Atkinson Democrats 2-2-2026 General Meeting
Atkinson Democrats 2-2-2026 General Meeting
February 2nd, 2026, 6:20 – 8PM, In Person Meeting
All General Members Welcome
Meeting Started at 6:20 PM
Guest Speaker: Ally Priest (Chris Pappas Campaign)
General Information
o Ally represents the campaign of Chris Pappas who is running for Senate in the upcoming election. He will eventually come down to Atkinson himself as well as other surrounding towns.
o He is campaigning among Democrats in a Primary for the official party nomination and is planning to go against the Republican nomination likely for John Sununu.
o He will be focusing on a message of Affordability (e.g. housing, grocery bills) over the next 6 months and connect with voters on the best way to assist them.
o She asks any person in the crowd to contact her through her email APriest@ChrisPappas.org or her number “603-965-5570” should they want to get involved or ask questions of the Pappas Campaign.
Ally Priest Q&A Answers on Pappas’ Stances
o Pappas supports Israel but supports pressuring Israeli government to allow humanitarian aid.
o Supports Medical Tax Credits
o Does not support DHS funding and supports impeaching Kristi Noem
o Supports the “Public Safety Act” which will direct the massive funding increase that was given to ICE in the “Big Beautiful Bill” to local police forces instead.
o When asked about exact affordability stances Ally said she will “circle back”
o Chris Pappas supports funding for public schools and libraries.
o Ally unsure if Chris Pappas can do anything about local property taxes
o When asked about Marijuana legalization and revenue Ally stated that Chris Pappas supports decriminalizing the drug federally.
o Supports voter education and opposes any efforts to make it harder for people to vote, opposes unreasonable or unnecessary restrictions
o Opposes congressional stock trading, and has signed on to a bill to make it so that Supreme court justices and their families are restricted from trading as well.
Guest Speaker: Kristen Diamond
Kristen Diamond provides a sheet with a synopsis on the voting law changes, providing helpful information about the changes in NH voter laws.
o Voter ID is now required, Voter affidavits are gone
o People are purged from the voter list every five years now instead of every 10 years if they do not vote.
o Passport, government issued ID with name & address, and state IDs are valid forms of identification
o Proof of domicile for out of state or out of country voters required
o Homeless individuals need documentation from a local shelter affirming their current location and living situation
o Absentee ballot requests an ID and notarized, must be received by 5PM on the day of the election
o The Supervisors of the Checklist meet every 90 days to update their voter rolls.
o The Supervisors of the Checklist will meet in Town Hall on February 28 at 9am to make voting changes
o Catherine Zerba is coordinating volunteers for voting day. Email the Supervisors of the Checklist email from the town website to contact her if anyone would like to be a volunteer.
For up-to-date information everyone is recommended to go to the town website, the town website also includes a link to state statutes (to the Secretary of State’s website) for liability reasons in case the state changes them before the town can update its own site.
Number of registered Democrats and Republicans dropping, undeclared category growing. As it stands
o 20% are Democrats
o 42% are Republicans
o 38% are Undeclared
Discussion of Candidate’s to Support
The following are the list of Candidates (be they Democrats, Independents, or Moderate Republicans) that the Executive Board have decided to support or at the very least vote for in the upcoming elections.
Paul Wainright for Selectmen
Chris Tardif and Paul Sedillo for Budget Committee
Margaret (Marnie) Finn for Library Trustee
Christine Duerr and David Pancoast for Conflict-of-Interest Committee
Julia Doherty for School Budget Committee
Micheal Boucher for School Board
Discussion of the Police Station
Do we support the new Police Station?
o Neither the police or fire department have come out to support the plans for the new location, in fact some people have been saying (though unverified) that both the police chief and the fire chief do not support the new location. The general verbal consensus was that both or either the Fire and Police Chiefs should be approached or should go on the record in public to ask their opinions before everyone votes on the article.
o Some members claim that several firefighters do not support the location.
o Other members raise concerns that the Police Department does not have enough room to safely exit and enter the proposed location during emergencies, especially when there are events at the library or Fire Department.
o Several members also aired their dislike of the fact that the DPW construction project was paired with the Police Department’s project in the warrant article instead of being separated.
o Finally, several claim that the plans seem a bit underdeveloped and vague
In conclusion, it’s determined by verbal consensus that the party will likely not be publicly supporting the new Police Station warrant article, at the very least, unless more information is provided and there is visible support from the PD/Fire.
