Just as every family in our district and our state must balance its budget, so too must the state. The NH Constitution requires the state to maintain a balanced budget. The budget Jackie supported in the last biennium ended with a $17 million surplus, preserved a $89 million rainy day fund, and provided the services businesses and citizens demand –- this at a time when fuel costs alone rose 28 percent and other costs escalated as well.

As we move into the next two years, we must make significant adjustments to combat the downturn in the national economy. We in New Hampshire will be tested just as those in every other state by the results of unbridled de-regulation and lack of oversight. The good news is that New Hampshire enters this economic storm in a better position than most other states.

The job of the next legislature, in cooperation with Governor Lynch, will be to carefully protect taxpayer monies while keeping necessary services for our citizens and businesses. We must make sure that our state remains well-positioned for the future while at the same time easing the burdens faced by our citizens and struggling small businesses.

Jackie Cilley’s commitment is to the over-burdened NH property-tax payer now facing perhaps one of the greatest financial challenges of our time given the loss of interest and dividends income resulting from the market implosion and growing job losses. Any proposal that continues the assault on property taxes will not get Jackie’s support.

Jackie believes that we can and must make government more efficient and effective. She also believes strongly that we must avoid cost-shifting that places greater burdens on our communities and, thus, directly onto the backs of local property-tax payers. For far too long, programs and services have been cut from state budgets that simply end up on the balance sheets of our local communities.

For example, decades ago, the state decided to send mentally ill patients from the NH State Hospital back to their communities where they could be treated locally and close to family and friends. The state assured communities it would cover the costs of this shift of services. Over the years less and less money has followed the mentally ill and that has lead to a “D” rating by the National Association of Mental Health on how we treat our mentally ill in NH. Moreover, frequently the mentally ill have ended up in our city and town jails at an annual cost of $55,000 per person as compared to the $14,000 required to provide treatment.

Jackie is firmly committed to balancing a budget that avoids pushing these types of costs down to local property taxpayers.