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Everyone wants nice roads, bridges, and sidewalks, but getting people collectively to agree to fund those projects is always difficult. Our infrastructure norms call for efficient waste removal and well-functioning sewer systems, but many towns in the state have sewers collapsing and lines 100 or more years old that can no longer handle the volume of waste towns are producing. We need access to reliable cell service and quality internet, and yet the towns that need it most keep getting overlooked while other towns get upgrades. Infrastructure is, honestly, one of the least attractive political topics. It also seems to stir a lot of controversy. The amount of banter on Facebook over things like the Walmart Pothole (if you know, you know) to the Cottage Street sidewalks, to complaints when the work is actively happening to rectify infrastructure issues. It's a whirlwind that seems like no one can be happy about. But, and this is a big but, BUT, we need to take care of our public systems.
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Our state currently pays out on a "per pupil" rate to school districts that is not only way below what it actually costs to keep teachers in their positions, but doesn't account for the expenses beyond teachers themselves, and the state says that those needs are not part of educating our kids. I call BS. This mindset disproportionately affects our small schools districts, which means the North Country is paying much more in property taxes to keep our schools going, at the cost of providing quality opportunities for our students.
Granite Staters are facing a crunch in housing in every age group, and in every type of housing. There is not enough of it, and people are struggling to afford what they have. The state legislature agrees it's a problem, and yet keeps killing the bulk of bills that are filed year after year to rectify the situation. And there is a core group of conservative representatives who keep trying to chip away at the rights of tenants in the state. Basically, it's an exhausting issue that has such incredibly widespread consequences for ignoring. By most estimates, we are lacking 20,000+ housing units in the state, and that number is expected to grow drastically in the next decade if major steps aren't made up and down the legislative ladder.
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