Mailers
Discussion of the creation of one general mailer to be sent to everyone in town encouraging them to vote for certain articles and candidates.
There's also the discussion of a targeted mailer for Democrats, independents, and Republicans each, including the feasibility and goals of doing so.
Meet the Candidates Night
Chris Tardif suggests holding a “Meet the Candidates” event where members of the public can talk and engage with the candidates we are supporting in order to get to know them, bring up issues, and build visibility.
It is suggested this event could be on Saturday February 28th during the day.
Another similar event is also suggested by Chris Tardif called “Candidates and Coffee” On February 25th as a way for certain candidates to mingle with their voter base.
As for the location of such an event, several options are brought up but the one that had the most interest was that of the hall of fellowship at the church.
Closing Business
March 7th visibility event in the morning at the post office as well as another at Dow Commons later in the day.
Reaching out to sign holders in the town and organizing visibility. Karen Moss suggested a Signup Genius.
The executive board is looking to fill a delegate position in the executive board should anyone want to fill it.
Everyone is encouraged to come to the February 5th Timberlane Deliberative session to support public education.
o Members are reminded that they can come as early as 6:00 PM to get a seat
o Members are told that the organization Getting Residents Engaged at Timberlane (GREAT) has a list of babysitters should they need to organize childcare to be able to go.
Meeting Ends at 8pm
Atkinson Democrats 2-1-2026 Meeting
February 2nd, 2026, 7 – 8:30 PM, Virtual Meeting
Executive Council Attendees: Michael Boucher, Raymond Lipfert, Chris Tardif, Christine Duerr
Meeting Begins at 7:00 Pm
Candidate Assessment
Reviewed candidates on the ballot and identified those aligned with organizational goals and those opposed.
Discussed providing financial support to allied candidates.
Considered increased focus/assistance on more contested seats, including those of Julia Doherty, Michael Boucher, Chris Tardif and Paul Sedillo’s.
Fundraising & Financial Support
Discussed funding support for allied candidates, including the previously mentioned candidates and Christine Duerr
Explored the creation of new fundraising events: at least two Candidates & Coffee events (Feb 21 & 28), one library evening event (Feb 25, 6-8pm), and one Saturday morning event at the library.
Christine proposed directly reaching out to candidates to assess interest and needs (“let them tell us”).
Ray proposed creating an email for the Exec Board that all board members get access to for the purposes of better internal communication; Michael and Chris agreed to follow up.
Campaign Materials & Signage
Discussed donating campaign signs to supported candidates.
o Proposed donating 10 signs to each supported candidate.
o Approved use of contribution funds ($100–$200) for sign purchases.
Michael suggested he will work with Chris to generate a list of local contacts and in-town locations willing to display signs.
Mailers & Messaging
Agreed in principle to spending funds on at least one mailer, possibly two, with further discussion deferred.
Christine suggested using simple index-card summaries outlining candidates and positions.
Discussed creating one major mailer list of candidates:
o Candidates would opt in.
o Suggestion: Costs could be split, with candidates paying half and the party covering the remainder.
Agreed on the importance of creating a centralized message.
Discussed targeted outreach mailers aimed at specific voter groups:
o Swing voters
o Independents
o Republicans
Discussed the possible use of attack ads.
Local Issues – Police Station
Discussed whether to support the proposed police station.
o Determined to have mixed support.
o Dislike that the DPW and PD funding/construction were bundled together with police station architecture on the ballot.
o Discussion of support/opposition tabled for the general meeting to gauge general members attitudes and to gather more information.
