Meet the Candidates for Cheshire County Democrats 2024
New Hampshire Senator – State District 10
Donovan Fenton
Meet the Candidate
Rep. Donovan Fenton has served three terms in the New Hampshire State House of Representatives starting in 2016, as a member of the Environment and Agriculture and Transportation Committees. He currently serves on the board of trustees for the Cedarcrest Center for Children with Disabilities and the board of the Community Kitchen in Keene, is Vice President of Fenton Family Dealerships, and was appointed to the New Hampshire Canadian Trade Council by the New Hampshire Secretary of State. Rep. Fenton has a Master’s Degree from George Washington University in Political Management.”
Choose Cheshire County District – State House of Representatives
District 1 | District 2| District 3 | District 4 | District 5 | District 6 | District 7 | District 8 | District 9 | District 10 |
District 11 | District 12 | District 13 | District 14 | District 15 | District 16 | District 17 | District 18
Phil Jones
District 3: Keene Ward 5
Meet the Candidate
My wife June and I made an excellent choice by moving to Keene to raise our three daughters 30 years ago. It has been my privilege to participate in many community activities including coaching a number of youth sports, teaching Sunday school, and volunteering for leadership positions on various nonprofit organizations. This has included being elected to the city council for seven straight, four year terms. A great big thank you to all the citizens of Keene – your heart-warming support has truly beenoverwhelming.
As a city councilor I have championed many quality-of-life initiatives including initiating a major rezoning plan, pushing through the 2001 Telecommunications Tower Ordinance, instituting our Climate Action Plan, and originating our Declaration of Inclusion which no other New Hampshire city has yet instituted. Presently I am working with state officials on a “Protect Our Police Bill” which would outlaw the ownership, sales, and use of any bullet that can penetrate flak jackets and protective armor.
I am now looking forward to bringing my positive attitude and core values to the state level as I am running for New Hampshire District 3 State Representative on behalf of the residents of Ward 5. As your representative I pledge to continue my commitment to integrity, accountability, and professionalism.
Jodi Newell
District 4: Keene Ward 4
Meet the Candidate
Jodi Newell is a professional homeless advocate, overdose crisis organizer, and lifelong volunteer. Most importantly, she is the mother of 2 amazing humans.
Jodi has herself struggled through & overcome extremely difficult & demoralizing experiences beyond her control, most notably the loss of her fiancé & children’s father to opiate overdose. She understands that the system is not well suited to provide for people in their darkest moments. In fact, it often hinders progress. Jodi believes the only way to effectively address the issues plaguing the most vulnerable among us is to give them a seat at the table. If elected, she will bring those voices to Concord.
Jodi is running as a progressive Democrat to represent all her neighbors, even & especially those who find themselves in difficult situations.
Lucy Weber
District 5: Surry & Walpole
Meet the Candidate
Lucy Weber is running for her 9th term in the House in District 5, Surry and Walpole. She has served on the Judiciary Committee, the Children and Family Law Committee, and has chaired the House Committees on Legislative Administration; Executive Departments and Administration; and Health Human Services and Elderly Affairs. She has served as House Speaker Pro Tem.
Legislative achievements over the years include significant roles in the group efforts leading to the passage of civil unions and then marriage equality; all aspects of health care including preservation or restoration of reproductive rights, incremental Medicaid expansions; and child welfare legislation. Efforts to allow or broaden the ability of both the legislature and local boards to meet remotely have so far been blocked by Republicans, but that effort will continue. Locally, Walpole has replaced an aging copper wire phone system with fiber optic broadband throughout the town using recent public/private partnership legislation.
Paul Berch
District 6 (2 seats): Chesterfield, Hinsdale, & Westmoreland
“We need to move New Hampshire forward to meet the challenges we face,” said Berch. “Every Granite Stater needs the opportunity for a good education, a decent job, the means to raise a family and then the ability to retire in dignity—all in an environment that we are proud to preserve. To move New Hampshire forward, we need to restore voting rights and guarantee health care for all—especially reproductive health care, which is under attack. We need to ensure our taxes are fair, that we are creating jobs, that we protect local control, preserving a healthy environment for us all.”
Berch was the moving force behind the multi-year successful effort to rehabilitate, upgrade and expand Maplewood Nursing Home and a leader in the successful effort to bring broadband to our communities.
