The Soapbox: Manchester deserves facts, not false choices
read more…: The Soapbox: Manchester deserves facts, not false choicesRepresentative Kathleen Paquette is correct about one thing: taxpayers deserve accountability.
Byline: Rep. David Preece
Posts by Rep. David Preece
The Soapbox: The real war on local control in New Hampshire
read more…: The Soapbox: The real war on local control in New HampshireFor years, New Hampshire conservatives and libertarians have wrapped themselves in the language of “local control.” They warn against government overreach, defend the authority of local communities, and condemn top-down mandates from Washington.
The Soapbox: Balancing Concord’s budget on Manchester’s back
read more…: The Soapbox: Balancing Concord’s budget on Manchester’s backTwo recent disclosures—one from the New Hampshire Office of the Legislative Budget Assistant and another from the office of Kelly A. Ayotte—give us an answer that should concern every taxpayer in this city.
The Soapbox: When leaders break the rules, New Hampshire pays the price
read more…: The Soapbox: When leaders break the rules, New Hampshire pays the priceAt the State House, where I serve, we debate budgets, oversight, and fiscal responsibility every day. We review reports, question spending, and argue over priorities because taxpayer dollars demand accountability. But those conversations depend on a shared premise: that rules matter, and that they apply equally.
The Soapbox: Manchester will pay the price for a Constitutional tax ban
read more…: The Soapbox: Manchester will pay the price for a Constitutional tax banNew Hampshire has always stood for something simple and powerful: local control, fiscal responsibility, and the freedom to make our own choices.
That’s exactly why a proposed constitutional amendment to permanently ban a state income tax is the wrong move—especially for cities like Manchester.
The Soapbox: Manchester taxpayers should be worried – the State’s finances are heading in the wrong direction
read more…: The Soapbox: Manchester taxpayers should be worried – the State’s finances are heading in the wrong directionIf you live in Manchester, you’re already feeling the pressure—higher property taxes, strained schools, and growing demands on local services.
The Soapbox: HB 1793 puts Manchester campuses – and lives – at risk
read more…: The Soapbox: HB 1793 puts Manchester campuses – and lives – at riskHB 1793 would prohibit public colleges and universities from setting any rules governing firearms or even non-lethal weapons on campus. That means no local policies. No safety protocols. No ability to respond to the specific needs of a campus community.
The Soapbox: In Manchester, we know faith should never justify war
read more…: The Soapbox: In Manchester, we know faith should never justify warRecently, Americans have heard calls from national leaders to pray for victory in explicitly Christian terms—language that suggests U.S. military action carries divine favor. That should concern all of us.
The Soapbox: ‘Leadership or Slogans? The PaintCare veto ignores communities and common sense’
read more…: The Soapbox: ‘Leadership or Slogans? The PaintCare veto ignores communities and common sense’Governor Kelly Ayotte’s veto of HB 451 was not an act of fiscal discipline—it was an act of political deference that ignores both the needs of our communities and the realities of responsible environmental stewardship.
The Soapbox: When war reaches Manchester
read more…: The Soapbox: When war reaches ManchesterMembers of the New Hampshire National Guard, including men and women who live and work in Manchester, could now find themselves deployed into a conflict whose purpose and duration remain uncertain. These are our neighbors. They coach youth sports, attend our churches, and work in our hospitals, construction sites, and small businesses.
Soapbox: Manchester’s children deserve better — fixing school funding starts here
read more…: Soapbox: Manchester’s children deserve better — fixing school funding starts hereWhen the state underfunds education, the difference must be made up locally. That means property taxes carry a heavier burden.
The Soapbox: Economic impact or economic illusion? A closer look at the Merrimack ICE proposal
read more…: The Soapbox: Economic impact or economic illusion? A closer look at the Merrimack ICE proposalBefore entering public service, I spent part of my professional career reviewing and drafting environmental and economic impact statements. Those documents shape major public decisions. They are supposed to present facts clearly, test assumptions rigorously, and weigh both benefits and costs honestly. I learned quickly that the most important question is not what an impact statement includes—but what it leaves out.
The Soapbox: New Hampshire is normalizing the unthinkable
read more…: The Soapbox: New Hampshire is normalizing the unthinkableA year into Donald Trump’s second term, friends who live outside the United States still reach out in disbelief. Is it really that bad? Are you safe? I usually answer with a shrug. Not because things are fine — but because, like so many Americans, I’ve learned how quickly the unacceptable becomes routine.
The Soapbox: War by whim and what Trump’s lawlessness means for New Hampshire
read more…: The Soapbox: War by whim and what Trump’s lawlessness means for New HampshireNew Hampshire has never believed in kings.
From the town meeting floor to the State House, we are a state that insists power must be earned, justified, and restrained. That is why what happened this weekend should alarm every Granite Stater—regardless of party.
The Soapbox: New Hampshire deserves the truth — especially for Manchester and Nashua families
read more…: The Soapbox: New Hampshire deserves the truth — especially for Manchester and Nashua familiesWhen Governor Kelly Ayotte says New Hampshire is “number one across the board,” the line travels faster than fact. It looks great in national talking points — but it doesn’t match what families, teachers, and taxpayers feel every day in Manchester, Nashua, and communities across our state. Here, the gap between headline and reality is not abstract. It shows up in school budgets, tax bills, and choices families are forced to make.
The Soapbox: New Hampshire should not become a holding pen for human beings
read more…: The Soapbox: New Hampshire should not become a holding pen for human beingsThis proposal is not simply about square footage and bathrooms. It is about whether New Hampshire wants to participate in a system that treats human beings as cargo — to be warehoused and moved around without due process.
The Soapbox: Taxpayers should be outraged at what the Education Freedom Accounts have become
read more…: The Soapbox: Taxpayers should be outraged at what the Education Freedom Accounts have becomeNew Hampshire taxpayers have every right to be angry. While we are told the state “cannot afford” to meet its constitutional obligation to public education, tens of millions of dollars are quietly being drained from the Education Trust Fund to subsidize private, religious, and homeschooling families who were never in our public schools to begin with.
The Soapbox: New Hampshire thrives when workers stand together — not alone
read more…: The Soapbox: New Hampshire thrives when workers stand together — not aloneRep. Brian Labrie argues that the so-called “Public Employee Choice Act” is about freedom. But true workplace freedom has never meant forcing workers to negotiate alone against the power and resources of the state. In New Hampshire — a place where the middle class was built through solidarity, fairness, and collective voice — this proposal would undermine the very system that has delivered stability and economic mobility for tens of thousands of families.
The Soapbox: Manchester deserves planning, not political horse trading
read more…: The Soapbox: Manchester deserves planning, not political horse tradingNew Hampshire’s transportation system does not run on back-room deals, campaign slogans, or eleventh-hour improvisation. It runs—when it runs well—on public process, engineering reality, and basic honesty with taxpayers. That is why the Executive Council’s latest clash over the Ten-Year Transportation Plan should concern every Granite Stater, and especially those of us in Manchester.
The Soapbox: Why I will be opposing the ‘cryptocurrency freedom’ bill
read more…: The Soapbox: Why I will be opposing the ‘cryptocurrency freedom’ billI will be opposing HB 639, the so-called “cryptocurrency freedom” bill now before the Senate. Despite its libertarian rhetoric of innovation and “financial opportunity,” the measure is a blueprint for deregulation that would invite precisely the abuses and inequalities that scholar Finn Brunton warns of in his recent New York Times essay on the true nature of cryptocurrency.