Concerns noted from some fire department employees regarding placement of the police department.
Visibility & Community Engagement
Emphasized the importance of attending the school district deliberative session.
Discussed holding weekend visibility events, at least one before the election at the post office.
Reached consensus that more than one visibility event should be planned.
Meeting Ends 8:30 PM
Atkinson Democrats 12-1-2025 General Meeting
6:30: Call to Order
Introducing the Candidates
Chris starts the meeting by introducing candidates Paige Beauchumin, Candidate for US
Congress 2nd District (House of Representatives), and Karishma Manzur, Candidate for US
Senate.
Karishma Speaking time Recap (Bullet List)
She has a background in clinical research and biology, she is a scientist.
She claims that there is so much legislation in Congress that can improve
everyone's lives, however no one is moving it forward because most of Congress are
answering to donors. She criticizes both Democrats and Republicans both of doing
this. She lately compounds this criticism by saying that most Republicans and
Democrats are aligned on socioeconomic issues and foreign policy. She Claims and
example of this in how she says both Republicans and Democrats alike (including
current Democratic Senators Hassan and Shaheen) Voted against raising the federal
minimum wage to $15.00 an hour.
She talks about how she is on the board of an organization called open democracy,
whose goal is to get big money out of politics.
She voices her support for Medicare for all.
She voices her support of implementing ranked choice voting as a policy to better
democratize elections,
She also voices her support for raising the federal minimum wage.
She voices her support for the ending of sending money and weapons to Israel, as
well as the sending of weapons in general, she says that our money should be spent
on Americans and our children first before anything.
She is a quote “peace activist, scientist, mother, and for human rights”
She restates her earlier point of how she wants big money out of politics, and out of
the democratic primaries. She voices her support for overturning Citizens United,
Dismantling Super Pacs, and a constitutional amendment to keep big money out of
politics. She also supports laws that would make it so no corporations should be
able to donate to politicians.
Paige Beauchemin Speaking Time Recap (Bullet List)
She is a current representative in the NH State house, and has worked as a nurse for
the past 15 years. She works at the public health department in Nashua, and helps
vaccinate uninsured people.
She also provides free civics classes where she teaches people how the government
and all its processes work.
She lives in Nashua NH, has three kids, and a geologist husband.
She is a first generation college student and her family used food assistance when
she was growing up.
She states that she is a social justice activist, and wants to “foster the ability for
working people to be involved in civics”.
She says that her campaign focus is on aƯordability and working people, and as
such supports public policies like Medicare for all and paid leave.
She says that her focuses are on health care, housing, and peace. She cites how she
and her campaign get involved in food drives and diaper drives and how she wants
to do more of that as time goes on. She also talks about how all her political events
have childcare so parents can get involved.
She says she is tired of talking about Trump, and wants to move forward into a better
future. That Democrats need a message that's more than just opposing Trump.
She says that Goodlander makes most of her money from out of state sources, And
criticizes her for her voting in favor of the Laken Riley Act. She says that she is not
plugged in to the political systems of New Hampshire as she has been out of state
for a while.
She criticizes the actions of Israel in Gaza, and states that their actions constitute
genocide, and should thus no longer be supported by the US.
She supports the legalization of marijuana.
Updates/Housekeeping
In the final 5 minutes of the meeting Chris TardiƯ went over a variety of housekeeping and
updates about events and issues relating to the local committee and town in general.
These include:
The Atkinson Democrats are now on Instagram @atkinson.democrats
Paul Wainwright is confirmed to be running for selectman, An independent who was
supported by both Republicans and Democrats, and who this committee supports
in his bid for selectman.
How there are two openings in the budget committee, As well as an opening for
library trustee.
Here reminds everyone about the greaT (Getting Residents Engaged at Timberlane)
holiday party on 12/6 at 2pm. He says that it will be at the Vic Geary center, and that
anyone who wants to support Atkinson families and the school district is welcome
to show up.
