Democracy in a Small Town

  

The towns of Seabrook and Hampton, New Hampshire share a seat in the New Hampshire House of Representatives and two candidates have declared for the Democratic primary in September.

One is a member of the Hampton zoning board, Erica DeVries, and the other is a retired Seabrook police Sargeant, Mark Preston, whose uncle was a big name in New Hampshire politics and, in fact the town office was just renamed "Preston" in his honor.

You would think, given that locally famous name, we'd know all about Mr. Preston and a lot less about Ms. DeVries, who toils away in obscurity dealing with the important but dreary details of town zoning, but the opposite is true.

Whereas Ms. DeVries attends the Hampton Democrats monthly meetings and has made her positions on important issues known, Mr. Preston has been a no show.

One may well imagine he thinks his family name will be enough to ensure votes.

ERICA 

But the Preston family is known for their anti abortion stance, or so rumor has it. This has not been easy to tease out of Google, but local folks tell Mad Dog Robert Preston left the Democratic party over the issue of abortion.  Mad Dog was eager to ask Mark Preston about his own stand on abortion at the Hampton Dems meeting where candidates spoke recently  and where Ms. DeVries said she was pro choice, unequivocally, but Mr. Preston's absence was noted. 

Where Mr. Preston stands on assault rifles, open carry laws, environmental issues is also unknown. 

So we are all left to draw our own conclusions.

Mad Dog think, until evidence is presented to the contrary, Mr. Preston may share his family's reputed objections to abortion, and he may be a Republican in Democratic clothing. 

Meanwhile, little signs are popping up around town with the inscrutable, but tantalizing message: Erica is the real thing. What Mark Preston is is anyone's guess.