Hi, I'm Dick Thackston
- 30+ Year resident of Troy, NH
- Served on Monadnock Regional School Board (1996 - 2013).
- Served as Troy, NH Town Moderator (2014 - 2018).
- Currently serving as Troy, NH Selectman (2018 - Present).
- Chairman Monadnock Regional School Board (2010 - 2013).
- Chairman SAU#'s 38 & 93 multiple terms (1993 - 2013).
- Chairman Troy, NH Board of Selectman (2018 - 2023).
- State Representative Cheshire 12 (2022 - Present).
I raised my family in the community and chose to do so as I believe it is the best place in the world to live. I know Troy & Fitzwilliam to be supportive and helpful communities, but I also know that they are communities that respect individual privacy and the rights of individuals. I attended both the George Washington University School of Government & Business Administration in Washington, D.C. and George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. I have a degree in Economics from George Mason University. I have completed numerous post graduate courses in Management, Economics and Personnel.
Key Points:
Housing: Housing availability is a challenge in NH at this time however, ripping apart local control of Planning and Zoning is not the solution. I believe that market forces should primarily be allowed to solve housing challenges. The truth about housing in our community is that until a more equitable way of funding schools is established adding housing units to any town in our region is likely to remain a problem. The worst possible solution is confiscation of private property, the second worst solution would be top-down Zoning from the State both of which were proposed in legislation in this last term.
Taxes: Broad based taxes are not a solution for New Hampshire. They have been a problem everywhere they have been used to alleviate real estate Property Taxes and have never lived up to the promise of lowering Property Taxes anywhere. The simple facts are New Hampshire has more times than not managed a budget surplus and used it to increase spending without serious consideration to reducing the educational expense for individual School Districts.
Individual Rights: I believe in the importance of individual rights; I believe in the Rule of Law and the importance of Due Process for all citizens; I believe that Parents and Families are primarily responsible for the raising and education of children. I know that the teachers in our school districts are competent and committed individuals who have, in many cases, held our Schools together while politics and nonsense has attempted to undermine our educational system. A friend of mine who was a long-time educator is our School District once said to me "I can’t fix in six hours a day what the parents screw up in the other eighteen; teachers are here to help and support but they are no substitute for engaged Parents and Families."