“I worked for 34 years representing abused and neglected children and marginalized adults in Court, because their voices must be heard. I serve as Vice-Chair of the 4-state Connecticut River Valley Flood Control Commission, because without a healthy environment we cannot thrive. I serve on the Board of HCS/VNA because programs such as Hospice, Visiting Nurses, Meals on Wheels and Healthy Starts provide care in all stages of life. I serve as my School District Moderator because I believe in a good education for our schoolkids.”
Additionally, Berch has served on the House Judiciary Committee, the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Rules, the Judicial Council, co-chaired the VT ACLU Legal Program, is Past President of the Windham County Bar Association and the Vt Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and has served as a Guardian ad Litem as well as Acting Judge. Berch also has chaired the County Delegation Executive Committee.
“I am a proud Granite State parent and grandparent” Berch said, “and I believe that together we can preserve what’s best in this State for generations to come.”
Cathy Harvey
District 6 (2 seats): Chesterfield, Hinsdale, & Westmoreland
My husband and I moved to Spofford, NH more than 35 years ago to raise our family of four boys. This community provides the outdoor opportunities, the education, and the commitment to community service that our family cherishes. We are now the proud grandparents of eight grandchildren.
Before retirement, I taught music for 43 years in public schools, and public education through schools and libraries remains one of my highest priorities. I am the vice-chair of the New Hampshire Library Trustees Association and a past member of the Chesterfield School Board.
I have served as a representative for Cheshire 6 (Chesterfield, Hinsdale, Westmoreland) for four terms and currently serve as the Deputy Ranking Member on the Fish and Game and Marine Resources.
I am an active member of my community, having served as past chair of the Chesterfield Library Board of Trustees for 6 years and a Budget Committee member for five.
Having founded the Chesterfield Public School Foundation, I remain a member of its Board of Directors. The Foundation provides funding not available in the school budget for enrichment, outdoor education, and STEM activities for all Chesterfield school students.
I volunteer as a CASA GAL (Court Appointed Special Advocate Guardian ad Litem). As a CASA GAL, I am the voice of the children in the court system when it becomes necessary for the Division for Children, Youth and Families to become involved with a family in crisis.
In addition to legislative and community service work, I am an avid quilter and past member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, a member of Lions International, and the organist/choir director for the UCC Church in Peterborough, NH.
Terri O’Rorke
District 7 : Keene Ward 2
Meet the Candidate
- Former deputy town clerk, Richmond
- Trustee of Trust Funds, Richmond, 2 terms
- Former EMT in Richmond and Winchester
- Richmond Town Newsletter, Board of Directors
- America Reads, Volunteer
- Project Home, Volunteer
- Author
- Blogger
- NEA New Hampshire recommended candidacy for 2024
Be Sure To Preserve Democracy and Vote!
Lucius Parshall
District 8: Harrisville, Marlborough, Nelson, Roxbury, & Sullivan
Lucius Parshall was born in the Finger Lakes region of New York State and has lived in Cheshire County for three decades. He and his wife share their Marlborough home with their daughter and son and a cat.
Lucius has a Bachelors in Music from Ithaca College, and a MBA from Binghamton University. He’s worked as a chef, arts administrator, and as an elementary school music educator. He has also had the privilege to work several more colorful jobs from winemaking to circus work. As he says “you don’t learn much traveling first class”
Currently he serves the towns of Harrisville, Marlborough, Nelson, Roxbury, and Sullivan. Since assuming office in 2020 he has served on the House Science, Technology and Energy Committee.
As he is passionate about environmental protection, he has sponsored or co-sponsored several bills involving grid modernization and EV infrastructure. Along with several waste flow bills he also chaired the 2023 Study Committee on Extended Producer Responsibility and plans on filing EPR legislation in the next term.
Daniel Eaton
District 9: Alstead, Gilsum, Marlow, & Stoddard
Meet the Candidate Coming Soon!
Barrett Faulkner
District 10 (2 Seats): Swanzey, Richmond
Meet the Candidate
Coming Soon!
Alan Gross
District 10 (2 Seats): Swanzey, Richmond
Meet the Candidate
I am excited to be running to serve you as your next state representative in Cheshire County District 10. I am a 33 year resident of the town of Swanzey, and proud to be a father to two MRHS graduates. What I bring to Swanzey and Richmond is a strong desire to improve the quality of life and education for our children; to support community engagement in our local service organizations; and a deep commitment to protecting our region’s natural and recreational resources such as our lakes, ponds, rivers, forests, working farms. historic landmarks, and open spaces.