He discusses showing up to support wreaths across America, which will be on
12/13 at noon.
He reminds everyone that the town's deliberative session will be on January 31st,
and the Districts will be on February 5th. He encourages people to show up to both.
Meeting ends at 8:00 PM
Atkinson Democrats 10-15-2025 General Meeting
6:30: Call to Order
6:31: Alex Passer, Vice Chair of Rockingham Dems Speaks
Guest speaker Alex Passer takes over the mic to discuss election strategy.
She discusses multiple aspects of election strategy and asks for our input and current status in terms of allies and goals.
The discussion touches on several topics including but not limited to:
· How we would like to see more allies on the selectman and school board
· How we are interested in getting people more invested in running for positions in town
· How we should encourage those interested in running to attend relevant town meetings as a way to prepare them for the role and test the waters to see if the work interests them.
She then recommends that we:
1. Find out what's going on/networking with people about happenings in town.
2. Form relationships with various persons and organizations within town to build up repertoire.
3. Use said connections with those boards as a way to raise awareness about decisions made in Concord.
4. Emphasize nonpartisan allies Because of the nonpartisan nature of local politics.
At 6:47: Alex Passer hands the mic back.
6:49: Nominations for New Delegate
At this point in the meeting we moved on to the nomination process to fill the empty delegate seat in the executive board.
Christine and Mike both expressed their desire for the position, both persons are given 3 minutes to speak. Mike withdraws and Christine takes the delegate position. At 6:55 Christine is officially nominated as delegate.
6:59: Maggie Goodlander, Oktoberfest, and Future events
At this point we move on to discussing the success of the Maggie Goodlander and Oktoberfest events. We discussed how there was considerable turnout to both that have eclipsed the previous years.
We discussed how networking with Maggie and a possible state Rep from mass could help us build momentum as a local committee.
Christine suggests that we establish some sort of democratic gathering place like how the Republicans do with Tuckaway Tavern. Somewhere where we can get involved and be seen by the community.
Lyn suggests Working with the Rockingham democratic committee as well as other town committees in order to get a big name like Bernie Sanders down in the area to recreate the kind of success the Maggie Goodlander event had.
It's also suggested that we should work with organizations like SOROC or another charity organization as a way to both make a positive impact on the community and help build momentum as a local party. Several ideas for (hosting or assisting other organizations with) charity events are discussed including but not limited to:
· Wrapping toys for families in need
· Doing a food drive for canned goods
· Donating clothing or socks
· Assisting local organizations in helping the homeless
At 7:10, Chris Tardif suggests hosting a “Lecture on the Tap” Event. During this event we would get speakers at some sort of chill setting like a restaurant or bar, and encourage people to come and be educated by the lecturer on certain topics. This would act as both a way to build momentum and provide a night out for community members as an engaging event.
At this point in the meeting we move on to discussing the idea of getting kids at Timberlane and their parents more involved at local elections. That we should emphasize how getting involved in these processes is an important way to show that you care about and support education.
7:31: Identifying Candidates, Fundraising, And Wreaths Across America
This portion of the meeting began with identifying the seats currently open in town. There is one open seat for Selectman, two on the Budget Committee, and four for Library Trustee.
Next, the committee discussed plans to support Wreaths Across America and how the town committee could get involved. We agreed to donate 15 wreaths to match the number recommended for local businesses (which totals approximately $255).
We also explored the idea of hosting our own fundraiser to encourage donations to both the local committee and Wreaths Across America. The preferred approach would be a virtual donation campaign, with the final total split (Though the percentage of the split is still TBD) between the two causes.
Finally, we reviewed the upcoming Veterans Day event in Atkinson, which is open to the public. The committee agreed to attend in support of Wreaths Across America and discussed inviting Maggie Goodlander to join us. The general consensus was that this would be a strong idea, provided we first secure support from Tom Kelly.
7:39: Final Thoughts
Michael Boucher brings up that on the 18th of October the Atkinson lions will be hosting a meat raffle. He encourages members to show up to the event to support the lions in their endeavors, as well as to become more engaged with the community and its various organizations.
