Report #1
January 15, 2009

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL REPORT BY RAY BURTON

Date: 01/15/2009

Though I could reflect on the past 30 years that I’ve served on the NH Executive Council, and the eighteen years I have served as Grafton County Commissioner, I must face the clock and realize that time is moving forward, NOT backward.  Here are some thoughts on the future.

Rural America will face some real challenges in the financing of local budgets.  Government is a people business!  Communities are populated by people who use the existing representative structure to reflect their desire and needs.  I don’t see any big amounts of new money coming out of Concord.  The new money will come from Washington, DC.  President-elect Obama and the incoming Congress are poised to do something.  Maybe they don’t know exactly what yet, but something has to be done.  New regulations are needed to curb the gouging and unregulated public money going for worthless causes by unscrupulous and undisciplined individuals and businesses.  State Government is broken and doesn’t have the political backbone to rein in some of the excessiveness we see and read about everyday.  It all has to start in the US Congress led by the new President.

Here in District One the outdoor recreation industry will grow and enhance our economic base with a wide variety of land uses. Expanded ski areas, snowmobile/ATV parks, wide use of the river systems and lakes plus many more campgrounds and trails in public forests are but the beginning.

I would appreciate your ideas and wider expanded aspirations.

Represents all the towns and cities in Coos and Grafton counties as well as the cities and towns of Albany, Alton, Bartlett, Belmont, Center Harbor, Charlestown, Chatham, Claremont, Conway, Cornish, Croydon, Eaton, Effingham, Freedom, Gilford, Grantham, Hale's Location(unincorporated place), Hart's Location, Jackson, Laconia, Madison, Meredith, Moultonborough, New Hampton, Newport, Ossipee, Plainfield, Sanbornton, Sandwich, Springfield, Sunapee, Tamworth, Tilton, Tuftonboro, Wakefield, and Wolfeboro.

For additional information on the cities and towns in this district, go to www.nh.gov/municipal/.

Councilor Burton may be contacted at two locations: his State House Office at 603-271-3632, rburton@nh.gov;and at his home office at 747-3662, ray.burton@myfairpoint.net.