Career
- 35 years public school teacher, 33 with the Keene School District
- Assistant Coach Keene High School Nordic team
- Coach for Swanzey Recreation League for 9 years
- Served 5 years on the Monadnock Regional School Board
- Vice President Cheshire County Retired Educators
Community Service
- Volunteer at the St. Bernard Parish Food Pantry
- Long-time member of the Cheshire County Historical Society
- Environment and Natural Resource Conservation; Long-time member of the Swanzey Rail Trails Committee
- Outdoorsman: hiker, cyclist, kayaker, cross country skier
- Member of Friends of Pisgah; Member Monadnock Sunapee Trail Crew; Long-time member of the Appalachian Trail Club; Long-time Member of the Society for the Protection of NH Forests; Life member Sierra Club
My priorities for serving you in the legislature this coming year are Education and the
Environment. I would like to see:
- more money put into the tobacco prevention fund from the tobacco settlement.
- a ban on flavored tobacco.
- incentives to recruit new hampshire college graduates to stay in this state, in
- particular as teachers, medical and mental health workers.
- a raise the minimum wage.
- that reproductive decisions be left to a woman and her doctor.
- an increase in sources of renewable.
- an increase in incentives for energy efficiency improvements for homeowners.
- an increase in funding for drug rehabilitation.
- more accountability for charter schools receiving public funds.
Natalie Quevedo
District 11: Winchester
Meet the Candidate
Natalie is a very proud resident of Winchester, NH. As a resident, she has worked hard to keep her neighbors informed and bring awareness to community challenges that need to be addressed. Natalie’s experience in a range of corporate and private leadership roles, for over 15 years, has prepared her for this next chapter of leadership. She is also a powerhouse volunteer in her community and County.
Natalie values the voice of every community member and is committed to transparency. As such, she promises to communicate openly with her constituents, and share her work in the House on a monthly basis. Her goal is to work across party lines to unite our great State of New Hampshire and revitalize the great community of Winchester.
Jack Gettens
District 12: Fitzwilliam & Troy
Meet the Candidate
Jack grew up in Gardner MA and moved to Troy when he started working at Markem in Keene in the mid-1980s.
Jack and his long-time partner, Kate Clarke, enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, skating, and gardening, and they enjoy being with family and friends.
Jack has experience in state government and its programs:
- Having worked for more than 25 years to implement, administer, and evaluate state-level health and human services programs, including:
- Former Director of the NH Division of Family Assistance.
He is currently:
- Secretary of the Troy Planning Board
- A member of the Monadnock Regional School District Budget Committee.
- Chair of Troy Democrats Committee.
He is running to find common ground and he supports bipartisanship. Today’s politics are too divisive and too gridlocked. We must seek mutual understanding and find shared values to effectively tackle today’s urgent problems.
Jack will stand up for the issues important to Fitzwilliam and Troy. He will work hard for a robust democracy, excellent schools, a strong economy, a skilled workforce, healthcare for all, an end to discrimination, and assistance for those experiencing hardship.
Deni Dickler
District 14: Rindge
Meet the Candidate
Deni Dickler is challenging a 38-year incumbent for the NH House seat in Rindge, NH. It is time for a new face and different ideas to address the issues faced by the hardworking families in Rindge.
As a legislator Deni will roll up her sleeves and get to work for the people of Rindge in areas they say matter most to them and help their paychecks go farther—things like lowering property taxes, increasing affordable housing, strengthening their community with strong public schools, expanding reproductive healthcare for young and old, and providing technical training for better jobs with higher pay.
You can count on Deni to work hard solving today’s issues while creating a better future for our children and grandchildren…Because our kids really matter. Having been a wife, widow, mother, and stepmother, Deni knows the challenges everyday people face raising a family, getting ahead, and growing older in today’s economy.
Deni retired from a 20+ year career in financial services. A life-long volunteer, she is committed to leaving the world a better place for future generations. That’s why Deni has been actively involved in the Rindge Conservation Commission, Zoning Board of Adjustment, Rindge Community Conversations, NH Master Gardeners, Monadnock Writers’ Group (Board Member, Journal Editor), and Rindge Writers Group (Founder). She has a B.S. from the University of Nebraska and M.B.A. from Maryville University.
