Your name: Candace Cole-McCrea

Age: 67

Political party: moderate and fiscally conservative democrat

Elected position you are seeking: District 1. State rep

Number of years living in the district you seek to represent: 20

Family: Widow. Two grown sons, one, Kestrel, living at home

Education: postgraduate degrees: Concentrations: education, sociology, rehabilitation, addictionology and stress disorders

Current occupation/employer: Independent contractor for rehabilitative and wellness services

Employment, military and volunteer history: Retired professor of social sciences, served in civil service medivac during Vietnam war, foster and adoptive parent for the states of New Hampshire and California, Vista volunteer in Alaska with native peoples, brownie scout leader, little league coach, published author, rehabilitative certificate from California and Montana to work with injured wolves and eagles/owls/hawks.

Currently serve on various state councils. Board director of first battered women’s shelter in California, have been a hospice spiritual minister, counseling work rehabilitating inmates in the criminal justice system, have served on rescue dog organization, volunteer/coach pain/stress reduction classes in the community.




Please list all public offices to which you’ve been elected, when and where:

Library Trustee, Milton Free Library 2013

Milton School Board Member (unsure of years)

Volunteer Fire Department paramedic, Alaska, 1969



Please list any unsuccessful runs for public office and when:

State Rep, 2012



Other prior political and government experience:

1. State of New Hampshire council: Council on Aging, representing Strafford County

2. State of New Hampshire council: Department of Education, Special Education Council

3. State of New Hampshire council: Elder Rights Council

4. State of New Hampshire: Department of Transportation

5. State of New Hampshire: Behavioral Health Planning Council



Key endorsements you’ve received:



Campaign contributions on hand and campaign expenditures to date:

Received $200 to date.



Top contributors to your campaign fund:

Greg Burdwood, Strafford County



Why should people vote for you? What separates you from your opponent(s)?

My history and life work has included people of many views and positions. My family and many of my friends are Republican so I am used to integrating their wisdom with my own. I am not an extremist. I want to represent our small communities and actively advocate for them in the legislature. For too long, I have been on councils and seen small communities overlooked to fund and support our big cities on major highways, from Concord to Mancheste to Nashua. I do not feel the big cities represent our New Hampshire character. I care about family farms, our wilderness, education options, transportation, ecology. I have seen federal funding come into the state, to get shuffled into state administrative goals rather than community support. I believe very strongly that citizens should have a much stronger voice in deciding Concord’s policies. I will bring issues back to Milton/Milton Mills/Middleton and ask our towns people how they feel and what they want and that is how I will vote…I will represent the people of our communities, even if that violates my personal opinion on an issue, if people communicate with me and let me know what they want.




What are the three most important issues you would address if elected? How?

The needs and futures of small towns and communities in New Hampshire, to include small farms.

Future planning to address the growing aging population needs, to increase long-term independence.

Ecological and environmental needs to retain the nature of New Hampshire and address effects of incoming diseases, insects, pollution, population on our lakes, forests, seacoast, etc.



What other issues do you see as important?

Supporting veterans—very strong in my heart.

Protecting our constitutions, federal and state.

Reviewing all laws we have on the books and eliminating any that are not vital to our well-being.



What specific steps will you take to make government more open and accessible to the public?

I will vote, always, for open and accessibility of government work. I will bring back to my community and seek to publish what I need community feedback on, before I can vote to represent my community.

I will seek to announce hearings that vitally affect our small towns.




Have you ever been convicted of a crime (felony), been disciplined by a professional licensing board or organization or had an ethics violation filed against you? If so, please give the details. no



Have you ever filed for bankruptcy, had your mortgage foreclosed, or been delinquent on your federal, state or local taxes? Yes, once a number of years ago, I had a chapter 13 due to a severe medical issue that required two years of convalescence. I paid all debts in full within one year. My credit rating is now very good.



Are there any personal details about yourself that voters would be interested in knowing?​

I am half American Indian. I can my own food, grind my own flour and make my own bread, live as simply as I can, have my own fruit trees, grape vines and blueberry bushes. I recycle everything I can and do my best to respect all peoples and the natural environment of our state. I love the small towns in my district and will fight very hard for them.

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