Planting Seeds of Hope Across Politics

Inspired by Executive Councilor Ray Burton, I first became involved in NH politics and ran for the House of Representatives in 1988. I was blessed to serve six terms, and it was a wonderful experience. In 1998, though, I gave a speech expressing concern: “The level of civility among House members has declined in recent years. This seems to be happening at all levels of government and, indeed, throughout society. We can show people a better way.”   

Things have obviously gotten worse since then, and it was no surprise that polarization was recently selected as Merriam-Webster’s word of the year.  

In 2019, I was told about Braver Angels by folksinger Peter Yarrow whom I first met in Ukraine back in 2010. I have been volunteering ever since with this national movement to bridge the partisan divide. Our goal is not to change people’s views of issues, but to change their views of each other. 

We have been working with the NH House of Representatives since 2021. On December 19, 2024, more than 90 state representatives attended our sixth workshop, focused on skills for managing difficult conversations with colleagues. Speaker Sherman Packard told participants, “Even when we disagree, we must always strive to engage with understanding and respect.”  

I closed with this thought: “You are leaders and role models, and people are watching. Maybe how you treat each other is more important than any legislation you may pass.”   

We are excited that there is now a bipartisan caucus of NH state legislators called the Granite Bridge Legislative Alliance. This is the first Braver Angels-inspired caucus in the nation, and there is great interest in replicating this in other states.  For sure, this work is not easy, but there is hope and we are moving forward! 

Check out this two-minute video with workshop highlights: https://youtu.be/NgMg9VFn-04 

For more details, You can read my recent article in the New Hampshire Business Review: https://read.nhbr.com/nh-business-review/2025/02/14/#?article=4290181&dpg=1