Samantha Jacobs
District 15 (2 seats) : Chesterfield, Hinsdale, Keene Ward 1, Keene Ward 3, Keene Ward 4, Keene Ward 5, Surry, Walpole, & Westmoreland
Meet the Candidate
I grew up in Fitzwilliam, in a community-oriented, working-class family. Both of my parents remarried, making me one of eight children. I am the first of my siblings to earn a bachelor’s degree in social work and counseling from Franklin Pierce University. About a decade ago I moved to Keene, where I have been working in procurement at a grocery wholesaler.
I am on the executive board of the Keene Democrats, and I volunteer monthly with them serving dinner at the Community Kitchen.
I look forward to bringing my passion for expanding and protecting reproductive justice, accessible and affordable housing, and environmental justice to Concord, where I can be a part of equitable change for our corner of New Hampshire.
Nicolas Germana
District 15 (2 seats) : Chesterfield, Hinsdale, Keene Ward 1, Keene Ward 3, Keene Ward 4, Keene Ward 5, Surry, Walpole, & Westmoreland
Meet the Candidate
Coming Soon!
James Gruber
District 16: Alstead, Gilsum, Harrisville, Keene Ward 2, Marlborough, Marlow, Nelson, Roxbury, Stoddard, Sullivan
Meet the Candidate
Jim is a Professor Emeritus of Antioch University. He recently retired as Chair of the Department and Director of the PhD Program in Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England. He is currently a member of the IUCN Commission for Environmental Economic and Social Policy, and a recent delegate to the UN Environmental Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya. He has consulted for governments and non-governmental organizations in North America, Eastern Europe, South America, and Africa on environmental issues, local governance, and democracy focusing on citizen engagement in developing and implementing policy and programs. His work over the past four decades as a consultant, town manager, and professor has had a strong focus on leadership and facilitating positive adaptive change. He has given international talks and published journal articles on natural resource conservation, conserving common-pool resources, climate change adaptation, and sustainable organizations. He recently published the book titled: Building Community – Twelve Principles for a Healthy Future (New Society Publishers, BC, Canada, 2020 (350 pgs.). He is a Civil Engineer and holds an MS degree from MIT, an MPA degree from Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a PhD in environmental conservation from the University of Zagreb.
He homesteads with his wife, Patience Stoddard, in Alstead New Hampshire and has two grown wonderful children. The family has a small vineyard and winery as well as a maple syrup business. He teaches woodworking to kids and adults, helps manage the historic water-power Chase’s Mill (circa 1767) and co-chairs the Alstead Democrats Committee.
He recently declared his run for a seat in the NH House and is passionate to serve during these challenging times. He is now developing his campaign plan and related materials with family, friends, and colleagues as well as seeking advice from others with knowledge about seeking elected office.
I moved to Alstead, NH in 1978 after discovering the strong sense of community and quality of life here. Patience Stoddard, my wife of 38 years, and I have two grown children, Daniel and Allison. We live on a homestead in Alstead with gardens, a sugar house and a small vineyard. Recently retired from teaching at Antioch University in Keene, we decided it was the right time to for me to serve in the NH House.
Work Experience:
- 10-yr working in town and city management
- 4-yr consulting to Eastern European governments during their democratic recovery
after the collapse of totalitarian communism
- 12-yr leading community non-profit organizations
- 16-yr teaching management, environmental, and public policy at Antioch University
- Chaired the Board of Chase’s Mill in Alstead that has recently restored a water power mill, originally built in 1767, and now provides a wide range of low-cost woodworking, arts classes, and other programs to this region
- Professor and Chair of Environmental Studies Department and Director PhD Program, Antioch University
New England
- Co-founder and instructor of the NH Selectperson Institute, in partnership with NH Municipal Association
- Planned and facilitated CTAP effort for NH- DOT bringing together 26 local municipalities to create a smart growth plan along the I-93 corridor, with NGOs, regional, federal and State agencies
- Led the initial Bike-Pathways System Master Planning project for the City of Keene
- Served on the Board of Upper Valley – Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission
- Facilitated the Lake Sunapee Climate Change effort through a NOAA grant
- Consultant to Working on Waste to close Claremont Incinerator and shift to recycling-based system.
