Originally Published in Union Leader.
A bipartisan group of past and present lawmakers and political activists launched the New Hampshire Forum, a civic engagement project aimed at building consensus for policy legislation for the 2027 session.
Former Senate President Donna Soucy, D-Manchester, and 2022 Republican U.S. Senate candidate and former Londonderry Town Manager Kevin H. Smith agreed to serve as co-chairs of a $1 million-a-state effort also taking place in Nevada and South Carolina, two other states with a history for holding early presidential contests.
Director Andrew Shue said the goal is to use these state projects to build the model for civic infrastructure that can overcome the hyperpartisanship and polarization in today’s politics.
“This is our wake-up call. The people are going to have to decide these big decisions. We know there is no partisan fix; they are stuck, they are in a box,” Shue told reporters at a news conference at Granite Place in Concord.
“We need to get busy, we need to show up. This is the right idea at the right time. Let’s do it.”
Shue, 59, is a Hollywood actor best known for his role in “Melrose Place,” a television series during the 1990s.
A social entrepreneur, Shue has formed other nonprofit organizations and had mounted a similar effort leading up to the 2018 election cycle.
The first mission of the group is to encourage residents across the ideological spectrum to fill out a survey on their website to express what issues they want elected officials to address next year.
Smith said 5,000 have already signed up and the goal is to have at least 25,000 participate.
Organizers plan to host online discussions with those who wish to participate, and later this fall hold in person, town hall-style forums where they will discuss finalizing the issues to be put forward.
“The first thing I asked when they approached me was, ‘What was the agenda?’” Smith said. “The answer was there wasn’t one. This is about listening to people and trying to build the consensus we know that is out there when it comes to issues of the day whether it’s housing, child care, education, infrastructure.”
Soucy hopes it can help break down the overheated rhetoric that can occur on social media.
“I think people are frustrated at the discourse of politics being uncivil and there is so much vitriol. This tends to make people not want to engage,” Soucy said. “That’s why I am so excited with the New Hampshire Forum.”
Shue said they will seek fundraising for this initiative from both philanthropists and small donors.
“The key is we are determined to maintain political balance in everything we do,” Shue said.
