Candidate profiles: Rindge Planning Board

(two three-year terms)

*incumbents

Years living in town: 31 years

Previous or current elected office held: have served on Planning Board for past 6 years

What are two issues you think are important and how would you address them?

I’m a firm believer in property owners’ rights also that town that ordinances should be followed in each zoning district and the small town character should remain and that all citizens of the town are treated equally.

I’m not there to favor one person or another. I’m just following the zoning district ordinances. I believe everybody should play by the same rules. Equal right to all citizens and land owner rights apply as long as they fall in line with ordinances voted in by residents. I want to make sure that everyone is following the ordinances in that district voted in by residents to uphold those zoning regulations. I think everybody should play by the same rules no matter who they are in town, myself included.

Years living in town: 10 years

Previous or current elected office held: on the Planning Board the past six years. When I lived in the town of Nelson I served on the Planning Board and Select Board at different time over a seven year period.

Other qualifications: I’m honest. I really follow the laws that the people vote in. And I believe in landowner rights.

What are two issues you think are important and how would you address them?

The town of Rindge is pretty good. They vote really well. I would like to improve the PURD (Planned Unit Residential Development) regulations so that they are clearer and better reflect the will of the voters.

Years living in town: I moved to town in August of 2018. But because my grandfather ran and owned Camp Iroquois I spend my first seven summers in Rindge and returned here with my wife after I retired.

Previous or current elected office held: none

Other qualifications: I was active in former residence in St. Louis, Missouri over the past five years with political campaign for the governors race and was involved in organizing political rallies political. I have been attending Planning Board meetings in Rindge somewhat regularly. I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity in Missouri, where I was crew chief and worked on design teams. I have experience remodeling houses. I worked as a senior network engineer for American Water Enterprises water company. Designed and organized crews to build 80-foot docks as Captain of St. Louis Rowing Club. Volunteer Couch for Dublin School Rowing Club. Serve on the Rindge energy commission.

What are two issues you think are important and how would you address them?

The biggest issue that I hear from everybody in Rindge is the push and pull between growth and keeping the town a small town. There’s a group here that would just rather see Rindge stay preserved and relatively unchanged. But there is also apathy from some of the community about placing land into conservation easements.

I would try to push for reexamining ordinances PURD (Planned Unit Residential Development). From my perspective the PURD regulations are too loose and they do not keep the PURDs integrated – geography and resource-wise with their surrounding community.

To me all of this is a balancing act and we need to continue for that balance and be aware that much of New Hampshire is very rural. And understand and deal with outside pressures to urbanize. For a town like Rindge urbanization doesn’t make a whole lot of sense so I would like to be able to put a control on that.

I would also like to encourage housing development developers to build houses that would be able to take advantage solar energy possibilities.

I think I have something to contribute. And I hope if they do elect me, I hope we can find some middle ground where this town can prosper.

You can learn more about me on my Facebook page “Jeff for Rindge Planning Board.”