Warmington for NH governor

With Chris Sununu deciding he will not seek another term, this election is Democrats’ best chance to win the governorship since the Hassan administration. We are lucky to have two great women running for the nomination this cycle — but, for the sake of our state’s future and the issues we care so deeply about, we simply must put our best candidate forward in order to beat Kelly Ayotte.

That’s why I’m supporting Cinde Warmington for governor.

Cinde has the resolve we, as Democrats, need to take back the corner office next year. She knows what it will take to lead, because she has been leading from a 4-1 minority on the Executive Council for the past two terms.

When the Republicans on the council defunded Planned Parenthood, Cinde fought back. She knows that, for women, freedom begins with being able to make our own health care decisions in order to plan, prevent, and space pregnancies. Access to affordable family planning services in New Hampshire is critical for the well-being of our state and, as governor, Cinde will repeal Sununu’s abortion ban and put into law the protections that women deserve to access safe, legal abortion care.

Cinde knows when to stand her ground, but also when to find common ground in order to deliver results.

The Upper Valley and the entire state are facing an affordable housing crisis. According to NH Housing, New Hampshire will be 90,000 units behind by 2040 if we do nothing. But Cinde doesn’t do “nothing.” On the Executive Council, Cinde worked across the aisle to invest $100 million into affordable housing projects and the infrastructure needed to support them.

As governor, Cinde will do even more to make sure everyone has a roof over their heads and no one is forced to sleep on the streets.

No matter the issue, Cinde Warmington is prepared to tackle it. It is clear that she is our best chance to win next year and I am proud to support her.

Sharon Nordgren

Hanover

Nordgren is a Democratic state representative in Grafton County District 12, which includes Hanover and Lyme.

Pet obituary in poor taste

I was shocked to see on the obituary page in Sept. 29’s Valley News an obituary for someone’s dog. Unbelievable. Did it die unexpectedly, or surrounded by family and loved ones? Should we send flowers? Will there be a viewing?

Yes, when pets die it is sad, but it’s a dog, not a human! To put a death announcement of a pet on the obituary page is ridiculous. Will we soon see obits for little Johnny’s hamster? Not only is this fetish for our pets totally out of control, it is disrespectful to the people whose obits were on that page next to your dead animal. Come on Valley News, you know better.

Pat Halpin

Norwich

Tribute to dog a pleasure to read

I just finished reading “In Memoriam Lucy K.” That was the best article I have read in the Valley News in a very long time. So much love in it, I was in tears not even knowing her. Thank you for giving her such a loving, beautiful tribute. It made reading the paper worthwhile.

Natalie Lounder

Canaan

The memorial to Lucy the dog that appeared in the Sept. 29 edition of the Valley News was a paid advertisement.

Are only housing opponents newsworthy?

Like others who care about the housing crisis, I was overjoyed reading Dartmouth College follow the intent of our Main Wheelock District zoning amendment that my friend David Millman and I authored and Hanover voters decisively passed in 2022. Building 300 beds for undergraduates at 25 W Wheelock St., allows Lyme Rd’s North End housing proposal to be from the beginning for graduate students: truly a win-win for all.

Except, apparently, for the unrepresentative characters the Valley News always manages dedicating half their article space to. How many times have we heard the same complaints from the same housing opponents? Even acquiescing to their polemic opposition toward undergraduates living nearby, now graduate student housing is still concerning and “out of scope” — a unanimous ZBA ruling after weeks of hearings be damned.

Does the Valley News ever consider interviewing housing supporters? We obviously exist, given that we keep winning town elections. How many housing stories cede countless paragraphs to NIMBYism?

The sad truth: basically all of them.

Dartmouth’s lawyers are not the only people who want more housing. Pretending that’s so spins some David and Goliath story where those already owning housing — instead of people priced out — are somehow underdog victims.

What’s more important, giving people places to call home — or not living within a quarter-mile of a building taller than two stories? When we discuss egregious economic segregation, who do we keep giving platforms to?

Gimme a break. Valley News, do better.

Nicolás Macri

Hanover