- Served as Assistant City Manager for the City of Lebanon, NH
- Ground-breaking work on passive solar energy and energy conservation with Total Environmental Action
Kristan Tilton
District 17: Fitzwilliam, Richmond, Swanzey, Troy, & Winchester
Meet the Candidate
Born in Peterborough, NH, Kristan resided all around Cheshire County before settling in Troy. She and her long-time partner, Ryan Chamberlain, have a 12 year old daughter and live in the home they built themselves with help from friends and family.
She has been:
- A Troy Library Trustee
- A Trustee of the Trust Funds
- on the Troy Broadband Committee, bringing internet access to residents
- A CPR instructor
- A volunteer for Rogers Rangers EMT Services
Kristan received a bachelor’s degree from Keene State College and a
Master’s degree from Northeastern University
Kristan is running to address critical issues including:
- Bringing state funds back to local communities to lower local property taxes
- Addressing the housing crisis
- Supporting public education and making childcare accessible and affordable for families.
She enjoys playing softball in the Greater Keene Women’s Softball League, crafting, and has a passion for travel and adventure.
Hannah Bissex
Cheshire District 18 (2 seats): Dublin, Jaffrey, & Rindge
Meet the Candidate
Committed to community- rooted and resilient
There are issues that are important to me like adequate funding for public schools, sustainable
energy and environmental stewardship, and supporting a woman’s right to choose. However, what is most important to me is that I am here to listen to and understand the needs and perspectives of my community.
How does this translate to policy? In the face of complex legislative decisions, these are the
questions I will ask:
- Are the perspectives of those most affected adequately represented?
- Are resources used wisely with a goal of long-term sustainability?
- Does this honor an individual’s ability to know what is best for themselves?
- Does this serve to connect and support community?
- Is this the best next step toward building a resilient future?
I am a mother of three beautiful girls, a wife, a teacher, and a small scale farmer. I am a founding member of the South of Monadnock Community. I have lived in Rindge and raised my daughters here for 10 years.
My experiences have prepared me well for building community, staying the course through conflict, and facilitating constructive conversations. My experience as a teacher has taken me from wilderness therapy programs in the woods of Vermont, to facilitating problem-solving seminars in the Bahamas, to right here in the Monadnock region, where I built The Cornucopia Project’s Farm to Fork educational farm from the ground up with a team of young people.
For the past 12 years, I have led Quaker-based consensus decision-making at the South of Monadnock Community. I believe that conflict is inevitable, and the work we do to resolve it can be powerfully transformative.
I never expected to be a politician, but I believe that we need to work for what we care for, and our nation badly needs us to act. I believe democracy requires participation and we cannot afford to continue with business as usual. The best part of this work is connecting with people and building a community for change.
Jed Brummer
Cheshire District 18 (2 seats): Dublin, Jaffrey, & Rindge
Meet the Candidate
Selectman Town of Ridge
• Past President and founding member Jaffrey/Rindge Rotary
• Chairman, BOD Cathedral of the Pines
• Chairman, Jaffrey/Rindge Ambulance Service
• Owner, Contoocook Bay Company, LLC
• Owner, Woodbound Inn
• President, NH Hotel and Restaurant Association
• B.A. University New Hampshire –
• Graduate, Proctor Academy, Andover, NH
• United States Army
• Father of seven children (raised in Monadnock Region)
• Most proudly, last student to legally ride a horse to RINDGE ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL!
Tom Hsu
Cheshire District 18 (2 seats): Dublin, Jaffrey, & Rindge
Meet the Candidate
- A strong voice for reason.
• An experienced, creative problem-solver who can find win-win solutions.
• A working man with broad skills and experience.
• A good listener who cares and will work for all of us.• Internationally renowned science educator and author of 10 middle and high school science programs.
• Founder and president of three education publishing and manufacturing companies.
• Teacher of carpentry and physics (high school) and experimental physics (MIT).
• Ph.D. in plasma physics (MIT, 1994)
• Chair of the Jaffrey Conservation Commission and advisor to the Jaffrey Planning Board.
• Singer/songwriter and host of the Park Theatre Open Mic in Jaffrey. - Provided live-streaming Open Mic for the Dub Hub in Dublin during COVID.
• Lives in Jaffrey with wife, Eleanor, in an old farmhouse which they are renovating. Their three children are now grown and pursuing their careers.
