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The intention to centralize power in Concord and bypass the judgment of locally elected representatives will hurt town and city sovereignty throughout New Hampshire
- NH Muckraker
- 3 minutes ago
- 3 min read
In New Hampshire, a growing divide has emerged between traditional defenders of local control and a new wave of Republican lawmakers seeking to limit the authority of local governments. State GOP leaders, including House Majority Leader Jason Osborne and Senator Keith Murphy, argue that local boards—such as school boards and zoning boards—have become obstacles to progress on issues like school spending, immigration policy, and the housing crisis.
This legislative session, several bills have been proposed that would:
Cap local school budgets unless a supermajority of voters approve otherwise.
Override local zoning regulations by imposing statewide standards for housing lot sizes.
Proponents argue that local boards are infringing on individual rights or impeding necessary reforms, and that the state has a constitutional duty to intervene.
Critics from within the Republican ranks—including long-time conservatives and libertarians—see this trend as an abandonment of core principles of limited government and local sovereignty.
Opposition has come from traditional conservative groups like the Coalition of New Hampshire Taxpayers, which warns of a creeping centralization of power. Even some who acknowledge problems like housing shortages caution that overriding local decisions through state mandates represents a dangerous shift. "Matt Mayberry is even suggesting that he is not a paid lobbyist for the Home Builders Association... to think Republicans are standing up against single family neighborhoods is despicable." - Jane Aitken
How This Is a Threat to Local Control / Sovereignty:
Erosion of Local Autonomy:
Imposing state-mandated spending caps on school boards removes budgetary control from local voters and officials, undermining the principle that communities should govern their own schools.
State Preemption of Local Zoning:
Bills to enforce statewide zoning standards strip municipalities of their right to shape their communities through locally determined land use policies.
Top-Down Governance:
The rhetoric about putting a "leash" on local governments reveals an intention to centralize power in Concord, bypassing the judgment of locally elected representatives.
Contradiction of Libertarian and Small-Government Values:
The proposed measures appear to contradict the libertarian ideals embraced by some of the same lawmakers promoting them—favoring state control over grassroots governance.
Setting Precedents for Further Centralization:
Once the state starts intervening in local affairs like zoning or school budgets, it sets a precedent for future state overrides in areas traditionally managed at the municipal level.
Undermining Local Civic Engagement:
If local boards and town meetings are systematically overridden, residents may become disengaged or distrustful of local democratic processes, believing their input no longer matters.
Certain NH republicans, specifically, the majority leader, in the statehouse want to argue that city and towns need to be "leashed". Last time I checked, the live free or die state should not be in the business of placing "one size fits all" policies and mandates on local communities and their distinct character, AKA local sovereignty. In some cases, these tyrannical mandates are being incentivized by either tax incentives or grant opportunities (American Rescue Plan and Housing Opportunity Planning grants).
“We might have to put a leash on some of these local governments, “House Majority Leader Jason Osborne told WMUR in January. “We have a state with a constitution, and we have a duty to protect our citizens. These towns do not have a constitution, and do not have this duty. If they are infringing on the rights of our citizens, it’s our duty to step in and protect them.”
The concept of local control — that political decision making is best when it takes place closest to the people — may be close to gospel in New Hampshire politics. But that same idea is also increasingly under threat in New Hampshire, as leading Republicans push bills this session to limit local governments’ power to make decisions on a variety of issues.
UNCALLED FOR BY THE SO CALLED MORE CONSERVATIVE SIDE OF THE AISLE.
