Posts by Rep. David Preece
If you live in Manchester, you’re already feeling the pressure—higher property taxes, strained schools, and growing demands on local services.
HB 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.
Recently, 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.
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.
Members 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.
When the state underfunds education, the difference must be made up locally. That means property taxes carry a heavier burden.
Before 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.
A 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.
New 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.
When 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.