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Weare selectboard candidates emphasize budget fixes, better communication at forum
Summary
Candidates for Weare selectboard seats told voters at a March 10 forum that passing a functional budget and improving communication with residents are top priorities; a public question about use of document classification and public records drew a tense exchange.
At a candidates forum on March 10 in Weare, six contenders for open Select Board seats told voters their top priorities are passing a workable town budget, replacing aging public-safety and DPW vehicles, and making town government more transparent and communicative.
The forum, moderated by a town official, featured opening statements from Benson Goodwin, Ricky Hippler, Corland (Corland) Mann and Jack Dearborn, followed by questions from the public. Jack Dearborn, who was appointed to the board in June and described decades of local service, warned that "the town budget is $9,000,000, and it's 18% of the tax," and said wages account for roughly 57% of that budget. He described heavy repair costs for public works vehicles — "our repair budget for the DPW is $85,000; this year, we spent almost 180" — and urged voters to support a budget that keeps core services running.
Several candidates framed the town as a service-oriented organization that must balance life-safety needs with residents' tax concerns. Corland Mann, running for a one-year seat, said he wants to "get my feet wet" in town government and emphasized clearer outreach so residents understand warrant articles and budget trade-offs. Ricky Hippler, a longtime firefighter and former Select Board member, and Benson Goodwin, a retired emergency dispatcher and justice of the peace, both stressed better dissemination of information and closer contact between the board and department heads.
During the public-question portion, resident Travis Corcoran raised transparency concerns and asked whether any candidate had "invented a classification system to withhold public documents," citing RSA 91-A (the state right-to-know statute) and pointing attendees to online material he said supports the claim. Candidates denied creating new classification schemes. Dearborn said he prefaced some information sent to counsel to ensure attorney review, framing that practice as an abundance-of-caution approach to legal confidentiality and Freedom of Information questions: "My practice down at BAE Systems... everything we send on a preface on the subject means it says attorney client privilege, legal, general counsel legal only... They decide which stuff's in and out and forward everything to them." The exchange produced repeated follow-ups from the questioner and several candidates defending their records on public information.
Candidates also discussed specific local issues: aging municipal fleet vehicles, protective clothing and equipment needs for first responders, and outreach around a proposed solar project. Throughout, candidates said improving how the town communicates budgets and warrant language — including expanding social-media and simulcast outreach — is a high priority to reduce the perception that town governance is a "black box."
The forum concluded with brief closing remarks from candidates and a reminder to vote on Tuesday, March 10. No formal motions or votes took place during the event.
Next step: the town election is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10, 2026.