7:40: Meeting End
July 14, 2025
6:32 – 7:41 PM, In Person Meeting: Kimball Library
Executive Council Attendees: Michael Boucher, Butler, Raymond Lipfert, Sam Butler, Chris Citorik
Meeting:
At 6:32, Michael Boucher officially starts the meeting.
He starts by discussing the newly created website and its e-mail address as ways to get information from and contact the Atkinson Democrats.
At 6:34, Michael Boucher announces the August 25th Maggie Goodlander town hall event hosted by the town Executive Board. He explains how this will be a private event that will require any interested persons to RSVP ahead of time.
After this topic, Michael Boucher and Jill Ottow discuss the best ways to support the library trustees and the library. They discuss how some disgruntled individuals are showing up to the trustee meetings to cause a ruckus, but recommend not showing up to start arguments with them that will only make the situation worse.
At 6:38, Michael Boucher introduces representative Megan Murray, who is the representative for Amherst in the New Hampshire State House as well as a representative from the state Democratic Party.
Megan introduces herself, discusses her time as a legislator, and acknowledges Jay Markel (Republican House representative for Atkinson), who showed up to the meeting. Over the next hour, she discusses various topics and takes questions from the crowd about various policies and issues on the state, federal, and local levels.
Some of the topics discussed included:
Massive budget cuts to universities. And how millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs have been cut from various environmental, educational, and Health and Human Services-related programs.
How a lack of federal funding has created many state and county layoffs and funding issues.
How public money for the EFA vouchers is going to a firm out of state (which takes 10% Commission and is who decides who is admitted and who gets what for the program) that is not being audited and has already been proven to make several mistakes. Also, the voucher program has no IEP protections.
It's discussed how this voucher program is redirecting a lot of public money into the hands of people who already attend private schoolings. It's also discussed how the state is not paying as much as it is legally required to local school districts. Not only did the court rule this, but Republicans have acknowledged it and admitted that they will do nothing. Letting the costs fall to local school districts to make up.
It's discussed how the cost of everything is going up and pricing people out of communities, but at the same time, programs that help people are being defunded, and schools are also losing a lot of their funds (making local communities less attractive due to worse educational standards).
It's discussed how Dems want to ensure equal education, to protect education, and to protect speech and literature at all levels of schooling.
Another topic discussed is how to enact actionable change aside from just flipping seats in elections. Representative Murray recommended showing up and being active in local governance and local elections, and advocating for certain issues when possible.
Another point of discussion is about how taxes have gone down and programs have been defunded, and how the cost of everything has gone up, including fees and fines (like how there are less inspections but higher registration fees). There are now 7 pages worth of new fees, including for example, a new Medicare tax on children. The federal and state levels have defunded Medicare and Medicaid, but now impose increased taxes/fees for using the programs. This not only makes it harder for people to access these programs, but it's also increasingly putting the responsibility on local welfare programs funded through property taxes, and third-party organizations (like food organizations who are now buying food for cheap from Canada to be able to afford feeding people).
Another discussion is about marijuana legalization and revenue capitalization. And how, while many people in New Hampshire support it, certain politicians refuse to even consider it as they are “simply against it” Or have “seen it enough”.
The final topic of note was about the prevalence of “free Staters” in the Republican Party. Representative Murray notes that the free Staters have considerable sway in the republican caucus and seek to dismantle government from the inside out.
At 7:32, the Q&A with representative Murray ends.
At 7:33, Michael Boucher opens the floor, during which the situation with the library trustees is once again discussed.
734 Michael Boucher notes that our school district is the last large school not to have a full-day kindergarten, and asks all available persons to spread the word about showing up to school board meetings to encourage compliance with the new state policy.
The last topic of discussion is the Maggie Goodlander event. Michael Boucher encourages anyone who is interested to come on August 25th.
Michael Boucher officially ends the meeting at 7:41 PM.