Ken Nivison For New Hampshire

I am Ken Nivison, and I am running to represent my Pembroke neighbors in the New Hampshire House of Representatives.

For Pembroke.
For the Common Good.

Property Tax Relief

New Hampshire stands at a critical crossroads. Its reliance on property taxes to fund the vast majority of its services has strained budgets, pressured schools, and threatened seniors and those on fixed incomes with their very homes. I will work to restore proper federal and state funding to local schools in order to alleviate these pressures, and I will look to ease the property tax requirements of seniors.

Affordable Housing

We have seen a housing crunch in New Hampshire for over a decade. Home prices have shot up and inventory has remained slight. Fiscal policies from Washington along with overseas wars have kept inflation and interest rates high, pricing an entire generation out of home ownership. I will work to advance legislation to incentivize building more inventory for more first-time homebuyers.

Quality Schools

Our public schools are our most critical investments–for the present as well as the future. I will work to restore proper adequate funding from the state to local communities, end the EFA program, and protect local school districts from the instability of open enrollment. I will work to increase support for child care and early childhood education, fight efforts to censor hard histories, empower students, and support both teachers and parents in their work.

Our Environment

It is a privilege to live in New Hampshire, and I want to ensure that our most prized natural resources are available for generations to come. I will work to protect our environment, push to clean up our water and our air, protect wildlife, and support our conservation efforts. For these reasons, I will oppose building data centers in New Hampshire.

Health Care

Skyrocketing health care costs are pushing town and school budgets to the brink. As the federal government withdraws Medicaid support many in New Hampshire, the state needs to put forward solutions to preserve access to quality and affordable health care. The state must use its regulatory powers to hold insurance companies to account and reduce costs.

A Better Way

As a professional educator, I have devoted my life to teaching the importance of thoughtful, reasoned, respectful dialogue in service of preserving and enhancing human freedom and the common good. I believe our state and our country is in dire need of a return to first principles in this regard. The people of our state deserve better from their elected representatives. I hope to bring reason, civility, and common sense to Concord.

A Commitment to Service

I was born and raised in a small mill town in central Maine, the youngest of seven children. I learned the impact of service from my parents, who immersed themselves in their community and saw it as an extension of their family. Growing up in a large family of modest means, I learned the value of hard work, the importance of integrity, and the power of servant leadership.

After college at St. Anselm and graduate school at Catholic University, I began a career as a historian and college professor. I have taught in Washington, D.C., Colorado, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire. I have lived in New Hampshire for 26 years, the last nine in Pembroke. My wife, Kristen, is a first grade teacher, and my children, Campbell and Caroline, are students at Pembroke Academy. I serve on the Pembroke School Board.

At each stage of my career, I have served others. Whether in the workplace or in the community, I have volunteered my time and energy to help make my communities stronger.

I believe that we thrive as individuals when we prioritize investing in the common good–in the core set of values and virtues from which we all benefit. This means caring for all in our community, especially the most vulnerable, giving voice to the voiceless and building a future where all can enjoy the benefits of freedom and opportunity.