Allenstown Alt. - 2017 Town Candidates

2017 Town Candidates

Town Hall
16 School St.
Allenstown, NH
485-4276

Check town web site for current business hours.

March 14, 2017 was election day at St. John's Parish Hall on School St. This year, there were several positions for the Budget Committee. There were also a few positions with no declared candidates.

NOTE: In the Comments column, hover over the green links to view descriptions of various candidates. Some candidates supplied their own statements. Other comments are private opinions such as ones that might appear in a "Letter to the Editor." These are not the opinions of any town or school official. They are intended to give the voters some background information about candidates. The voters are urged to vote as they see fit.

Position		Candidates	Vote	Comments

Town Treasurer (1 year) (vote for 1)	√	Carol Andersen ?	316 -	Incumbent

Selectman (3 years) (vote for 1)	√	Jeff Gryval Ryan Carter	166 187	CommentMr. Gryval was first elected Selectman in March 2010, and then re-elected in March 2013. He did not run in March 2016 for personal reasons. When Kate Walker resigned from the BOS in August 2016, Mr. Gryval suddenly appeared at the next BOS meeting and was immediately appointed by the BOS for the remaining months of the term. He has actively worked to balance town services and taxes. Candidate's statementFor too long Allenstown's population has been stagnant, with small businesses being turned away by zoning regulations, and irresponsible housing development implemented. Departments are dealing with tight budgets, and basic town services are being cut back. All the while our taxes are rising, and our school system struggles to maintain average test scores. I would like to be your Selectman to change these courses. My goals are to work with the other Selectmen to make Allenstown a place that residents can be proud of, to encourage business growth, and to help reduce property taxes. I will be a fiscally conservative candidate, pro-business, and supportive of responsible and sustainable development.

Sewer Commissioner (3 years) (vote for 1)	√	Chad Pelissier ?	318 -

Trustee of Trust Funds (3 years) (vote for 1)	√	Roger Laflamme ?	316

Trustee of Cemeteries (3 years) (vote for 1)		? ?

Budget Committee (3 years) (vote for 4)	√ √ √ √	Ronnie Cox Michael Frascinella Roger Laflamme Jeffrey Venegas Debra Carney Dave Coolidge	187 144 214 134 162 150	Not sureMr. Cox is husband to a longtime PTA member and school proponent. It was not clear whether he approved of the increase in the school budget from 10.0 million to $10.4 million at the Deliberative Session. RecommendedFor several years, I have consistently argued for tightening budgets, controlling costs, improving efficiencies, and keeping tax increases near zero, often being one of the few to vote against budget increases. We need to develop more efficient ways to do town business, such as merging the Police and Fire Departments of Allenstown and Pembroke. I have often inquired of the Selectmen about progress on attracting new businesses to help reduce taxes for all and provide employment for some. With an aging and slowly diminishing population, low- to moderate-income taxpayers cannot survive if taxes keep increasing as they have since 2012. Incumbent RecommendedMr. Laflamme declined the offer to publish a candidate's statement but, based on a phone interview, he seemed to be a good candidate for the committee. Not sureMr. Venegas is the husband of school board member, Crystal Venegas. It was not clear whether he approved of the increase in the school budget from $10.0 million to $10.4 million at the Deliberative Session. RecommendedMs. Carney declined the offer to publish a candidate's statement. Incumbent RecommendedAs a representative of the taxpayers of Allenstown, I believe the job of the Budget Committee is to review town department budgets, request detailed information about them, and determine whether to cut spending or add to current budgets. We need to keep spending within the reach of low- to moderate-income people who are having difficulty paying their property taxes. In these tough economic times, we must look at all spending as too high, and decide how best to spread the limited resources we have around to various departments. We must get as much value as possible from every dollar the taxpayer is taxed. Incumbent

Library Trustee (3 years) (vote for 1)		? ?

Library Trustee (2 years) (vote for 1)	√	Joanne Dufort ?	315 -

Supervisor of the Checklist (6 years) (vote for 1)	√	Kristopher Fowler ?	332 -	Incumbent

Town Clerk/ Tax Collector (3 years)	√	Kathleen (Rogers) Pellisier ?	332 -	RecommendedIncumbent. Best Town Clerk/Tax Collector ever.

Related Sites

Town Warrant Articles

Town Candidates

School District Warrant Articles

School District Candidates

Back to 2017 Election page

Top Home