As I leave office I wish to express the immeasurable gratitude that I have for the work and contributions that you made. From the bottom of my heart I thank each and every one of you.

It has been an honor and privilege to have served as NH Senator for District 6. Every day of these past four years has brought new experiences and new people into my life. Of all of the things to be thankful for at this time of year, I am most grateful for the relationships that have been built over this period of time.

As I leave office, I will say what I said throughout the whole campaign and that is, I am proud of the work that my colleagues and I did on your behalf as well as the citizens of New Hampshire. Over these past couple of years our economy was pummeled by forces well beyond our state’s borders, yet we are already turning the corner. As your Senator, I stood firm for fiscal sanity that preserved our already thin social service network, sound environmental policies, protection of privacy and civil rights for our citizens.

The causes and the people that I fought for over these past four years remain my driving motivation. I intend to continue my work in this regard and I hope that you will join me in these efforts.

The incoming group of freshmen legislators will undoubtedly come to find, as I once did, that governing is far cry from campaigning. They will need to hear your voices to assist their efforts to manage our ship of state through still turbulent economic times and they will most assuredly need to hear your voices in support of the causes that you care about. It will be critically important for you to stay involved in the process in the months to come.

Again, please accept my deepest appreciation for your support, your well wishes, and the many thoughtful e-mails and notes that I have received since election day. They have made my two terms of service even more rewarding.

My warmest wishes for the joys of the holiday season.