a new age. Standing with reason we offer a home to those wayward thinkers that march bravely on with REASON and TRUTH in recognizing the TRUE shape of the Earth - Flat.”
Winchester – Russell Kanning, running for a seat on the school board
Hoo-boy!