MANCHESTER, NH (January 3, 2018): The Free State Project is pleased to announce the appointment of Rachel Goldsmith as Interim Executive Director, effective immediately. Rachel takes over managerial responsibilities from Matt Philips.

“We are thrilled to welcome Rachel to this role,” said FSP founder and Chairman of the Board, Jason Sorens. “She has excellent operational skills and has expressed a commitment to continue to build and strengthen our growing community.”

Rachel has spent the last two years learning the ins and outs of the FSP, first as an event volunteer, and then as the Director of Operations. During this time, she was lead coordinator for sponsorships, developed recurring content to promote the FSP, and spearheaded outreach efforts. In addition to an MBA, Rachel’s professional background and business experience include fundraising, marketing, and event production. More...

While nobody likes paying property taxes, there’s no way around it for homeowners. In New Hampshire, there is a process by which you can challenge your property tax assessment to lower your property tax bill, known as the “abatement” process.

The tax abatement application must be submitted to your town/city by March 1st. If you think your house is disproportionately assessed at a value much higher than the assessments of comparable properties in your town, then it is worth going through the process. The first step is to request an abatement form/application from your town Assessor’s office. They can mail it to you or it may be readily available on the town’s website.

Note that assessed value is not the same as market value. The state uses an “equalization rate” to adjust the net assessment as market values increase or decrease overall based on market conditions. The town Assessor or selectman’s office can walk you through those numbers. By law, towns have to reassess at least every five years, but most do it more frequently. More...

Chip Spangler has been in NH since 2015, and has been an unstoppable force for liberty since long before that.

For over 15 years, Chip has been involved with the Libertarian Party: he was Chair of the Maryland LP, a party officer in Alaska, and currently serves as the Vice Chair for the Southern New Hampshire LP. Since moving to New Hampshire, Chip has been actively volunteering at both Liberty Forum and PorcFest as god of AV, Fr33Aid, and Logistics. He holds the key to our hearts, and also the storage unit.

But that’s not all! Every single month, Chip is the MC for two monthly meet-ups in Manchester. The first Saturday of the month you will find him at the mic for the Merrimack Valley Porcupine meet-up (check out the calendar for upcoming locations), and on the first Tuesday of the month he has rocked New Movers Parties, welcoming all the incoming Porcupines with big hugs and a big heart. Shout out to Patrick Donald Binder for taking over that role. You have big shoes to fill, my friend. More...

Ah, winter in New Hampshire...a picturesque time of snow-covered villages, frozen streams and ponds, and carolers with hot cocoa. New England winters are lovely, with much to see and do...but the weather can feel brutal, especially if you are new to the area. Be ready for the challenge and stay safe with these tips:

1. During and after the first good storm, people will drive recklessly, so be sure to give yourself extra distance. Defensive driving is key. Slow down.

2. While not necessary if you live in the city, a set of winter tires or studded snow tires can make driving during a storm safer.

3. If you live outside of the city (or on the outskirts) you will lose power at some point. Electricity is usually restored within 12 hours, but we've seen several days of prolonged outages. Alternate heat sources (like wood stoves) are especially useful during an outage. Many people find they need a supply of bottled water for drinking and flushing toilets. A generator is good to have on-hand for times like these, but you'll need a transfer switch installed at the electrical panel to use a generator.

Liberty Forum 2018 is coming to Manchester, New Hampshire, in less than three months! A schedule of fascinating presentations and panels is almost complete and will be published in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, we have a few more slots to fill.

Speakers from around the world have presented at Liberty Forums past, and we're excited to hear from this year's lineup of thinkers and doers. If you or someone you know would make a great addition to the schedule, please let us know with an official request or an informal email.

"I think the good General would be proud of how hard we fought today. It is a good day for school choice in NH. SB 193 passed committee." ~Victoria Wojdylak Sullivan

"ESAs, or any school choice program, aren’t going to 'make education cheap.' What they can do is allow families to spend more money on alternative learning methods. The additional money will be targeted to individual children, by parents, to let them find their own paths. This already happens in the existing New Hampshire town-tuition program. Croydon students that were failing in public school were allowed to try a Montessori school (which, as most private schools do, charged less than the public school), and they thrived. ESAs will bring many more choices to thousands of other New Hampshire children." ~Bill Walker More...

Types of Permits
Porcupine Real Estate often gets questions on zoning regulations in New Hampshire. Much like property taxes, zoning laws and ordinances vary from town to town. If you're considering a property and plan to do any major improvements like building a garage, putting livestock or other animals on the property, cutting down several trees, or something similar, you will want to check with the town before you proceed.

Town Permitting Processes
While each town has its own permitting process, if you're doing your own work on your house, the permit requirement is often waived. We recommend checking with your town to confirm prior to starting work.

The State and the Septic System
One exception to the permit process is septic systems, which are regulated on a statewide basis. If you're building a new system, you'll have to get state approval for the system regardless of the town. If you're building within the minimum setbacks of a body of water or wetlands, you'll need state approval. More...

It's so good to be home! We learned of the Free State Project about two years ago. We were from Grand Rapids, Michigan, a bustling city with a culture of political extremes. We researched New Hampshire and realized not only was the FSP great, but the beautiful Granite State also offered freedom from sales tax (6% in MI), low crime, and excellent job prospects. We planned a visit (last year) and felt so at home here among the Free Staters! From interesting meetups to great conversations with other liberty minded people we knew, this was the place for us, and we started planning our move soon after.

It was a tough choice deciding where exactly we wanted to be, since each region is so unique and has a lot to offer. Among our biggest considerations when selecting a place to live was a wholesome community for our daughter to grow up in. Coming from a bigger city, we were all too aware of some of the issues that come with it (crime, school quality, water and air quality, etc) but still wanted easy access to important amenities such as healthcare and shopping/entertainment. More...

"Black Mountain in Benton, NH" ~Mary Sorens

"Just enjoying a beautiful 70 degree fall day, hanging out on my deck!" ~Tiffany Hale

"Four days from forest to table. Harvested my first black bear with crossbow last Friday. Nourishing the family in the chili pot tonight." ~Iiro Lehtinen

"It was another beautiful day in the neighborhood! First we headed to UNH for Ocean Discovery Day. So, so much hands-on fun! Then off to The Colonel Paul Wentworth House to check out the Colonial Muster and Market Fair. The boys loved it! They asked alllll the people alllll of the questions. October in New Hampshire is my favorite." ~Jessica Bearden Paxton

"I love fall and changes of seasons in general. I’ve quickly come to appreciate New England's autumn traditions which, to me, are exotic from a Cali perspective, and at the same time, familiar from my Scandinavian upbringing. We had a nice afternoon at the Pumpkin Festival in Laconia today with friends." ~Peter Towers

(Photo by Mary Sorens)

By Michelle Dumas

Q. We are excited to move to New Hampshire as soon as possible, but job searching long distance is so hard. Do you think finding temporary employment might be an option?

A. A short-term/contract position could be a really good way to generate the income you need to make the move to New Hampshire, but there are drawbacks you should be aware of as you consider this option. Lack of job security, difficulty budgeting long term, fewer or no benefits beyond hourly pay, and overall lower pay are the most often cited. But, if you are willing to accept these drawbacks, temporary employment could enable you to move sooner while offering other valuable benefits. More...