Education Reform Symposium Held at UNH

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A symposium on education reform was held at the University of New Hampshire’s Durham campus on Wednesday, December 7, 2011. Organizers challenged aspiring teachers, and those currently in the classroom, to present their best ideas for improving those areas in education that tend to be somewhat controversial.

Senator Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, served as one of several elected officials on the panel who listened to, then offered feedback on the presentations. Carson, who is also a member of the Senate Education Committee, said the proposals ranged from high stakes testing and merit pay for teachers to school day/year organization and corporate involvement in schools.

“I appreciated the creativity that went into each of the presentations. All the presenters were thinking out of the box and were clearly dedicated to being agents of change when it comes to school reform. I hope my questions to them reflected support for their ideas as well as my real-life concerns as an elected official and those of my tax-paying constituents,” Carson said.

The event was organized by Dr. Sarah Stitzlein, Assistant Professor of Education at UNH, who teaches a course called “Education Structure and Change” that most of the presenters are currently enrolled in. “My goal for the symposium has always been to get policy-makers and teachers talking,” Stitzlein said, noting that there is often a divide between how the two sides see each other and perceive issues.

Joining Senator Carson on the panel were Representative Mary Gile, D-Concord, and Representative Barbara Shaw, D-Manchester, both of whom are members of the House Education Committee.

Sen. Carson: Dept of Transportation confirms no funding in place for Exit 4A

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State reports there no plans to extend access west of I-93 into Londonderry

(Concord) Sen. Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, met with state transportation officials and has received an update regarding the status of efforts to extend Exit 4A off I-93 into Londonderry. The project relates to Woodmont Commons – a proposed village-like community with mix-use zoning.

Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner George Campbell, Jr., confirmed in a letter to Carson dated June 1st,that “there is currently no funding identified for construction of Exit 4A.” He went on to note present plans for Exit 4A involve extending access to the east from the new interchange with I-93 but there are no plans to extend access to the west of the interchange into Londonderry. However, the state’s Ten Year Highway plan does include $1 million for preliminary engineering for Exit 4A to help advance the design and fully evaluate the impacts on I-93 safety and operational interaction with Exit 4.

Carson requested clarification from DOT on the issue after residents came to her with concerns about Woodmont Commons and claims being made that funding had been secured to extend Exit 4A in to Londonderry. Carson said, “Because this proposed community is creating so much conversation among Londonderry residents, I wanted get the official word on the status of Exit 4A so my constituents can be well-informed about where the project truly stands at this point in time.”

Senate statement on House Bill 648 regarding eminent domain

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Concord – Sen. Sharon Carson and Sen. Jeb Bradley issued the following statements today regarding the Judiciary Committee’s vote on HB 648:

Sen. Sharon Carson, R- Londonderry, and Vice-Chair of Judiciary:
“The Judiciary Committee has struggled long and hard with HB 648. We were also given several conflicting amendments to consider. As a result, committee members were only able to pass one amendment to the legislation today. Our 4-0 vote now sends the bill to the Senate floor with a recommendation of ought to pass as amended. HB 648 will now be debated by the full Senate and it remains open to further amendments. We look forward to continuing the discussion.”

Sen. Jeb Bradley, R-Wolfeboro, and Senate Majority Leader:
“While there is strong support for the Northern Pass Project from both Republicans and Democrats, there are concerns about the use of eminent domain. The Senate will continue to search for solutions to move forward on the project and ensure that he rights of private property owners are protected.”

The Evils of Supporting Candidates, Imagination or Reality?

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A recent letter to the Londonderry Times and Hudson-Litchfield News shows exactly what is wrong with today’s party politics. Instead of talking about what WE can do as a community or a nation the letter writer chose to pull imaginary issues from the darkest regions of there anatomy in an attempt portray a candidate as somehow evil for having more people interested in having her represent them in Concord than her opponent. Lets remember that the voters and the taxpayers are one and the same and when there is a friend to the taxpayer, people out side the district, realizing that it takes more than one vote to accomplish a goal, will contribute to candidates in hopes of spreading a message of fiscal responsibility and an understanding of the plight of working men and women.

Senator Sharon Carson has been recently deemed by opposing party political’s as evil in the sense she has a wide range of support from both individuals and business’s who fear for their very survival. In an attempt to dissuade voters from looking at the facts the writer notes contributions coming from all over and deems contributions from those in business to be an evil deed that the public should use as a reason to support the oppositions candidate. Said candidate who by the way cannot find enough people to agree with her positions to fund any furtherance or dissemination of her ideas to the general public.

The idea of a free election system includes allowing for those who support a message to also support that messages ability to reach all the people. A bad message, a bad plan for the state of NH, gets little if any attention and little if any financial support to broadcast that bad idea.

Sharon Carson has worked hard as a legislator in the House and even harder as a Senator for the district. She has asked local constituents to donate to a local charity rather than her campaign on many occasions and the local community has done just that. For Senator Sharon Carson its about the issues, about the people, and about doing what is right for NH. People who believe she is fair , open and honest have contributed to her campaign. They believe integrity is as important to the process as the ideas that will be debated. Sharon has the highest level of integrity one could ask for. You may not always agree but you can never deny she is open and honest making her decisions in the light of day. Her work on behalf of the people she serves both locally and statewide is well known and very much appreciated.

No person running for a voluntary job paying $100 a year should ever have to be subjected to the party politics that seem to creep into every election at the last minute. Sharon Carson deserves to be respected for her record as a veteran of our armed forces, a mother of two wonderful daughters, a teacher of our youth at the college level a phenomenal wife according to her husband and a member of her community who over the years has given hundreds of hours with no expectations other than to hope to have assisted others in their time of need.

Sharon Carson deserves our support and she deserves our thanks as someone we have been able to count on to serve with honor and distinction whenever the call for volunteers has been made. I will be voting for Sharon Carson for Senate. She demonstrates the kind of leadership we need to work together to find our way. I hope you will look at what Sharon Carson has done over the years and join me in asking her to serve by voting for Sharon Carson for Senate in November.

Sen Bob Clegg
Hudson NH

Senator Bob Clegg represented Londonderry, Auburn and Hudson prior to Sen Sharon Carson’s election two years ago.

SEA-Endorsed Candidate in the 2010 General Election

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SEA-Endorsed Candidates in the 2010 General Election

The Board of Directors of the State Employees’ Association of New Hampshire, SEIU Local 1984, has endorsed the following candidates on the recommendation of the SEA’s Political Education Committee, which interviewed many of the candidates and reviewed detailed questionnaires submitted by the candidates this summer.

Among the bipartisan endorsements, several candidates were outstanding in their support for key SEA issues:

  1. Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Paul Hodes has been a strong advocate for workers and their families as a two-term member of Congress. SEA endorsed Hodes in both prior elections for the House.
  2. Democratic Executive Councilor Bev Hollingworth has been a long-time advocate for State employees and has supported SEA issues in many ways.
  3. Sharon Carson, Republican candidate for reelection in State Senate District 14, Londonderry, was the lead sponsor for the recently enacted public employee whistle blower protection law.
  4. Michele Tremblay, Democratic candidate for Senate District 7, truly recognizes and values the dedicated, hardworking State and County employees. She believes that the State should keep promises made to our members by protecting and funding the pension system.