St. James Running for County Commissioner

State Rep. Kevin St. James, an Exeter firefighter who lives in Kingston, announced May 27 he is running for Rockingham County Commissioner, District 1.

St. James, 48, has been a small business owner with his wife. They have two children. He is a Republican.

St. James, on his website, says the County Commission is often a forgotten part of local government, though commissioners oversee a $78 million budget.

"Rockingham County has the ability to provide even more services to its residents without the need to increase the taxes WE PAY," St. James writes. "Too often we fail to realize how stale and stagnant the air is until the windows and doors of a room are opened. I will be that 'breath of fresh air' that our County Commission needs. I will be an active participant on the Commission AND I will be VISIBLE and ACCOUNTABLE to ALL OF YOU throughout OUR communities. Ask yourself, 'Have I met my current county commissioner of the last 18 years?; Odds are that you have not."

"I will be more accessible to YOU and I will be more effective serving ALL of the citizens of Rockingham County as YOUR Commissioner. For too long OUR County has not done its best using all of the resources available to it. Rockingham should be a model County for the State of New Hampshire, a model County for this Country. OUR County’s government is designed to provide services; BUT instead it has made decisions based on politics, without regard for the needs of OUR Citizens. People should be before politics."