NH House candidate 2024: Kelley Potenza, Strafford District 19
Name: Kelley Potenza
Party:: Republican
Office you are seeking: NH House candidate
District: Strafford District 19 (Rochester wards 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6)
Education:: Bachelor of Arts in Communications; Minor in Public Relations
Occupation:: State Representative; Mother; Advocate
Political or civic experience highlights:: Vice Chair - Strafford County Republican Committee; Board Member - Health Freedom NH; 603 Alliance Member; New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association (NEFSA) Member; Granite State Taxpayers Member; State and Local Clean-Up Pollution Efforts; Election Integrity Advocate
What are your top three priorities if elected?: Protecting the NH EnvironmentGovernment Accountability & TransparencyEnding Taxpayer-Funded Lobbying
What would you do to address the housing crisis in NH? Please be specific.: There is not much that a single state representative can do to address the housing crisis in NH except to vote correctly on keeping spending low and cutting needless red tape for property owners to expand housing opportunities. Most housing issues must be handled locally through planning, zoning, warrant articles, and voting. COVID significantly exasperated the housing situation. With inflation and out-of-control federal interest rates, low and middle-income families cannot afford a home or expensive rental rates. Many people believe that an increase in supply will solve the problem. Still, if the costs of building, materials, electrical, appliances, etc., are all double or triple, I don't see how that will bring costs down for the average family. I believe cutting government spending, especially for many bloated agencies, keeping taxes low, and incentivizing builders to keep rents genuinely affordable will help. I also think we need to pass stronger laws to protect good tenants from landlords who are taking advantage, even from the beginning, with rental fee applications and security deposits.
Do you support NH's school voucher program, known as education freedom accounts? Why or why not?: NH does not have a "voucher" program. I advocate for money to follow the student. I wish the EFA program were designed based on the ETC (Education Tax Credit) model, though, because there would be little to no pushback from naysayers of the EFA program if it were. I still support the EFA program because not every child thrives in their assigned public school. With an EFA, families can get help to pay for alternative education, and, most importantly, it can be a massive blessing to students with IEPs and 504s. This support is crucial for these students to be able to pay for tutoring and other special educational needs. An EFA puts the family, rather than the school district, in charge of a child's education dollars. It allows families the freedom to choose the schooling option that works best for their children. The EFA program for low to low-middle-income families is versatile, catering to a multitude of needs ranging from community college courses, curriculum for homeschooling, fees for national tests, educational therapies, school supplies, tuition to another public school, private school tuition, and more.
Do you support changes to abortion law in NH? Why or why not?: The NH abortion law and current viability laws are similar to our neighboring states and are almost identical to Massachusetts. In fact, our law is more lenient than many other states. Nearly everyone I speak with (even pro-choice advocates) supports reasonable limitations on late-term abortions. Under current NH law, women have the right to seek an abortion for any reason through six months. They are no longer allowed in the 7, 8, and 9th months (exceptions for fetal fatal anomalies and significant health risks to the mother.) We need to spend more time supporting women and their options than spreading misinformation about there being severe restrictions on access, which is not valid. We want to make sure that every opportunity and support is in place for women so they would never have to decide to terminate a pregnancy based upon not having the support, financial or otherwise. Let's turn this conservation around to how we can help support women in New Hampshire so they can make informed decisions based on love, not fear.
Do you support changes to gun laws in NH? Why or why not?: I do not support any changes to the gun laws in NH. I believe New Hampshire still has the lowest per capita murder rate of any state, which is less than half the per capita murder rate in Massachusetts. This is a testament to the effectiveness of our current gun laws. The text of the Second Amendment reads in full: "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." The framers of the Bill of Rights adapted the amendment's wording from nearly identical clauses in some of the original 13 state constitutions. Although I don't believe any changes to our gun laws are necessary, I am a strong proponent of gun safety and training for new gun owners. I was also in the Army National Guard and had never shot anything except for a BB gun until I was 18 and went to basic training. I was afraid at first before I learned and felt comfortable shooting. During my military training, I qualified as an expert marksman when I served. From my experience, NH has some of the most responsible gun owners in the country.
Do you support the NH law banning transgender girls from playing on girls school sports teams? Why or why not?: Yes, I strongly support this NH law for several reasons. One being safety (many women and girls have been hurt), two being fairness, and three being that women have worked so hard with Title IX that I can't believe they now need to worry about losing their standing, ranking (or placing) to biological males. The impact on female athletes is profound, as seen with the first athlete who took the NCAA title in track in NH. "The fact that Telfer can change her gender and immediately become a national champion is proof positive as to why women's sports needs protection. Telfer ran slightly faster in the 400 hurdles competing as a man (57.34) than as a woman (57.53), even though the men's hurdles are six inches taller than the women's hurdles. Yet when Telfer ran 57.34 as a man, she didn't even score at her conference meet — she was just 10th at the Northeast-10 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2016. Now she's the national champion." The impact on these hardworking female athletes is significant and they need our support. A policy respecting reality will protect all students' right to be in fair competition. Allowing biologically male athletes to take the places, titles, scholarships, and opportunities of females will instead continue a practice of unfair sex-based disadvantage for the women at our high schools, colleges, and beyond. As such, higher education sports programs must segment competition based on biological sex.
Do you feel NH lawmakers need to address immigration and border security? If yes, what would you do?: Yes, we need to address illegal immigration and border security especially regarding our Northern border. We must stop the illegal resettlements that have been happening over the last several years (people have been flown and bused into NH). I see border security and illegal immigration enforcement as necessary for several reasons:1) State and National Security: Effective border security helps prevent illegal entry of individuals who may pose a threat to public safety or national security.2) Legal Immigration Process: Enforcement ensures that immigration laws are respected, which helps maintain an orderly and fair immigration system.3) Economic Stability: Regulating immigration can help protect jobs for citizens and ensure that the labor market remains stable, particularly during economic uncertainty.4) Public Safety: Monitoring borders can help reduce crime associated with illegal immigration and ensure that individuals entering the country have undergone necessary background checks.5) Resource Allocation: Proper enforcement allows governments to allocate resources effectively, ensuring that public services and infrastructure can support the population without becoming overwhelmed.6) Community Integration: By regulating immigration, communities can better integrate newcomers, fostering social cohesion and support for public services.
What else should voters know about you?: You can trust that I will always vote to protect the rights of the people in Rochester and all Granite Staters. I strongly believe that keeping the public educated and informed about what is occurring in Concord (the truth of what is going on) is critical. “Responsive leaders prefer knowledge and information to be spread as widely as possible among the population because an informed public is necessary to govern effectively; independent thought produces original ideas and is the key factor by which we progress as a society. When independent thought is stifled, society is and will remain stagnant until it is free to flourish once again.” Teresa Stover
This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: NH House candidate 2024: Kelley Potenza, Strafford District 19