CLAREMONT — In the only contested primary in Sullivan County for the state legislature, five Republicans will be on the Sept. 10 ballot for three seats in District 6, representing Claremont and Croydon.

Luke Diamond, Wayne Hemingway, Tom Luther, Robert Merrill Jr., and Emily Sandblade are all from Claremont. Incumbent Rep. Walt Stapleton, R-Claremont, decided against seeking another term.

The winners will face incumbent Democrats John Cloutier and Gary Merchant and Claremont Mayor Dale Girard in the Nov. 5 general election.

Wayne Hemingway

A 1981 graduate of Stevens High School and retired after a career in the military, Hemingway, 61, is serving his first, two-year term as a Claremont City Councilor. He chairs the council’s policy committee and is the media liaison for efforts to bring The Wall that Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, to Claremont.

Hemingway has a background in logistics, planning and development, human resources, budgeting and experience in construction and finance.

“I want to make an impact on the housing shortage, improve infrastructure, and lowering the tax burden,” Hemingway said are his goals along with improving internet access in Croydon. “I am here to listen to your needs.”

On the question of education funding, which has been debated in Concord for more than 30 years, Hemingway agrees that the state needs to increase the per pupil adequacy grant, especially for communities like Claremont which have lower home values causing a rise in the school property tax rate.

“The tax burden on the citizens of New Hampshire is taking a toll on the economic progress of some of our towns and cities,” Hemingway said.

Believing that public schools should be “run like a business,” Hemingway supports Education Freedom Accounts, which give vouchers to families that want to educate their children outside of the public school system.

“They are a great way to ensure all children get the education they deserve in a setting they are comfortable with,” Hemingway said. “Not every child learns the same way.”

On the debate over reproductive rights, which came to the forefront after the U.S. Supreme Court removed the constitutionally protected right to abortion, Hemingway said he would not make any changes to New Hampshire law allowing pregnancies to be terminated up to 24 weeks.

To increase the available housing stock, Hemingway wants to see Claremont improved its inventory of blighted properties and encourage more development in workforce housing.

Overall, Hemingway said the biggest impact on individuals, families and communities is through local and state government and that is why he is running.

“If elected to go on to the general election I will work to help Claremont and Croydon,” Hemingway said. “I am interested in your needs as a community or individual.”

Tom Luther

Luther, 60, is semi-retired from a career as a manufacturing/design engineer.

He was recently appointed to the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission and the Claremont Historic District Commission. He also volunteers with Arrowhead Recreation Club, Baby Steps food and clothing distribution, the Riverview Charter School and Trinity Church warming shelter.

Luther said outgoing state Rep. Walt Stapleton inspired him to run and he wants to work on schools, infrastructure and housing needs. He supports Education Freedom Accounts because they provide lower income families with the same school choice wealthy families have.

“New Hampshire has innovative education models; kids not thriving in public schools deserve choice too,” Luther said in an email. “Trust parents and fund kids, not systems.

“So much of Claremont’s budget goes to schools, everything else is crowded out,” he continued. “Much of this is unsustainable federal transfer payments.”

Luther thinks New Hampshire can learn from other states where the approach to housing has increased supply by, among other things, streamlining local zoning rules.

He was in favor of the end of “federally unconstitutional Roe (v Wade) and I honor past New Hampshire legislature’s work in rightfully regulating abortion,” he said. “Change nothing.”

Luther said his heavy involvement in his community with several organizations demonstrate his commitment and respect for “Claremont’s blue collar folks,” Luther said. “It would be my honor to represent them. New Hampshire needs decentralized low cost local solutions. House representatives should focus local and avoid national and international politics.”

Luke Diamond

Diamond, 64, is retired software developer and has lived in New Hampshire for 15 years, the last five in Claremont.

He served eight years in the Army Reserve and has been a Republican all his life.

“I am running for state representative in Sullivan District 6 because I want to contribute to policy-making, address local concerns, and serve my community directly,” Diamond said in an email. “My primary concerns are taxation, education and economic development.”

Similar to the view of the other primary candidates, Diamond supports expanding school choice for parents and students and said that will improve education in the state, lower costs, which will address the funding crisis, and allow families greater educational freedom.

“Not only should parents be more free to select which school to which they send their child, but alternatives such as homeschooling, learning centers and technical schools should be more accessible,” Diamond said. “Expanding Education Freedom Accounts would allow more families to take advantage of such options. Providing more cost effective education will decrease taxpayer burden and also make our area more attractive to businesses seeking an educated workforce.”

Diamond said New Hampshire’s abortion laws has served the state well by “balancing the rights of the unborn with those of the mother and her family,” Diamond said. “I will continue to oppose any public funding of abortions and work to create a culture that honors and respects families and all life.”

Zoning rules and regulations have contributed to New Hampshire’s housing shortage, Diamond believes.

“To that extent, I will work at the state level to remove barriers to housing construction and land use.”

Emily Sandblade

Sandblade, 71, is a retired physicist, a former college instructor in computer science and physics and currently a part-time engineer. She served on term in the House (2012-14), representing Hillsborough County District 18 and while living in Goffstown, N.H., was on the Zoning Board of Appeals and budget committee. Some of her volunteer work includes teaching beekeeping, New Horizons in Manchester and working on computer systems for several churches.

As a participant in the Free State Project, Sandblade said her work since coming to New Hampshire in 2010 has been politically oriented, supporting Republican campaigns, serving on Republican town and county committees and in elective office.

If sent to Concord, Sandblade said she her priorities will include economic development in Sullivan County, improving educational quality while keeping spending in check and fighting for limits on taxation with the goal of helping people buy homes or stay in the homes they own.

“Limited government, individual liberty, and personal responsibility” Sandblade said are what she values most.

Sandblade believes education in New Hampshire is moving toward a model with instruction customized for each student and away from “factory-style” education, where students “are pushed along from grade to grade regardless of wide gaps in competency.” Funding, she said, needs to be changed to reflect that shift.

Instead of the courts ruling on education lawsuits, Sandblade said it is the legislature’s job to determine educational structure and funding.

“Funding is a complex enough issue that has many, many stakeholders, and a long-range plan needs to be hammered out based on massive amounts of research, analysis, and negotiation by people who are directly accountable,” Sandblade said. She supports EFAs because they can improve educational quality and lessen some of the burden on taxpayers.

On the question of New Hampshire’s abortion laws, Sandblade said more than 70% of the state’s voters favor some restrictions on abortion and current laws endorse that view.

“Personally, I prefer that abortion becomes rare, but changing the culture is more effective than using legal force,” she said.

Sandblade lists a number of steps that can be taken to increase the amount of affordable housing. These include allowing more duplex development in residential districts, reduce delays caused by zoning and cut permitting delays and costs, allow Accessory Dwelling Units attached or unattached from the primary residence in residential districts, update zoning for tiny homes, drop barriers to cooperative housing.

Robert Merrill did not respond to email messages for this story.

A candidates’ Meet and Greet is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 30, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Croydon Fire station.

Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com