Candidate Bio: Laurie Sanborn, Republican For State Rep

Amherst Patch has sent a candidate bio to all people running for state representative and state senate to tell Patch readers a little about themselves and why they are running for office. Bios will be posted as they are received and will feed into our Election 2012 topic page which can be found under the "News" tab above.

Laurie Sanborn, Republican

Running for State Representative

Background/Education:

I am proud to be a fourth generation native of our state, and a life-long New Hampshire resident.  I am passionate about preserving what makes New Hampshire so great, and keeping it that way for generations to come.  I grew up in a hard working, blue collar, loving home in north Nashua, and was the first person in my family to ever attend college.  After graduating Simmons College Summa Cum Laude, I became a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist and Senior Professional in Human Resources.

Experience/Occupation:

After graduating college, I spent 15 years managing human resources and operations for large corporations in the financial, health care and other service industries. For the last 10 years, I've been an entrepreneur in several businesses and currently own and operate a restaurant with my husband in downtown Concord, called The Draft.  We specialize in home made "comfort food" and a fun, inviting atmosphere.  Recently, we added a rooftop deck and private function room.

I never envisioned myself an elected official, but in recent years I became increasingly concerned about the future of our country and state, and decided it was my time to serve, solve problems, and move things in the right direction.  I ran for the NH House in 2010, and won the seat.   I'd like to think I have brought a traditional New Hampshire common sense approach to solving our challenges.

Subsequent to taking office in January, 2011, I created the NH House Business Coalition, a non-partisan group of legislators focused solely on improving the climate for job creation and economic growth in our state.   As Founder and Chair, I brought together over 100 Representatives and successfully passed over 60 pro-business bills.  We reformed tax laws and made our state more competitive in attracting and retaining employers, we reduced excessive regulations and red tape to make it easier for small businesses to operate, and we improved the relationship between employers and state government.

As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I was responsible for establishing important revenue projections for the state budget and hearing all proposed bills on revenue matters.  I also served on the Commission to Study Business Taxation, the Economic Strategic Commission to Review the Relationship between Business and Government, and the Business Finance Authority Board.

By middle of my first term, I was recognized for my ability to bring people together to solve problems and my focus on economic and fiscal issues, and was asked to join the House leadership team as the Assistant Deputy Majority Leader.

Previously, I have served on the Board of Directors for the American Red Cross, the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce, the Henniker Economic Development Committee, and several other organizations and clubs. 

Personal:

I have been married to Andy Sanborn (State Senator), my best friend and soul mate for 22 years.  We enjoy doing everything together, from snowmobiling and long walks to serving in the Legislature together. 

We are both Catholic, and were married at St. Joseph's Church in Manchester.

We moved to Bedford to be closer to family, which is something we have wanted to do for a long time.  We absolutely love the strong sense of community here, the people, and the town pride.  With the redistricting that occurs every ten years, Amherst is now included in a House district with Bedford, and I am excited for the opportunity to serve the people of both towns.

Priorities (Why are you running?):

I am running for re-election to:

• Ensure that state government is more responsible, efficient and accountable with your hard-earned tax dollars
• Fight against a state income or sales tax, and work to reduce taxes
• Improve the economy and jobs in New Hampshire
• Reduce regulations on small businesses
• Protect our small towns, families, and individual liberties from the overreach of state and federal government
• Uphold both the New Hampshire and United States Constitution
• Protect our 2nd Amendment rights
• Preserve our traditional New Hampshire values and make our state the absolute best in the nation to live, work, learn and play.