Two vying for seat on the Effingham board of selectmen

I’m running for selectman in large part because of the increasing tax rate. Taxes increased by $2.32 in the past two years, and we anticipate another increase of $2.55 for 2023. Simply put, a home valued at $250,000 will have an increase of $1,217 over a three-year period. My main focus would be on managing operational costs and innovative operational cost reduction along with pursuit of state and federal grant funding for infrastructure.

I have been a resident of Effingham since 1995 with times to the area all my life. I have been involved in the town for several years. Serving on planning and zoning boards. I also served as selectman for a term ending in 2021. Since then, I have continued to volunteer my time. At the request of the select board I completed the Snow Road Bridge project and have been pursing grants.

In the past year, I was able to secure a $400,000.00 grant for bridge replacement and I have another two grants totaling $1,234,000, still in review. This first grant does not require matching funds from the town and the other two require 10 percent town funding. There is a very short timeframe remaining to apply for an enormous amount of federal funds. If elected, I want to take advantage of this opportunity before these programs are discontinued.

Effingham already has one bridge closed, a second in need of replacement and a third (Huntress Bridge) showing signs of deterioration. Our opportunity to repair and replace these bridges with minimum financial impact on taxpayers is now! Some believe there is a cheaper alternative for bridge replacement. That is a false belief and is not backed up by any reputable engineering firm. I have met with multiple New Hampshire-based engineering firms to verify this fact.

Roads are another area where the lowest cost, longest useful life expectancy has been a goal. We need to consider different paving options. Such as overlaying asphalt which would be a viable option on a select few roads and could be a practical approach. Townhouse Road is one example where overlaying may be an option, along with some smaller low volume roads. Overlay asphalt is a thinner road surface with a much-reduced useable life span. However, the cost of the overlay is still 75 percent of a fully reconstructed road. A better constructed roadway can provide a large tax dollar savings over the usable life span of the road. Sustainability is an important part of best practices in budgeting.

One aspect of road reconstruction often goes unrecognized, that is the overall budget impact.

Stagnation in governance is not an option; innovation, planning and offsetting operational expenses is necessary to limit tax impacts on property owners. Failure to plan is planning to fail.

Chris Seamans

I am running for selectmen because I believe Effingham residents and taxpayers deserve a representative who will be fair, open-minded and work with their best interest in mind.

Born in Wolfeboro, I am a Kingswood Regional High School graduate and have resided in Effingham since 1973, minus a few years when I was away at technical school and when I lived in Ossipee.

In 1995, I was elected to a two-year selectman term and then was successful in my bid for a three-year term. I’ve been employed by Ossipee Department of Public Works for 12 years. I have been the union president of Local 534 ASCFME 93 for six years and shop steward for nine.

I was an emergency medical technician and firefighter for about 20 years, both volunteer and for a private contract ambulance service. My past volunteer experience also includes coaching youth sports, Effingham Elementary PTO and, for the past five years, completing community projects with Effingham Connect.

People often say that being an elected official is a thankless job but I truly enjoyed being a selectman and knew, despite all its challenges, that I would one day like to serve in this role again when the time was right. After much consideration, and support from my family and employer, I am ready to again serve the people of Effingham.

I understand the full responsibility of being a selectman as well as its limitations. I bring to the position working knowledge of many aspects of town government services including labor relations, public works and public safety. I look forward to working cooperatively with the other two board members towards the common goal of best serving the people of Effingham in the most fiscally responsible, transparent and meaningful way.

I would appreciate your vote March 14.