The “other Pat Long” announces state rep campaign
Attorney Patrick Long, who regular Ink Link readers will remember is no relation to the Ward 3 State Representative or the cat by the same name, today announced his candidacy for one of two ward-level seats for Ward 7 State Representative. He has already been endorsed by State Representatives Mary H
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Attorney Patrick Long, who regular Ink Link readers will remember is no relation to the Ward 3 State Representative or the cat by the same name, today announced his candidacy for one of two ward-level seats for Ward 7 State Representative. He has already been endorsed by State Representatives Mary Heath and Mary Freitas. Long has not yet secured the endorsement of the cat. Heath stated she is pleased to support Long because he cares about people and will work hard for the residents of Ward 7 and the people of Manchester.
Long is an Iraq War veteran, and owns his own law firm. He ran for Ward 7 Alderman last year and has served in municipal government previously. He is currently on the Manchester Heritage Commission, served on Manchester’s Personnel Appeals Board from 2022 to 2023, and from 2007-2010 was on a town finance committee in Massachusetts.
From 2008-2014 he was in NH Army National Guard units based in Manchester’s Canal Street Armory, and served in Operation New Dawn in Kuwait and Iraq.
Among other issues, Long stated he wants to protect access to reproductive healthcare, secure Manchester’s fair share of state education funding, and find solutions to homelessness, housing affordability, and addiction.
On reproductive freedom, Long said: I am pro-choice and would support the introduction of state laws to protect reproductive freedom–abortion, IVF, and other reproductive health care. These are medical choices that should be made by the people affected by them in consultation with their doctor, not by politicians. As a lawyer, I find it extremely concerning that the Supreme Court chose to overturn 50 years of settled law to take away the right to choose, and I have to ask what other rights we think we have that politicians may soon be able to take away. The Dobbs decision was not just about reproductive freedom–it unleashed the government to attack freedom anywhere and any time that a court can be convinced that the state’s rights are more important than your rights. I would also look for other opportunities to change or clarify state law to protect other constitutional rights that runaway judges may otherwise take away in the future, such as birth control or interracial marriage.
On homelessness, Long stated: I serve on the boards of two community organizations working on these challenges. I don’t know what all the answers are here, and I would like to hear your ideas. But to start we need to build more affordable housing, and help people get the treatment they need for substance abuse and mental health issues, so they will stay off the streets. I will work to ensure that everyone who wants to buy or rent a home in Manchester is able to afford it. Opioid users who want to quit need to be able to get into detox immediately, and users of any drug need to be able to get into rehab right away when they are ready to quit, so they don’t change their minds. In my law practice, I work with a lot of people who have mental health or substance abuse issues, and my experience is that it is important to be humane about meeting their needs, while also demanding accountability for harmful behavior.
On education, he stated “ I want to ensure Manchester’s schools have the resources that our students and teachers need in order to succeed. Current state law allows the legislature to underfund our schools and give more money to richer districts. Despite a requirement in the state constitution to provide all kids an adequate education, and a court order finding that state aid to lower-income districts such as Manchester was not meeting that requirement, the current legislature has decided not to guarantee adequate state education funding to all schools. Our schools are underfunded and our property taxes are higher than they should be because our district does not get its fair share, while richer districts get more. I support raising the base adequacy aid amount, by law, to the $7,356 per student that is currently required to provide an adequate education, and adjusting it appropriately for inflation in the future.
Long will be holding a campaign kickoff on May 17 at 5:30 p.m. at The Green Beautiful, 168 Wilson St. Attendance is free but a contributions to the campaign are welcomed.
Voters interested in learning more can call 603-316-6938 or visit www.votepatricklong.com
