Lois A. Kessin

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Do you support the “Education Freedom Account” program, which gives students access to the per-pupil share of state school funding to spend on private school or home school expenses?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire’s anti-discrimination law allow segregation based on biological sex in some settings, such as bathrooms and locker rooms?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire ban abortions during the first trimester (e.g. after 6 weeks gestation)?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire ban abortions during the second trimester (e.g. after 15 weeks gestation)?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should NH add an income tax on earned income?

Other, 2026

"'There has to be some way of bringing money into the town, cities to help with school. Because right now, our schools are run by the property tax. I don't care what people say,' Kessin said. 'Oh, the state gives us enough, they don't give enough. And with the cutting of the business tax, the corporation tax, I mean, we've lost millions on that one.'"

Other, 2026

"Before Kessin moved back to Laconia, she made her mark in Cambridge. She was part of a group of community members who wrote the city’s rent control law. Kessin said this law made Cambridge one of the safest cities in the country, with neighbors looking out for one another.

"Kessin said the housing models used in Cambridge would work as a great template for Laconia. They entail zoning requiring  certain percentage of units in larger developments to be priced below market rate.

"As Kessin was preparing to leave Cambridge, the city was starting a new program. The city would take over an old building, for example, a nursing home in Kessin’s neighborhood. They would renovate the space and put in condos you could buy, only from the city, and had to be sold back to the city, no rentals.

"'You couldn't rent it, and you couldn't do an Airbnb out of it, and you couldn't make a 'skillion' dollars off of it. It had to go back for the same amount of money,' Kessin said. 'And that would be fabulous for young people. I mean, how are we going to keep you here if you can't afford to live here? What's the point?"

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire do more to encourage the development of nuclear power, including small modular reactors (SMR), in the state?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Do you support legislation to expand the net energy metering system capacity cap from 1 MW to 5 MW for all residential and commercial customers in New Hampshire?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire restore funding for the Office of the Child Advocate?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire guarantee the right to access abortion before 24 weeks?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire reinstate the interest and dividends tax?

Other, 2026

"Kessin is critical of school vouchers, and the 'downshifting of money in education.'

"'You read these articles that say the state is giving us all we need. They're not, the towns are,' she said.

"'There has to be some way of bringing money into the town, cities to help with school. Because right now, our schools are run by the property tax. I don't care what people say,' Kessin said. 'Oh, the state gives us enough, they don't give enough. And with the cutting of the business tax, the corporation tax, I mean, we've lost millions on that one.'"

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by allowing home-growing and private use without sales?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by licensing growers and private retail locations?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire legalize the recreational use of marijuana by establishing state-run cannabis stores?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire require new voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, when registering to vote?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire allow at least 10% of students in each school district to enroll in a different public school, regardless of where they live?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should New Hampshire repeal the ban on abortion after 24 weeks gestation?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should state law cap how much local school districts can increase their budget each year?

Citizens Count Issue Survey, 2026

Should NH pass stricter gun control laws?